In the name of happiness

So according to the mischievous activities, there are different kinds of suffering and there are different kinds of species of life. But the spell of maya is so strong that one cannot understand that he is suffering. We understand that we are trying to be happy. Actually, this material world, there is no happiness, but to counteract the agency of distress, we accept, "That is happiness." Just like I have no apartment, but to counteract this inconvenience, if I try my utmost to get a good apartment I feel, "Oh, now I am happy. I am happy." What is this happiness? How long you shall remain in this apartment? So here happiness means to counteract the force of distress. Actually there is no happiness. Just like I am in distressed condition, puzzled, I take some intoxication. This is called happiness. I remain in the same condition. After my intoxication is over, I come back again into the same condition, but I am thinking I am happy. Here, pleasure means a little absence of pain. Just like you have got a boil here. So it is always painful. And by some medical application, when the pain is little relieved, you think that "Now it is happiness." But the boil is there. How you can be happy? So here, actually there is no happiness, but we think we have discovered so many counteraction. Just like there is disease. We have discovered medicine. But that does not mean you'll live. No, you'll have to die, sir. So the boil is there. This is your real problem. Therefore there is no happiness at all in this material world. But actually, real life, real pleasure, eternal pleasure is there in the spiritual world, not in this material world.

Ref: Bhagavad-gita 2.25 authored by Srila Prabhupada (Founder - Acharya, ISKCON)