The Bhagavata Ethics part9

CULTIVATING KNOWLEDGE
The wise have explained that one result is derived from the culture of knowledge, and that a different result is obtained from the culture of nescience.
  ~Sri Ishopanishad, Mantra Ten
For one who lives a hedonistic life, a life in which nescience is cultivated, the results are envy, anger, greed, impatience, disrespect for others, anxiety, depression, hatred, ever-increasing lust, forgetfulness, frustration, dissatisfaction, duplicity, fear of death, and so on.
Science of Identity Foundation – Jagad Guru Speaks
We have also the practical part of the question in the llth book of Bhagavata. All the modes by which a man can train himself up to prema-bhakti as explained above, have been described at great length. We have been advised first of all, to convert ourselves into most grateful servants of God as regards our relation to our fellow brethren. Our nature has been described as bearing three different phases in all our bearings of the world. Those phases are named sattva, rajas, tamas. Sattva-guna is that property in our nature, which is purely good as far as it can be pure in our present state. rajo-guna is neither good nor bad. Tamo-guna is evil. Our pravrttis or tendencies and affections are described as the mainspring of all our actions, and it is our object to train up those affections and tendencies to the standard of sattva-guna, as decided by the moral principle. This is not easily done. All the springs or our actions should be carefully protected from tamo-guna, the evil principle, by adopting the rajo-guna at first, and when that is effected, man should subdue his rajo-guna by means of the natural sattva-guna which is the most powerful of them cultivated. Lust, idleness, wicked deeds and degradation of human nature by intoxicating principles are described as exclusively belonging to tamo-guna, the evil phase of nature. These are to be checked by marriage, useful work and abstinence from intoxication and trouble to our neighbors and inferior animals. Thus when rajo-guna has obtained supremacy in the heart, it is our duty to convert that rajo-guna into sattva-guna which is pre-eminently good. That married love, which is first cultivated, must now be sublimated into holy, good and spiritual love, i.e., love between soul and soul. Useful work will now be converted into work of love and not of disgust or obligation. Abstinence from wicked work will be made to lose its negative appearance and converted into positive good work. Then we are to look to all living beings in the same light in which we look to ourselves, i.e., we must convert our selfishness into all possible disinterested activity towards all around us. Love, charity, good deeds and devotion to God will be our only aim. We then become the servants of God by obeying his High and Holy wishes. Here we begin to be bhaktas and we are susceptible of further improvement in our spiritual nature, as we have described above. All this is covered by the term abhidheya, the second cardinal point in the supreme religious work, the Bhagavata . We have now before us, the first two cardinal points in our religion, explained somehow or other in the terms and thoughts expressed by our savior who lived only four and a half centuries ago in the beautiful town of Nadia, situated on the banks of the Bhagirathi. We must now proceed to the last cardinal point termed by the great Re-establisher, prayojana or prospects.

What is the object of our spiritual development, our prayer, our devotion and our union with God? The Bhagavata tells that the object is not enjoyment or sorrow, but continual progress in spiritual holiness and harmony.