1. Transcendental pleasure and material pleasure

    "Pure devotional service automatically puts one in transcendental pleasure." Transcendental pleasure and material pleasure, there is difference. Material pleasure means sense gratification, and transcendental pleasure means satisfaction of Krsna. A devotee is satisfied seeing Krsna is pleased. That is their satisfaction — through Krsna. Material pleasure means direct sense perception, and spiritual pleasure means by, through Krsna. If Krsna is satisfied, then the devotee is satisfied. Just like a tree, the leaves and twigs become satisfied through the root of the tree. So Krsna is the root. Krsna is the origin of everything. Aham sarvasya prabhavo mattah sarvam
    pravartate [Bg. 10.8]. So transcendental pleasure mean feeling of pleasure through Krsna. Just like the gopis and Krsna. Gopis, when they saw Krsna is pleased, they became happy, and Krsna, when He saw that the gopis are happy, He become happier. Again the gopis sees that Krsna is happier, they, again they become more happy. In this way, there is competition of happiness. The gopis sees Krsna happier; they feel happiness, and Krsna sees gopis happier; Krsna feels happiness. This word is described in the Caitanya-caritamrta: dui lagi nahi mudi [Adi 4.193]. This is spiritual competition.

    So: "Pure devotional service automatically puts one in transcendental pleasure." In the material pleasure, if I see you happy, I am unhappy; If I see you unhappy, I become happy. This is nature. I may say otherwise, but material nature is, if one is put into difficulty, then I become very happy, and if I am happy, others become envious. This is material pleasure. Whereas spiritual pleasure means that when one sees Krsna is happy, a devotee's happy, the other devotee becomes happier. That is spiritual pleasure. In the spiritual world there is competition, but when one is advanced, the competitor become happy: "Oh, he's so advanced. I could not do so." There is
    no enviousness. In the material world, if one is advanced, other, who is not advanced, he's envious. This is the difference between spiritual pleasure and material pleasure. It is not difficult to understand. Material pleasure means if you are happy, I become unhappy; if you are unhappy, then I become happy. This is material pleasure. And spiritual pleasure means by seeing your happiness, I become happy. By seeing… But there is no distress in the spiritual world. Simply by seeing the happiness of other devotee, another devotee becomes happier.

    >>> Ref. VedaBase => The Nectar of Devotion — November 3, 1972, Vrndavana