Krishna consciousness is best

Great personalities of the material world are very eager to render welfare service to human society, but actually no one can render better service than one who distributes the knowledge of spiritual realization in relation with the Supreme Personality of Godhead. All living entities are within the clutches of the illusory energy. Forgetting their real identity, they hover in material existence, transmigrating from one body to another in search of a peaceful life. Since these living entities have very little knowledge of self-realization, they are not getting any relief, although they are very anxious to attain peace of mind and some substantial happiness. Saintly persons like the Kumaras, Narada, Prahlada, Janaka, Sukadeva Gosvami and Kapiladeva, as well as the followers of such authorities as the Vaisnava acaryas and their servants, can render a valuable service to humanity by disseminating knowledge of the relationship between the Supreme Personality of Godhead and the living entity. Such knowledge is the perfect benediction for humanity. (More...)

Knowledge of Krsna is such a great gift that it is impossible to repay the benefactor. Therefore Prthu Maharaja requested the Kumaras to be satisfied by their own benevolent activities, which involved delivering souls from the clutches of maya. The King saw that there was no other way to satisfy them for their exalted activities. The word vinodapatram can be divided into two words, vina and uda-patram, or can be understood as one word, vinoda-patram, which means joker. A joker's activities simply arouse laughter, and a person who tries to repay the spiritual master or teacher of the transcendental message of Krsna becomes a laughing stock just like a joker because it is not possible to repay such a debt. The best friend and benefactor of all people is one who awakens humanity to its original Krsna consciousness. (More...)

The living entity wishes to enjoy the material world in different ways, and therefore by nature's law he is allowed to transmigrate from one body to another, exactly as a person transmigrates from the body of an infant to a child, to a boy, to a youth, to a man. This process is constantly going on. At the last stage, when the gross body becomes old and invalid, the living entity is reluctant to give it up, despite the fact that it is no longer usable. Although material existence and the material body are not comfortable, why does the living entity not want to leave? As soon as one gets a material body, he has to work very hard to maintain it. He may engage in different fields of activity, but whatever the case, everyone has to work very hard to maintain the material body. Unfortunately, society has no information of the soul's transmigration. Because the living entity does not hope to enter the spiritual kingdom of eternal life, bliss and knowledge, he wants to stick to his present body, even though it may be useless. Consequently the greatest welfare activity in this material world is the furthering of this Krsna consciousness movement. (More...)

This movement is giving human society information about the kingdom of God. There is God, there is Krsna, and everyone can return to God and live eternally in bliss and knowledge. A Krsna conscious person is not afraid of giving up the body because his position is always eternal. A Krsna conscious person engages in the transcendental loving service of the Lord eternally; therefore as long as he lives within the body, he is happy to engage in the loving service of the Lord, and when he gives up the body, he is also permanently situated in the service of the Lord. The saintly devotees are always free and liberated, whereas the karmis, who have no knowledge of spiritual life or the transcendental loving service of the Lord, are very much afraid of giving up the rotten material body. (More...)

In this verse the words daya jivesu, meaning mercy to other living entities, indicate that a living entity must be merciful to other living entities if he wishes to make progress in self-realization. This means he must preach this knowledge after perfecting himself and understanding his own position as an eternal servant of Krsna. Preaching this is showing real mercy to living entities. Other types of humanitarian work may be temporarily beneficial for the body, but because a living entity is spirit soul, ultimately one can show him real mercy only by revealing knowledge of his spiritual existence. As Caitanya Mahaprabhu says, jivera 'svarupa' haya-krsnera 'nitya-dasa': "Every living entity is constitutionally a servant of Krsna." One should know this fact perfectly and should preach it to the mass of people. If one realizes that he is an eternal servant of Krsna but does not preach it, his realization is imperfect. Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura therefore sings, dusta mana, tumi kisera vaisnava? pratisthara tare, nirjanera ghare, tava hari-nama kevala kaitava: "My dear mind, what kind of Vaisnava are you? Simply for false prestige and a material reputation you are chanting the Hare Krsna mantra in a solitary place." In this way people who do not preach are criticized. There are many Vaisnavas in Vrndavana who do not like preaching; they chiefly try to imitate Haridasa Thakura. The actual result of their so-called chanting in a secluded place, however, is that they sleep and think of women and money. Similarly, one who simply engages in temple worship but does not see to the interests of the mass of people, or cannot recognize devotees, is called a kanistha-adhikari: (More...)

These are some of the ways in which the Supreme Personality of Godhead can be satisfied by the devotee. The first item mentioned is dayaya sarva-bhutesu, showing mercy to all conditioned souls. The best way to show mercy is to spread Krsna consciousness. The entire world is suffering for want of this knowledge. People should know that the Supreme Personality of Godhead is the original cause of everything. Knowing this, everyone should directly engage in His devotional service. Those who are actually learned, advanced in spiritual understanding, should preach Krsna consciousness all over the world so that people may take to it and make their lives successful. (More...)

So this Krsna consciousness movement is the greatest benefactory movement to the human society because it is giving information to the human society that "You make your life... You have got this nice human form of body. Make this life perfect by understanding Krsna." This is the opportunity. You may think of independent of Krsna. You are not independent of Krsna. You are under the rules and regulation of Krsna, because we are under the rules and regulation of material nature. But what is this material nature? Material nature is agent of Krsna. Mama maya. Krsna says, mama maya duratyaya. You cannot surmount the stringent laws of material ways. And this maya is Krsna's maya. Therefore the conclusion is given by Krsna, mam eva ye prapadyante mayam etam taranti te [Bg 7.14]. If you want to get out of the maya's activities, prakrteh kriyamanani gunaih karmani [Bg 3.27], then you have to take to Krsna consciousness. There is no way out. This is a scientific movement. Anyone, intelligent person, any thoughtful person, he must take to Krsna consciousness. Otherwise he is doomed. (More...)

The other house which you describe sounds very nice. You can accept the offer immediately and begin living there. You say they are prepared to give it for a good cause. What is more public welfare than Krishna Consciousness? To awaken everyone's original consciousness is the best public welfare in the whole world. So occupy this house and show some good work and in this way they may be induced to let us stay. Even if you can only stay for three months, what is the loss? You can always look for another place. Now people are seeing how genuine our movement is, they are coming forward to offer us so many places. We simply have to maintain our strict principles, keeping ourselves pure, Otherwise, there are so many bogus institutions doing business in the name of God and simply cheating the people. We have to be careful not to degenerate like these others. Our strength depends upon regular chanting the required 16 rounds and rigidly adhering to the regulative principles. (More...)

Reporter: Do they do anything like social work or other... (More...)

Prabhupada: Yes, social work, this is the best social work. People are in ignorance, and we are giving them knowledge. Is it not the best social work? If you keep the man in ignorance and if you give him something... Just like your child. You simply give him to eat but no education, then what is the benefit? Is that very good, nice work, that you give your children nice food to become robust but no education? Is that very good, nice work? People are, in this human form of life, especially meant for understanding God. Athato brahma-jijnasa. This is the Vedanta-sutra. So they are keeping them in darkness and teaching them technology, how to make cycle. That's all. The life is meant for understanding God, and they have been educated for making cycle and sewing machine. This is going on. Therefore there will be disaster. It is already there. Just like in America or any Western country, they have manufactured so many cars, and now they are flattering the Arabians, "Please give us oil." You see? Power crisis. And if they stop manufacturing, there is unemployment. And if they increase car, there is power shortage. So this dilemma, this modern civilization will have to meet this dilemma because they are going against the laws of God. (More...)

Reporter: You are not suggesting that all of that is just cut away completely, but that people...? (More...)

Prabhupada: No, you require... First thing, you require to eat. So Krsna says that annad bhavanti bhutani [Bg 3.14]: produce sufficient grain, food grain, so that both the animal and the man, they will eat and become robust, stout and strong, and they will be capable of working. So that is the first thing. But who is producing food grains? They are producing motor tires. When there is scarcity of food, will these motor tires help us? We shall eat motor tires? This is going on, so-called industrialization, producing unnecessary thing which is not required, and they are neglecting producing food grains. And I have estimated-I am traveling all over the world-that there are so much space even now that if you produce food grain, you can feed ten times of the population as it is. (More...)

Because the rascals are simply creating unnecessary necessities of life, so their only remedy is bhakti-yoga. Bhakti-yogam adhoksaje. But people do not know it. Therefore vidvan, Vyasadeva, he has made the satvata-samhita, Srimad-Bhagavatam, anartha upasamam, to stop them acting nonsensically, simply producing problem. (More...)

The sufferings of humanity are due to forgetfulness of Krsna as the supreme enjoyer, the supreme proprietor, and the supreme friend. Therefore, to act to revive this consciousness within the entire human society is the highest welfare work.

One who is beyond duality and doubt, whose mind is engaged within, who is always busy working for the welfare of all sentient beings, and who is free from all sins, achieves liberation in the Supreme. (More...)

Only a person who is fully in Krsna consciousness can be said to be engaged in welfare work for all living entities. When a person is actually in the knowledge that Krsna is the fountainhead of everything, then when he acts in that spirit he acts for everyone. The sufferings of humanity are due to forgetfulness of Krsna as the supreme enjoyer, the supreme proprietor, and the supreme friend. Therefore, to act to revive this consciousness within the entire human society is the highest welfare work. One cannot be engaged in first-class welfare work without being liberated in the Supreme. A Krsna conscious person has no doubt about the supremacy of Krsna. He has no doubt because he is completely freed from all sins. This is the state of divine love. (More...)

A person engaged only in ministering to the physical welfare of human society cannot factually help anyone. Temporary relief of the external body and the mind is not satisfactory. The real cause of one's difficulties in the hard struggle for life may be found in one's forgetfulness of his relationship with the Supreme Lord. When a man is fully conscious of his relationship with Krsna, he is actually a liberated soul, although he may be in the material tabernacle. (More...)