Whenever there is cloud, do not think that the whole sun disc or the sun sphere or globe is covered. No. That is not possible. It is only a insignificant part of the sky, maybe hundred miles, two hundred miles, five hundred miles covered with cloud. But what is this hundred miles, two hundred miles, five hundred . . . five thousand miles in comparison to the vast space over-flooded with sunshine? It is nothing. It is nothing.
Similarly, when we are covered by this material energy, you should understand yourself that you are covered like the cloud. So you have to somehow or other get out of the cloud, just like we get out of the cloud by aeroplane and go above the cloud, there is full sunshine. Similarly, if you somehow or other get out of this cloud and capture the sunshine, or the effulgence of Kṛṣṇa, then you become happy immediately.
That is Kṛṣṇa consciousness. You have to change your consciousness. That consciousness is now clouded, covered with cloud and material things. This cloud . . . actually, cloud has no permanent existence. It appears in the sky and again disappears. It appears also by the sunshine. What is this cloud? The cloud is not a foreign thing; it is a product of the sunshine.
When there is excessive heat, the sunshine evaporates seawater and it turns into gas, which is called cloud. So cloud has no separate existence beyond the sunshine, it is also a product of the sunshine. Similarly, this māyā, illusion, is also a creation of God. And because it is creation of God, it can be dissolved by the mercy of God. The same process: the cloud is there, but when the sunshine is too bright the cloud disappears: no more cloud.
Similarly, if you can capture the sunshine of Kṛṣṇa, and if you make it brighter, or if you go to the brighter side—sunshine is always there, similarly bright side of Kṛṣṇa is always there—that side is the association of the devotees. Instead of associating with nondevotees, if you associate with these devotees, then you get that sunshine, or the light and heat from Kṛṣṇa. That is the process. Same way: if you somehow or other you go up the cloud, then you get this full sunshine.