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Words of Srila Guru Maharaj:

Happiness and sadness

"What makes me most happy in life is to see the devotees work seriously for Lord Caitanya. When I see the devotees endeavour and grow spiritually, I see this and I enjoy it because I know that this is for Srila Prabhupada, that was what he wanted, that the devotees are happy and advance spiritually. If I see this happen, it makes me very happy because I feel that I can offer this result to Srila Prabhupada.

It has also made me happy in this life to feel that yes - life has a meaning. Since I came from the socialist side of politics, I had been tormented by the war in Vietnam, because I could not understand it, and I grieved a lot at seeing, through Krishna consciousness, that behind everything there was a higher purpose and that in the end we are all in this world for a great blessing. It has made me very happy to know that life has a meaning and that not everything is suffering.

What has made me more sad in life is when I wasn't able to serve a devotee, or worse, that I could have acted better and that I could have served that devotee better to encourage him, but by my failure I didn't encourage him and even worse that I caused him suffering. It makes me very sad when I see that someone discourage in Krishna consciousness. Also the sadness produced by the spiritual master's departure from the planet, to be separated from the spiritual master. I didn't immediately notice the horrible that this was, I noticed it when I saw how difficult it is to live in separation from him, and this obliges to pull oneself together and surrender, otherwise one cannot even keep stick. And this happened in expansion after the departure of Srila Prabhupada; also Srila Sridhara Maharaj abandoned the planet, and later Srila Puri Maharaj. Also especially at the departure of Srila Harijan Maharaj it was for me like being left alone."