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 dehaḥ nityasyoktāḥ śarīriṇaḥ (BG 2.18). This body is antavat. Anta means it will be finished. Everyone knows his body is not permanent; it will be finished. Anything material—bhūtvā bhūtvā pralīyate (BG 8.19)—it has a date of birth, it stays for some time, and then it annihilates. So the spiritual education begins from the understanding that "I am not this body." This is spiritual education. In the Bhagavad-gītā the first instruction given by Kṛṣṇa to Arjuna is this, that "We are not this body." Because Arjuna was speaking from the bodily platform, so Kṛṣṇa chastised him, that aśocyān anvaśocas tvaṁ prajñā-vādāṁś ca bhāṣase (BG 2.11): "Arjuna, you are talking like a very learned man, but you are lamenting on the subject matter on which no learned man laments." Aśocyān anvaśocas tvam.
So such kind of welfare activity concerning the body, like hospital and so many other things, they are good undoubtedly, but the ultimate goal is to see the interest of the soul. That is ultimate goal. That is the whole Vedic instruction. And Kṛṣṇa begins from this point. Dehino 'smin yathā dehe kaumāraṁ yauvanaṁ jarā (BG 2.13). So when Caitanya Mahāprabhu wanted to do some para-upakāra . . .
- bhārata bhūmite manuṣya-janma haila yāra
- manuṣya janma sārthaka kari' kara para-upakāra
- (CC Adi 9.41)