SB 10th canto

[Guest guest]

> Mukunda, I don't have the 10th Canto at hand right now, is there

> more to this verse about welfare activities there? If yes, could you

> please copy and paste it? Thank you.

 

Actually I pasted the purport to that verse, but for your benefit here it is

again:

 

PURPORT

Similar advice is also given in ®r…mad-Bh€gavatam (10.22.35):

et€vaj janma-s€phalyaˆ

dehin€m iha dehiu

pr€Šair arthair dhiy€ v€c€

reya-€caraŠaˆ sad€

“It is the duty of every living being to perform welfare activities for the

benefit of others with his life, wealth, intelligence and words.” This is

the mission of life. One’s own body and the bodies of his friends and

relatives, as well as one’s own riches and everything else one has, should

be engaged for the benefit of others. This is the mission of ®r… Caitanya

Mah€prabhu. As stated in Caitanya-carit€mta (šdi 9.41):

bh€rata-bh™mite haila manuya-janma y€ra

janma s€rthaka kari’ kara para-upak€ra

“One who has taken birth as a human being in the land of India

[bh€rata-vara] should make his life successful and work for the benefit of

all other people.

The word upakury€t means para-upak€ra, helping others. Of course, in human

society there are many institutions to help others, but because

philanthropists do not know how to help others, their propensity for

philanthropy is ineffectual. They do not know the ultimate goal of life

(reya €caraŠam), which is to please the Supreme Lord. If all philanthropic

and humanitarian activities were directed toward achieving the ultimate goal

of life—to please the Supreme Personality of Godhead—they would all be

perfect. Humanitarian work without KŠa is nothing. KŠa must be brought

to the center of all our activities; otherwise no activity will have value.

SB 6.10.11

 

"There are different kinds of welfare activities in this material world, but

the supreme welfare activity is the spreading of KŠa consciousness. Other

welfare activities cannot be effective, for the laws of nature and the

results of karma cannot be checked. It is by destiny, or the laws of karma,

that one must suffer or enjoy. For instance, if one is given a court order,

he must accept it, whether it brings suffering or profit. Similarly,

everyone is under obligations to karma and it reactions. No one can change

this. Therefore the €stra says:

tasyaiva hetoƒ prayateta kovido

na labhyate yad bhramat€m upary adhaƒ

(Bh€g. 1.5.18)

One should endeavor for that which is never obtained by wandering up and

down the universe as a result of the reactions of karma. What is that? One

should endeavor to become KŠa conscious. If one tries to spread KŠa

consciousness all over the world, he should be understood to be performing

the best welfare activity. The Lord is automatically very pleased with him.

If the Lord is pleased with him, what is left for him to achieve? If one has

been recognized by the Lord, even if he does not ask the Lord for anything,

the Lord, who is within everyone, supplies him whatever he wants. This is

also confirmed in Bhagavad-g…t€ (te€ˆ nity€bhiyukt€n€ˆ yoga-kemaˆ vah€my

aham [bg. 9.22]). Again, as stated here, tapyante loka-t€pena s€dhavaƒ

pr€yao jan€ƒ. The best welfare activity is raising people to the platform

of KŠa consciousness, since the conditioned souls are suffering only for

want of KŠa consciousness. The Lord Himself also comes to mitigate the

suffering of humanity."