We usually aim for our own satisfaction. How about aiming for the Lord's satisfaction?
Transcending Duality
The duality of the material world is felt in terms of heat and cold, or misery and happiness. A Krishna conscious person is above duality because he does not hesitate to act in any way for the satisfaction of Krishna, Therefore he is steady both in success and in failure. These signs are visible when one is fully in transcendental knowledge. – Gita 4.22, purport
A pure devotee has no plans other than those for the Lord's service. He is not interested in attaining success in mundane activities. He simply wants success in the progress of devotional service. For a devotee, there cannot be worship of others or demigod worship. A pure devotee does not engage himself in such pseudo devotional service. He is interested only in satisfying Krishna, If one lives only for the satisfaction of Krishna, it does not matter whether he belongs to this order of life or that order of life. One's only business should be to satisfy Krishna, – Cc. Madhya 19.167; purport
Karmis think that the material body is an instrument for material enjoyment, and that is why they work extremely hard. A devotee, however, has no such desires. A devotee always engages wholeheartedly in the service of the Lord, forgetting about bodily conceptions and bodily activities. The body of a karmi is called material because the karmi. being too absorbed in material activities, is always eager to enjoy material facilities, but the body of a devotee who tries his best to work very hard for the satisfaction of Krishna by fully engaging in the Lord's service must be accepted as transcendental. Where as karmis are interested only in the personal satisfaction of their senses, devotees work for the satisfaction of the Supreme Lord. – Cc. Antya 4.173, purport
On the mahamaya platform, dances take place on the basis of sense gratification. But when Krishna called the gopis by sounding His flute, they very hurriedly rushed toward the spot of the rasa dance with the transcendental desire to satisfy Krishna, The author of Caitanya-caritamrta, Krishnadasa Kaviraja Gosvami, has explained that lust means sense gratification, and love also means sense gratification-but for Krishna, In other words, when activities are enacted on the platform of personal sense gratification, they are called material activities, but when they are enacted for the satisfaction of Krishna, they are spiritual activities. On any platform of activities, the principle of sense gratification is there. But on the spiritual platform, sense gratification is for the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Krishna, whereas on the material platform it is for the performer. – Krishna Book, Chapter 29
Secret of Satisfaction
The sannyasis sometimes artificially think that they have become liberated from all material duties, and therefore they cease to perform agnihotra-yajties (fire sacrifices), but actually they are self¬interested because their goal is to become one with the impersonal Brahman. Such a desire is greater than any material desire, but it is not without self-interest. Similarly, the mystic vogl who practices the yoga system with half-open eyes, ceasing all material activities, desires some satisfaction for his personal self. But a person acting in Krishna consciousness works for the satisfaction of the whole, without self-interest. A Krishna conscious person has no desire for self-satisfaction. His criterion of success is the satisfaction of Krishna, and thus he is the perfect sannyasl; or perfect yogi. – Gita 6.1, purport
Srila Rupa Gosvami, then, recommends that one should not be attached to material sense enjoyment, but should accept everything enjoyable which is in relationship to Krishna, For example, eating is necessary, and one wants some palatable dishes to satisfy his sense of taste. So in that case, for the satisfaction of Krishna rather than for the satisfaction of the tongue, some palatable dishes may be prepared and offered to Krishna, Then it is renunciation. Let the palatable dishes be prepared, but unless they are offered to Krishna one should not accept them for eating. This vow of rejecting anything which is not offered to Krishna is actually renunciation. And by such renunciation one is able to satisfy the demands of the senses. – Nectar of Devotion, Chapter 14
So you take the good opportunity to study well our literature and how to apply the philosophy of Krishna consciousness practically in the daily working and help us to spread this transcendental message to all the people of the world. That is our desire. So your humble and sincere effort is needed to be applied for executing this program to the best of your capacity. My Guru Maharaja used to say that everything is already supplied by Krishna, All the ingredients of different varieties already are there, there is no lack of anything in this world. The only thing that is lacking is Krishna consciousness. So Krishna is supplying us with all facilities, so there is no question of scarcity of anything. Simply we must become Krishna conscious and conscientiously apply our energy to utilizing all facilities in the matter of pleasing Krishna or devotional service. We should always be very careful to avoid utilizing any of the facilities available for our own sense gratification, but we should use everything for the satisfaction of Krishna only. – Letter to Madhavananda, june 3, 1970
The Way to Success
One should be sympathetic to the propagation of Krishna consciousness. There are many devotees who are engaged in the propagation of Krishna consciousness, and they require help. So, even if one cannot directly practice the regulative principles of bhakti-yoga, he can try to help such work. Every endeavor requires land, capital, organization and labor. Just as in business one requires a place to stay, some capital to use, some labor and some organization to expand, so the same is required in the service of Krishna, The only difference is that in materialism one works for sense gratification. The same work, however, can be performed for the satisfaction of Krishna, and that is spiritual activity. If one has sufficient money, he can help in building an office or temple for propagating Krishna consciousness. Or he can help with publications. There are various fields of activity, and one should be interested in such activities. If one cannot sacrifice the results of his activities, the same person can still sacrifice some percentage to propagate Krishna consciousness. This voluntary service to the cause of Krishna consciousness will help one to rise to a higher state of love for God, whereupon one becomes perfect. -Gita 12.10, purport
It is said in the Vishnu Purana that by offering sacrifice to Vishnu one can gradually be liberated. The whole target of life, therefore, is to please Lord Vishnu, That is yajna. Any person who is in Krishna consciousness has dedicated his life for the satisfaction of Krishna, the origin of all Vishnu forms, and by offering worship and prasada daily, he becomes the best performer of yajna. – Bhagavatam 4.7.41, purport
Krishna is not order-supplier: "My dear Krishna, please give me this. Then I shall worship You." Krishna does not accept such worship. Krishna said, serva-dharman parityajya mam ekem saranam: [Gita 18.66] "You first of all surrender to Me. I am not your order-supplier." This is Krishna's worship. So those who are not taking Krishna as order-supplier, those who are accepting Krishna as order-carrier, he will be successful. Otherwise it will take time. Don't take Krishna as your order-carrier, order-supplier. You become. Hrsikena-hrsikesa sevenem bhaktir ucyate [Cc, Madhya 19.170]. Bhakti means when you engage your senses for satisfaction of Krishna, That is bhakti. And if you take Krishna for satisfying your senses, just like you worship other demigod, that is not bhakti. That is not bhakti. – Lecture on Bhagavatam 6.2.14, vmdavana, September 17; 1975
The Pathway to Liberation
Material activities for sense gratification are the cause of material bondage, whereas the very same activities for the satisfaction of Krishna are the cause of liberation. How the same activity can be the cause of bondage and liberation can be explained as follows. One may get indigestion due to eating too many milk preparations-condensed milk, sweet rice, and so on. But even though there is indigestion or diarrhea, another milk preparation-yogurt mixed with black pepper and salt -will immediately cure these maladies. In other words, one milk preparation can cause indigestion and diarrhea, and another milk preparation can cure them. – Bhagavatam 4.30.19, purport
One who has actually come to understand one's constitutional position as an eternal servitor of the Lord gives up all engagements save working in Krishna consciousness. As already explained, buddhi-yoga means transcendental loving service to the Lord. Such devotional service is the right course of action for the living entity. Only misers desire to enjoy the fruit of their own work just to be further entangled in material bondage. Except for work in Krishna consciousness, all activities are abominable because they continually bind the worker to the cycle of birth and death. One should therefore never desire to be the cause of work. Everything should be done in Krishna consciousness, for the satisfaction of Krishna, – Gita 2.49, purport
Good and Bad Work
The word asat means bad or temporary, and sat means permanent and good. Activities performed for the satisfaction of Krishna are permanent and good, but asat activity, although sometimes celebrated as philanthropy, altruism, nationalism, this "ism" or that "ism," will never produce any permanent result and is therefore all bad. Even a little work done in Krishna consciousness is a permanent asset and is all-good because it is done for Krishna, the all-good Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is everyone's friend (suhrdam sarva-bhutanam). The Supreme Personality of Godhead is the only enjoyer and proprietor of everything (bhoktaram yajna- tapassmsarva -loka-mehesvaram [Gita 5.29]). Therefore any activity performed for the Supreme Lord is permanent. – Bhagavatam 8.9.29, purport
So kurute vikarma, we are trained up simply to act, opposite direction. Instead of doing good work, we are educated to do bad work, just the opposite. And that is not good. That is the advice of Rsabhadeva. Nunampramattah. What is that bad work? Bad work means sense gratification. That's all. Anything you do for the satisfaction of your sense is bad work. And anything you do for satisfaction of Krishna is good work. This is the division of bad work and good work. – Lecture on Bhagavad-gita 4.16, Mumbai, April 5,1974