by Hayagrīva dāsa Adhikārī (ISKCON—New Vṛndāvana)

The person who is in full Krsna consciousness knows nothing but Krsna. Whatever he perceives sensuously, mentally, intellectually, emotionally, or psychically is the Absolute Himself, for his consciousness is steeped in knowledge of the Absolute. One so situated in consciousness of the Divine is neither in want nor afraid of anything. He neither desires heavenly planets nor flees hellish ones. He is with Krsna, and so he thinks that every place is as good as the forests of Vrndavana where Krsna eternally sports. In fact, wherever he remains is Vrndavana, just as wherever there are atoms there is the Paramatma, the Supersoul. The Supersoul lives in the hearts of all beings, and yet He is not subjected to their pleasures and pains. In the same way, a person in Krsna consciousness is always transcendental to the modes of material nature. But in this Age of Kali, this Iron Age, an age of spiritual drought, of thunder without rain, persons who are in full Krsna consciousness are very rare. Today, there are three billion people on this one planet, and yet out of all these millions and millions it is very difficult to find one person who is actually Krsna conscious or even peaceful. It is very seldom that we find one who is peaceful, for without being established in Krsna consciousness it is not possible to be peaceful.