Welfare work

He forgets that he has to render service to the Supreme Being and diverts his attention to serving others; this is called māyā.

The process of illusory service to society, country and community is exactly the same everywhere; the same principle is applicable even to big national leaders. A national leader who is very great in serving his country is sometimes killed by his countrymen because of irregular service. In other words, one cannot satisfy his dependents by this illusory service, although one cannot get out of the service because servant is his constitutional position. A living entity is constitutionally part and parcel of the Supreme Being, but he forgets that he has to render service to the Supreme Being and diverts his attention to serve others; this is called maya. By serving others he falsely thinks that he is master. The head of a family thinks of himself as the master of the family, or the leader of a nation thinks of himself as the master of the nation, whereas actually he is serving, and by serving maya he is gradually going to hell. Therefore, a sane man should come to the point of Krsna consciousness and engage in the service of the Supreme Lord, applying his whole life, all of his wealth, his entire intelligence and his full power of speaking. (More...)

If you actually want to do some welfare activity for the benefit of the whole world, then these two things must be taken care of, go-brāhmaṇa-hitāya ca, cows and brāhmaṇas. They should be given first protection.

First deference is given, go-brahmana-hitaya ca, jagad-dhitaya. If you actually want to do some welfare activity for the benefit of the whole world, then these two things must be taken care of, go-brahmana-hitaya ca, cows and brahmanas. They should be given first protection. Then jagad-dhitaya, then there will be actual welfare of the whole world. (More...)

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When a person is advanced in spiritual consciousness or Krsna consciousness, he naturally becomes very sympathetic toward all living entities suffering in the material world. Naturally such an advanced person thinks of the suffering of the people in general. However, if one does not know of the material sufferings of fallen souls and becomes sympathetic because of bodily comforts, as in the case of Bharata Maharaja, such sympathy or compassion is the cause of one's downfall. If one is actually sympathetic to fallen, suffering humanity, he should try to elevate people from material consciousness to spiritual consciousness. As far as the deer was concerned, Bharata Maharaja became very sympathetic, but he forgot that it was impossible for him to elevate a deer to spiritual consciousness, because, after all, a deer is but an animal. It was very dangerous for Bharata Maharaja to sacrifice all his regulative principles simply to take care of an animal. The principles enunciated in Bhagavad-gita should be followed. Yam hi na vyathayanty ete purusam purusarsabha. As far as the material body is concerned, we cannot do anything for anyone. However, by the grace of Krsna, we may raise a person to spiritual consciousness if we ourselves follow the rules and regulations. If we give up our own spiritual activities and simply become concerned with the bodily comforts of others, we will fall into a dangerous position. (More...)

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This is sneha. Everyone is thinking. Even the lower animals, they are also thinking of giving protection to the children. I have got personal experience in Kanpur, I was sitting in my room, and one monkey was outside the door with his [her] kiddy to take something out of my eating. But by chance the small kiddy entered through the bars of the window within the room, and I saw the mother became almost mad immediately: "Oh, my son has gone inside, and it will not be allowed to come again." Anyway, I managed to push the small kiddy to go away; then she was relieved. So this affection for children, for wife, for family members increase, then to society, to country, even to the whole human society. There are so many persons, they have given their state [estate] for benefit of the whole human society. There are many, many philanthropists, charitably disposed men, they do that. (More...)

But all these activities are simply moha, illusion. Only moha. It has no value. If you say that "So many things, it has no value?" it has value-temporary, punya. Punya... There is also papa also. Suppose if you give charity. Charity is pious activities, but if you give charity to a brahmana, then it is-proper brahmana, I mean to say, qualified brahmana, Vaisnava-then your charity is properly utilized. And if you give the same charity to a drunkard, then you commit sinful activity. If you do not know what kind of charities we shall perform, if you blindly give charity, then sometimes you may be doing pious activities, but sometimes you are clearing the way for going to hell. Therefore in the Bhagavad-gita it is stated there are three kinds of charities: sattvika, rajasika, tamasika. If you perform sattvika charity, then you get good result; rajasika charity, you get some profit; and tamasika charity, you go to hell. So one must be very careful even for this sneha, or charity, or philanthropy. (More...)

People who are generally attracted to philanthropic, ethical, moral, altruistic, political and social welfare activities may be considered nice men only in the calculation of the material world.

This is confirmed also in the Eleventh Canto of Srimad-Bhagavatam, 11th Chapter, 32nd verse, in which the Lord says to Uddhava, "My dear Uddhava, any person who takes shelter of Me in complete surrender and follows My instructions, giving up all occupational duties, is to be considered the first-class man." In this statement of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, it is understood that people who are generally attracted to philanthropic, ethical, moral, altruistic, political and social welfare activities may be considered nice men only in the calculation of the material world. From Srimad-Bhagavatam and other authentic Vedic scriptures we learn further that if a person simply acts in Krsna consciousness and discharges devotional service, he is considered to be far, far better situated than all of those persons engaged in philanthropic, ethical, moral, altruistic and social welfare activities. (More...)

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