If you do not follow the injunction of the śāstra, then your human life is unsuccessful. Na siddhim. Human life means that you stop the process of transmigration from one body to another. That is human life mission. Tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma naiti (BG 4.9). One should endeavor in such a way that you do not take again birth in this material world. Tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma naiti (BG 4.9). Because as soon as you accept any material body, either the material body of Lord Brahmā or the material body of an ant, most inignificant, the trouble is there. You will have to suffer. You cannot escape it. Nūnaṁ pramattaḥ kurute vikarma (SB 5.5.4). Irresponsibly, we, if we act, pramattaḥ, like madman, without following the sastric injunction... That is a madman. Just like a madman does not care for any instruction. He acts according to his own whim. That is described here: svaira-cāri. Svaira-cāri. Svaira-cāri means "I will act according to my whims. I don't care for any authority." That is called svaira-cāri. No. The laws are meant for human beings. Even on the street, as soon as you go out on the street, immediately the law is there: "Keep to the right. Keep to the left." And if you violate, immediately you'll be punished, immediately become criminal. Similarly... This is government law. Similarly, law given by the Supreme Lord.
So we must follow the rules and regulations as given by God. That is religion. Dharmaṁ tu sākṣād bhagavat-praṇītam (SB 6.3.19). Religion means the law which is given by God, and if you follow, then your life is successful. This is religion. Religion is not that concocted, you manufacture some religion. That is not religion. Just like you cannot manufacture law. The law is given by the state, by the government. That is law. Similarly, religion means the law given by God. So therefore in the Bhagavad-gītā the real religion means sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekam śaraṇaṁ vraja (BG 18.66). Don't manufacture concocted religion, this samāj, this religion, that, all nonsense. The only religion is how to surrender to Kṛṣṇa, or God. That is religion. But nobody will surrender to God, and they will manufacture religion. So what is the meaning? Therefore Bhāgavata has rejected all this cheating type of religion. Dharmaḥ projjhita-kaitavo 'tra paramo nirmatarāṇām (SB 1.1.2). Religion means for the paramhaṁsa. Paramo nirmatarāṇāṁ. Nirmatsarā. Matsarāta means envious. Everyone is envious of his friend, of his neighbor, even of his father or son. This is material nature. So this bhāgavata-dharma is meant for the first-class nonenvious person, because everyone is envious, and the enviousness begins by envying Kṛṣṇa or God. Then other enviousness begins. And he becomes svaira-carī, living whimsically. This kind of living is condemned herewith. Aghāyuḥ. Aghāyuḥ means sinful life. Āyuḥ means life; agha means sinful life. Aghāyur aśuciḥ, impure. Malāt. Malāt means material infection, especially rajo-guṇa, tamo-guṇa, dirty things. So one is expected to go above these dirty things. Dirty things means greediness and lusty desires. These are dirty. Tato rajas-tamo-bhāvāḥ kāma-lobhādayaś ca ye (SB 1.2.19). Rajas-tamaḥ, these are the dirty qualities, and sattva-guṇa is pure quality, and you have to go above sattva-guṇa. Then your life is perfect. Even if you rise, elevate yourself to sattva-guṇa, means a pure brahminical stage—śama dama sataṁ śaucaṁ titikṣa ārjavaṁ, jñānaṁ vijñānam āstikyaṁ brahma-karma svabhāva-jam (BG 18.42)—still, you have to go further, śuddha-sattva. Sattvaṁ viśuddhaṁ vasudeva-śabditam. Then you can understand what is Kṛṣṇa.
So this devotional service means to go above sattva-guṇa. Sa guṇṇ samatītyaitān brahma-bhūyāya kalpate (BG 14.26). You have to transcend all the material qualities, even sattva-guṇa. Therefore a Vaiṣṇava is above sattva-guṇa. So his brahminical qualities is supposed to be included. A Vaiṣṇava is already a brāhmaṇa. We give a Vaiṣṇava the sacred thread, the mark of becoming a brāhmaṇa, because without becoming a brāhmaṇa, nobody can come to the platform of Vaiṣṇava. That is the idea. Nobody should come to the platform of śuddha-sattva without being elevated to the sattva-guṇa platform. So this man... Sattva-guṇa... He was already sattva-guṇa. He was son of a brāhmaṇa. He was being trained up very nicely. But because it was not śuddha-sattvata, therefore he fell down, even on the sattva-guṇa platform. But when one is on the śuddha-sattva... Just like Haridāsa Ṭhākura. This man was brahminically qualified, but as soon as he saw that a śūdrāṇī and śūdra were engaged in lusty affairs, he fell down. But see the behavior of Haridāsa Ṭhākura. Because he was situated on the śuddha-sattva-guṇa and... Although he was young man, one, another young prostitute came to deviate him, and he remained in his position. Rather, he converted the prostitute to become a devotee. This is the difference between sattva-guṇa and śuddha-sattva-guṇa. If you keep yourself on the śuddha-sattva-guṇa, then you will be able to convert others to become devotees. Therefore it is not difficult. It is very easy also.