Srila Prabhupada below explains the three basic paths one can take in this material world.
Karma kanda, jnana kanda and Upasana kanda. Only in bhakti is there ananda-real pleasure.
March 6 1974 Mayapur
Prabhupāda: And in Burma, my Guru Mahārāja opened a branch. So when they were frying puri, the,nice ghee, all the tenants, “Oh! What you are…!?” (laughter) They cannot tolerate. But in Burma, there is a preparation which is called nafi. The nafi means that a, a big jar will be kept on the door, and whatever animals, insect, cockroaches will die, they’ll put in that. And during rainy season, it will be filled with water. And it will be kept for years. Then… And the bad smell was so terrible that if somebody would open the lid, it will immediately create very bad smell. So after some years, they will strain the water and keep in bottle. And when there is festival, they’ll supply it in small… That is called nafi. And they’ll take it very pleasantly. And when they were frying ghee, “Oh! What you are doing, this?!” Therefore Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura says that
nānā yoni sadā phire, kadarya bhakṣaṇa kare,
tāra janma adhah-pate yāya,
karma-kāṇḍa jñāna-kāṇḍa, kevala viṣera bhāṇḍa,
amṛta baliyā yebā khāya
Karma-kāṇḍa. There are three kāṇḍas: karma-kāṇḍa, jñāna-kāṇḍa and upāsanā-kāṇḍa. So upāsanā-kāṇḍa is bhakti. So instead of accepting this upāsanā-kāṇḍa, worshiping the Supreme, sarva-dharmān parityajya [Bg. 18.66], if one takes to the other processes, karma-kāṇḍa, jñāna-kāṇḍa, they are viṣera bhāṇḍa, they’re all poison pots. The result is, if they take to that path, then their, this transmigration of the soul, will continue, and they’ll have to eat all nasty things. Because this time you may be human being. And next time you may be hog. So this is karma-kāṇḍa jñāna-kāṇḍa kevala viṣera bhāṇḍa, the all poison pots. Simply bhakti-kāṇḍa, we have to take. Otherwise our life is at risk. The jñāna-kāṇḍa is also not safe, because their ultimate goal of jñāna-kāṇḍa is to merge into Brahman. But there, they cannot stay.Because in Brahman simply it is eternal life, eternity, but there is no ānanda. but we are seeking ānanda. In the Brahman… Suppose if you are asked that “You will eternally live in this land, will you like that? You’ll never die. You’ll live eternally, but nobody will come here. Nobody will talk with you.” Will you like that?
Devotee: No. Nobody would.
Prabhupāda: So the Brahman realization is like that. Every living entity, he wants ānanda.Ānanda means just like we are walking together, talking together. This is ānanda. If I would have walked alone, it would have been no ānanda. I do not like. Nobody likes. So ānanda means there must be entourage. Therefore ānanda is with Kṛṣṇa. When we play with Kṛṣṇa, we dance with Kṛṣṇa, talk with Kṛṣṇa, serve Kṛṣṇa, take care of Kṛṣṇa, then there is ānanda. And simply to become one with the Brahman, then you will have to fall down again. Therefore jñāna-kāṇḍa is not perfect. And karma-kāṇḍa is, you can migrate from one body to another or one planet to another. You’ll be brahmāṇḍa bhramite. You have to wander. And jñāna-kāṇḍa means you merge. That is also intolerable. Therefore unless you come to bhakti-kāṇḍa, there is no question of real life and bliss. That is the conclusion.
