# Real Welfare Activity *On welfare that benefits the soul, not just the body* --- ### Para-upakāra > 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 dehāḥ nityasyoktāḥ śarīriṇaḥ*. — [[spoken/1976/760221ba.may|Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Gosvāmī Prabhupāda's Appearance Day Lecture, Māyāpur, February 21, 1976]] --- ### Welfare to the Soul > 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 dehāḥ nityasyoktāḥ śarīriṇaḥ. Na hanyate hanyamāne śarīre.* 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. — [[spoken/1976/760221ba.may|Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Gosvāmī Prabhupāda's Appearance Day Lecture, Māyāpur, February 21, 1976]] --- ### Making Asuras into Devatās > So our this movement is making the *asuras* to become *devatā.* This is our movement. This is, therefore, the most prominent welfare activities within the human society. We are trying to make demon to become *devatā.* And actually they are becoming. The demons are becoming *devatā.* — [[spoken/1977/770221r1.may|Room Conversation, Māyāpur, February 21, 1977]] --- ### From Monkey to Devatā > Chant Hare Kṛṣṇa, and from monkey you become a *devatā,* demigod. What do you want more? Therefore He's *mahā-vadānyāvatāra,* the most munificent incarnation, making monkey to *devatā* simply by chanting. — [[spoken/1977/770221r1.may|Room Conversation, Māyāpur, February 21, 1977]] --- ### Medical Science Cannot Stop Death > So there may be vast advancement of medical science, but if the medical science cannot check birth, death, old age and disease, then what is the use of it? It may have some temporary use, but actually it is not science. Nobody wants to die. Is there medical science which can stop death? So that knowledge may be temporary, beneficial, but ultimately, it is not the knowledge. I am anxious for not dying. Nobody wants to die. This is my anxiety. And where is that science, medical science? So we are satisfied with some temporary knowledge. We have no ultimate knowledge. And because it is very difficult subject matter, we have avoided it very carefully. — [[spoken/1975/750219r1.car|Room Conversation with Professors, Caracas, February 19, 1975]] --- *5 verified verbatim quotes from Śrīla Prabhupāda on real welfare activity*