Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: So what is the position of tyāgīs, persons who are simply trying to renounce material life? Do they. . . Are they considered on the devotional path, or do they have to fall down into lower species of life?
Prabhupāda: No.
Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: Is that considered attempting to become Kṛṣṇa conscious, simply to give up, say, material sense enjoyment?
Prabhupāda: No, these tyāgīs, Māyāvādīs, by their process they may attempt paraṁ padam, means Brahman effulgence. But Brahman effulgence being simply, what is called, eternity. But a living entity does not want simply eternal life, but he wants ānanda. Now, suppose if you are given, if God says that "You live here in this field eternally," would you like that?
Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: No.
Prabhupāda: Why?
Jayādvaita: It's boring.
Prabhupāda: If you alone live in this field eternally, that is not bliss. That is punishment. You see? So that is nature. We want ānanda, blissfulness. So therefore those who are arūhya kṛcchreṇa paraṁ padam (SB 10.2.32), after severe austerities, they rise up to the Brahmān effulgence, but on account of his original nature of ānanda, he cannot remain there. He again falls down. "Oh, it was better, family life. What is this nonsense? Eternally sit up in this field? What is this? Let me go to the town and work there." You see? That is your nature. Therefore these impersonalists who want to merge, they can merge, but there they cannot remain. They will again come. These so-called sannyāsīs, they give up everything—brahma satyaṁ jagan mithyā—Vivekananda or this Karpatri. Again they come to these material activities. (break) Somebody takes social work, somebody takes political work. But if it is mithyā, if it is false, why. . .? (break) But they have. . . (break) Again come, open hospital, do political work. They cannot stick up. That is not possible.