This is Caitanya Mahāprabhu's mission, para-upakāra. Para-upakāra means to do good to others. Of course, in the human society there are many different branches of doing good to others—welfare societies—but more or less . . . Why more or less? Almost completely they think that this body is our self, and to do some good to the body is welfare activities. But actually that is not welfare activities, because in the Bhagavad-gītā we understand very clearly, antavanta ime dehaḥ nityasyoktāḥ śarīriṇaḥ (BG 2.18). This body is antavat. Anta means it will be finished. Everyone knows his body is not permanent; it will be finished. Anything material—bhūtvā bhūtvā pralīyate (BG 8.19)—it has a date of birth, it stays for some time, and then it annihilates. So the spiritual education begins from the understanding that "I am not this body." This is spiritual education. In the Bhagavad-gītā the first instruction given by Kṛṣṇa to Arjuna is this, that "We are not this body." Because Arjuna was speaking from the bodily platform, so Kṛṣṇa chastised him, that aśocyān anvaśocas tvaṁ prajñā-vādāṁś ca bhāṣase (BG 2.11): "Arjuna, you are talking like a very learned man, but you are lamenting on the subject matter on which no learned man laments." Aśocyān anvaśocas tvam.
So such kind of welfare activity concerning the body, like hospital and so many other things, they are good undoubtedly, but the ultimate goal is to see the interest of the soul. That is ultimate goal. That is the whole Vedic instruction. And Kṛṣṇa begins from this point. Dehino 'smin yathā dehe kaumāraṁ yauvanaṁ jarā (BG 2.13). So when Caitanya Mahāprabhu wanted to do some para-upakāra . . .
- bhārata bhūmite manuṣya-janma haila yāra
- manuṣya janma sārthaka kari' kara para-upakāra
- (CC Adi 9.41)
These welfare activities did not mean that welfare to this body. It was meant for the soul, the same thing as Kṛṣṇa wanted to impress upon Arjuna, that "You are not this body. You are soul." Antavanta ime dehaḥ nityasyoktāḥ śarīriṇaḥ, na hanyate hanyamāne śarīre (BG 2.20). So real welfare activity means to see to the interest of the soul. So what is the interest of the soul? The interest of the soul is that the soul is part and parcel of Kṛṣṇa, God. Just like small spark of fire is part and parcel of the big fire, similarly, we living entities, we are very minute, small spark of the Supreme Brahman, Para-brahman, or Kṛṣṇa. So as the spark within the fire looks very beautiful—the fire also looks beautiful, and the spark also looks beautiful—but as soon as the sparks fall down from the fire, it becomes extinguished.
So our condition is that the . . . Our present position is that we are fallen down from the whole fire, Kṛṣṇa. This is explained in a simple Bengali language:
- kṛṣṇa bhūliyā jīva bhoga vāñchā kare
- pasate māyā tāre jāpaṭiyā dhare
Māyā means darkness, ignorance. So this example is very nice. The sparks of the fire dancing very nicely with fire, it is also illuminating. But as soon as it fall down on the ground, it becomes cinder, black cinder, no more fiery quality. Similarly, we are meant for dancing and playing and walking and living with Kṛṣṇa. That is our real position. That is the Vṛndāvana. Everyone . . . Everyone is connected with Kṛṣṇa. There the trees, there the flowers, water, the cows, the calves, the cowherd boys, or elderly cowherd men, Nanda Mahārāja, other persons of his age, then Yaśodāmayī, mother, then gopīs—in this way Vṛndāvana life, Vṛndāvana picture. Kṛṣṇa comes with full Vṛndāvana picture, and He demonstrates His Vṛndāvana life, cintāmaṇi-prakara-sadmasu (BS 5.29), just to attract us, that "You are trying to enjoy in this material world, but here you cannot enjoy because you are eternal. You cannot get eternal life here. So you come to Me. You come to Me." Tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma naiti mām eti kaunteya (BG 4.9). This is Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. (aside:) Please ask them to wait for prasādam. Tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma naiti mām eti. This is the invitation. Mām eti: "He comes back to home, back to Godhead." This is the whole instruction of Bhagavad-gītā. And at the end He said, sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja (BG 18.66). Why you are bothering yourself, manufacturing so many plans to adjust material life? That is not possible. Here it is not possible. Here, so long you are in material association, then you have to change the body. Prakṛteḥ kriyamāṇāni . . . (BG 3.27). Prakṛti-stho. What is that verse? Puruṣaḥ prakṛti-stho 'pi . . .
Hṛdayānanda: Bhuñjate prakṛti-jān guṇān.
Prabhupāda: Ha. Bhuñjate prakṛti-jān guṇān. So long the living entity is in this material world, he has to associate with the different modes of material nature. The same example: just like the fire spark falls down on the ground. So ground, they have got different situation. One situation is dry grass, one situation is wet grass, and one situation is simply ground. So similarly, there are three position: sattva-guṇa, rajo-guṇa, tamo-guṇa. So sattva-guṇa means if the spark falls down on the dry grass, then it ignites the grasses. So in the sattva-guṇa, prakāśa, this fiery quality is demonstrated. But if it falls down on the water, wet ground, then it is completely extinguished. Three stages. Similarly, when we come down to this material world, if we associate with the sattva-guṇa, then there is some, I mean, hope of spiritual life. And if we are rajo-guṇa there is no hope, and tamo-guṇa, there is no hope. Rajas-tamaḥ. Rajas-tamo-bhāva kāma-lobhādayaś ca ye (SB 1.2.19). Rajas-tamaḥ. If we associate with rajo-guṇa and tamo-guṇa, then our desires will be lusty and greediness. Kāma-lobhādayaś ca. Tato rajas-tamo-bhāva kāma-lobhādayaś ca. And if we increase our sattva-guṇa quality, then this kāma-lobhādaya, these two things, will not touch us.