Answer
The three modes of material nature may be compared to numbers.
Tamas, rajas, and sattva have relative value only within the material world.
Suppose zero represents the material modes. Whether you have one zero, two zeros, or three zeros, they remain zeros. One may appear greater than another, but none possesses independent spiritual value.
The moment you place the number one before those zeros, they acquire value.
Similarly, Krishna consciousness is like that "one."
Without Krishna, even the highest material goodness has no ultimate spiritual value.
A devotee desires to remain in goodness only because it helps him serve and satisfy Krishna.
If pleasing Krishna is absent, then even performing pious activities simply results in accumulating pious credits, which will eventually be exhausted.
A pure devotee sees beyond ordinary ideas of piety and sin.
Srila Prabhupada once explained this very powerfully. When someone said that everyone should perform pious activities, he replied:
"Piety is like dry stool, and sin is like wet stool."
Both belong to the material world. Neither constitutes pure spiritual life.
Without transcendental knowledge, one cannot execute pure devotional service.
However, transcendental knowledge does not necessarily mean mastering countless philosophical details.
If someone sincerely accepts Krishna as the Supreme Personality of Godhead, that itself is the beginning of genuine transcendental knowledge.
As one's devotion deepens, all higher spiritual understanding naturally develops.
For this reason, our spiritual practice does not focus separately on becoming more and more situated in sattva-guna.
Instead, we focus on directly associating with Krishna through:
Chanting the holy names,
Hearing Srimad-Bhagavatam,
Worshiping the Deity,
Serving devotees, and
Engaging in devotional service.
As one associates with Krishna, all good qualities naturally manifest without separate endeavor.
Ultimately, our goal is not merely material goodness (sattva-guna), but visuddha-sattva—pure goodness.
Visuddha-sattva is the state of Krishna consciousness, completely free from ignorance and material contamination.
That is the true destination of a devotee.
