Perhaps you are wondering how to be practically God conscious in your everyday life, and also the practical effect of doing so. In this excerpt Srila Prabhupada gives some very interesting insights into real happiness with God consciousness.
Prabhupada: . . . so decomposes. So the outer skin has become dry. Nobody cares for it. It is lying down, the outer cover of the squash, and one dried bamboo. You have seen? You know bamboo? Part cut, it is also lying somewhere. And a piece of wear.
Syamasundara: Wire.
Prabhupada: Wire, that is also lying somewhere. Nobody cares. But one gentleman, he collected all these three things and prepared a string instrument. He joined the bamboo with the dry cover of squash and fitted the string, and it began to ting, ting, ting. It is called ektara. There is instrument, in India it is called ektara. The example is that so many things individually lying useless, but if somebody knows how to combine them, it becomes an instrument, very sweet, very sweet to hear.
Similarly, in this world, so many things are lying dead and frustrated . . . but if they are combined together by an expert, it becomes useful. So although this world is dead body, when there is Krsna consciousness, it becomes enlivened. That is our movement. We are trying to inject Krsna consciousness in everything dead within this world. (Prabhupada drinks) Now just see all these ingredients—strawberry and . . . what is that?
Atreya Rsi: Orange juice.
Prabhupada: Orange and honey . . .
Devotee (1): Peach.
Prabhupada: . . . and peach, they are natural products from the jungle. Nobody goes to manufacture; automatically comes out. But when they are combined together, it is nectarine. None of them is manufactured by man, either this honey or the strawberry or the pineapple. Given by God. So in every step you can perceive the hands of God. Every step. That is Krsna consciousness.
This nice taste you cannot create by any chemical combination. It is not possible. Because God's hand is there, it has become so tasteful drink. Man cannot make. This flower, man cannot make. This fruit . . . nothing man can make. This nice flower stick, how nicely it is made.
So everything you can perceive the hands of God. This is Krsna consciousness. When you perceive the hands of God, presence of God, presence of the energy of God, then you become happy. That is the way of happiness. In every step of life you feel the hands of God. We are teaching this Krsna consciousness movement means how to perceive, realize, presence of God in everything. So there will be no disappointment.