Prabhupada 0545 - Real Welfare Activity Means to See to the Interest of the Soul



His Divine Grace Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Gosvami Prabhupada's Appearance Day, Lecture -- Mayapur, February 21, 1976

Prabhupāda: 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, 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.