Srila Prabhupada on useless philanthropy – “We have seen practical, in India
many sannyāsīs, they elevate themselves by jñāna-kāṇḍa,
but because they cannot stay, they again come to the karma-kāṇḍa,
philanthropy activities and hospitals and schools. That is their falldown. “
Hare Krsna.All glories to His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada.Srila Prabhupada quotes on useless philanthropy:So by karma-kāṇḍa you can elevate yourself to the higher planetary system. Even it is properly done . . . And now it is not possible to do it properly. And even it is properly done, that is condemned. It is not required. Similarly jñāna-kāṇḍa, even it is properly done. You can merge yourself into the Brahman effulgence. But that is also not safe, because in the śāstra we see that arūhya kṛcchreṇa paraṁ padaṁ tataḥ patanty adhaḥ (SB 10.2.32). Even one merges oneself into the impersonal Brahman, he again falls down. Patanty adhaḥ. We have seen practical, in India many sannyāsīs, they elevate themselves by jñāna-kāṇḍa, but because they cannot stay, they again come to the karma-kāṇḍa, philanthropy activities and hospitals and schools. That is their falldown.
So either in karma-kāṇḍa or jñāna-kāṇḍa you cannot achieve the real purpose of life. Therefore Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura has said, karma-kāṇḍa jñāna-kāṇḍa sakali visera bandha. Either you accept karma-kāṇḍa or jñāna-kanda, they’re different pots of poison. Amṛta boliya jeba khai. If by mistake you take poison, death is inevitable. Similarly, by karma-kāṇḍa, jñāna-kāṇḍa nobody can derive any actual benefit. By upasana-kāṇḍa, that is the . . . The Vedas, Vedic ritualistic ceremony means there are three kāṇḍas: karma-kāṇḍa, jñāna-kāṇḍa and upāsana-kāṇḍa. So upāsana-kāṇḍa, there are recommendation of many . . . worship of many demigods. But the best upāsana is viṣṇūpāsana. Viṣṇor arādhanaṁ sarveṣāṁ (Padma Purāṇa). Viṣṇor arādhanaṁ param. Oṁ tad viṣṇuṁ paramaṁ padam (Ṛg-Veda). There are different types of upāsana recommendation, but the viṣṇor arādhanam, worshiping Lord Viṣṇu, that is the supreme. That is supreme. So gradually, there is elevation to karma-kāṇḍa, jñāna-kāṇḍa, upāsana-kāṇḍa, but in the Kali-yuga all these things are not possible to revive. Best directly give him the best upāsana-kāṇḍa, viṣṇūpāsana, bhakti. Everything will be automatically achieved by bhakti-mārga.
[Conversation B – New Vrindaban, USA,July 1,1976]There are, for the materialistic person, there are two varieties of self-interest. One is concentrated interest and other is expanded interest. Just like a child, if you give him some foodstuff, a cake, he will immediately eat, himself – and if he is little liberal, then his other friends also he will give. First of all, first is, he wants to eat, and then the other friend, “Oh, you are eating, give me something.” “All right, you also take.” So this is called extended interest, and the beginning is self-interest, anna brahman, “I shall . . .” Self-preservation is the first law of nature. So in our ordinary activities we find the same thing. Suppose a big political leader, in the beginning he is interested with his family, with his family members, but sometimes he takes to national interest, for all members of the country or the society, community. And then there is fight between one community to another community, one family to another family, one nation to another nation, because that extended self-interest does not make the thing perfect. That extended self-interest must be up to Viṣṇu. Then it will be perfect. But that they do not know, because they have no idea that there is Viṣṇu, the Supreme Lord, or Kṛṣṇa. Na te viduḥ svārtha-gatiṁ hi viṣṇum (SB 7.5.31). They do not know. They think that “I have extended my self-interest to my country, to my family. I have become a big man.” And people also give him honor. This we have practical experience. But that is extended self-interest. That is not actually philanthropy.
Philanthropy is when one becomes interested in Kṛṣṇa’s interest. That is real philanthropy. Otherwise it is all kāma. There is no question of prema. It is going on as prema, deśa-bhakti, love for humanity. Hmm? The whole world is going on, but these are all imperfect things. The so-called philanthropism, altruism, humanitarianism, they are all . . . means imperfect, na te viduḥ svārtha-gatiṁ hi viṣṇum (SB 7.5.31). That is not self-interest. Self-interest . . . Just like this finger, pick up some nice cake, rasagullā. But if the fingers think that “We have got it, we shall use it,” all the fingers together, it will be spoiled. But if the fingers think that “Give it to the stomach,” then it will be everyone’s interest. As soon as the rasagullā goes to the stomach, the energy is distributed not only to these fingers of the right hand, but the left-hand fingers also. This law they do not know. This law they do not know. Therefore it is yadā na paśyanti, paśyaty ayathā guṇehām. Everyone is trying communally, nationally, individually for his or their interest. So that is not good. Svārthe pramattaḥ. They do not know what is real self-interest. [Lecture SB 05.05.07 – Vrndavana,October 29,1976]
The same example can be given. Suppose you are taking a jet plane to go to the sun planet or moon planet, but you are in the sunshine. You are more higher above the cloud region. Cloud is after, say, a few miles up, if you go, there is no more cloud. Finished. If you go above seven miles up, oh, there is no more clouds. There is no question of māyā. That’s all right. But if you go continually, if you do not get shelter in any other planet, then the next stage will be you have to come back. You cannot remain in that impersonal sunshine. You have to take shelter. If you don’t get shelter, then you come back.
Similarly, the impersonalist, for the time being they may think that they have Brahman realization, but because by nature he wants association, without getting association of the Supreme Lord he has to come back to make association with this nonsense. And this is practically we have seen. Many sannyāsī: brahma satyaṁ jagan mithyā, “Brahman is truth and the world is false.” They take sannyāsa, and after some time they come to the hospital opening business. They come down again to politics, hospitals, philanthropy, welfare work. Why? If brahma satyaṁ jagan mithyā, if this whole world is false, why you are taking this hospital business? Because there is no place. He has no engagement, and he wants association. He wants to render some service, but there is no service to Kṛṣṇa. He comes to give service to the nonsense māyā. [Lecture,MONTREAL – July 18, 1968 ]
Devotee: Well, I believe you once said that once a conditioned soul becomes perfected and gets out of the material world and he goes to Kṛṣṇaloka, there’s no possibility of falling back.
Prabhupāda: No! There is possibility, but he does not come. Just like after putting your hand in the fire, you never put it again if you are really intelligent. So those who are going back to Godhead, they become intelligent. Why going back to Godhead?
Just like we are in renounced order of life. So we have renounced our family life after thinking something. Now, if somebody comes, “Swāmījī, you take thousand millions of dollar and marry again and become a family man,” I’ll never become, because I have got my bad experience. I’ll never become.
So if one is intelligent enough, if he has got actually the bitter taste of this material world, he’ll never agree. He’ll never agree. But those who have not advanced to such knowledge, oh, they think, “Oh, this material enjoyment is very nice. Let me taste it and let me do business in my sannyāsī life, and stealthily and privately, let me enjoy.” These things are going on. That means they have no taste. They come to hospital-making or this philanthropy. This come again.
Sthānād bhraṣṭād patanty adhaḥ. Ye ‘nye aravindākṣa vimukta-māninaḥ. “Those fools who are thinking that ‘Simply by thinking myself, “I am God, I am Brahman, I have become liberated,” ‘ ” but ye ‘nye ‘ravindākṣa vimukta-māninas tvayy asta-bhāvāt (SB 10.2.32). “But there is no knowledge about You, Kṛṣṇa,” āruhya kṛcchreṇa paraṁ padam, “they, after performing so much austerity and penances, they rise up to the highest position, Brahman realization, but,” patanty adhaḥ, “they fall down.”
We have got so many instances. They take sannyāsa. They say that brahma satyaṁ jagan mithyā: “This world is false. Brahman is truth.” But after some days, they come to politics, they come to sociology, they come to hospital, they come to this and that. That’s all. Finished. Brahman finished. Patanty adhaḥ.
They must fall down, because they have no shelter in Kṛṣṇa. Just like the sputnik goes very high, clap, hear clap. Uh, come down again. Where you’ll go? Yes. Simply for the time being clapping (claps), that’s all. (laughs) But the fools, they are so nonsense, they are satisfied with that temporary clapping. That’s all.
[Lecture CC Adi 07.108 – San Francisco, February 18,1967]
Prabhupāda: But we see everything has got Kṛṣṇa connection. Therefore we utilize it for Kṛṣṇa. Just like you’re talking about Kṛṣṇa, it is being recorded. So it is useful for Kṛṣṇa’s service. Why shall I give it up? Because the aeroplane is there, therefore my preaching has been easier. In every year I am wandering all over the world twice, thrice. Because if you use aeroplane. So why shall I give it up? It is giving me facility to preach my Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement, why shall I give it up, “It is mithyā”? Just like the Jains, they do not ride on car, but if by going in a car I can go and preach very swiftly, and come back again, why shall I give up this car?
So our philosophy is not like that. Nirbandhaḥ kṛṣṇa-sambandhe yuktaṁ vairāgyam ucyate. It is yukta-vairāgya. We have no attachment for all these things. We are sitting in this palatial building, that’s all right. But you can talk these things underneath a tree. But if I sit down underneath a tree, nobody will come to me. (laughter) Just see. So why shall I do that? This is our philosophy.
anāsaktasya viṣayānyathārham upayuñjataḥnirbandhaḥ kṛṣṇa-sambandheyuktaṁ vairāgyam ucyate(Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu 1.2.255)
Yukta-vairāgya. After all, you have to practice vairāgya. Not under attachment. But in connection with Kṛṣṇa nonattachment is required. Otherwise this nonattachment will not stay. Just like this, now you are talking of mithyā, how do they consider mithyā. Because this artificial nonattachment will not stay. Therefore, they say it is mithyā, but they are accepting it, under a different name—”Now let us start this school, now let us start this hospital . . .” They’re coming to the mithyā platform under some disguise of philanthropy activities. If it is mithyā, why you are starting a school?
Satish Kumar: Yes. Only way is to sannyāsa.
Prabhupāda: Yes. It is not sannyāsī business. For starting a school the government is there, public is there. Why you . . . that means brahma satya you could not understand; you are coming to the school-starting. He could not perceive that brahma satya. Although he tried to do it, but he could not understand. Therefore now he has to maintain himself, eh? So people will not give him alms, so he must show that, “I’m starting this school, I’m starting this hospital, I’m doing this. Give me some chanda (charity)” That’s all. “Give me some subscription,” and taking subscription and become fat, that’s all. This is going on. If brahma . . . jagat is mithyā, why you are coming again to this mithyā platform? [Conversation – London,July 30,1973]