BG 5.25 (1972)
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
TEXT 25
- लभन्ते ब्रह्मनिर्वाणमृषयः क्षीणकल्मषाः ।
- छिन्नद्वैधा यतात्मानः सर्वभूतहिते रताः ॥२५॥
- labhante brahma-nirvāṇam
- ṛṣayaḥ kṣīṇa-kalmaṣāḥ
- chinna-dvaidhā yatātmānaḥ
- sarva-bhūta-hite ratāḥ
SYNONYMS
labhante—achieve; brahma-nirvāṇam—liberation in the Supreme; ṛṣayaḥ—those who are active within; kṣīṇa-kalmaṣāḥ—who are devoid of all sins; chinna—torn off; dvaidhāḥ—duality; yata-ātmānaḥ—engaged in self-realization; sarva-bhūta—in all living entities; hite—in welfare work; ratāḥ—engaged.
TRANSLATION
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.
PURPORT
Only a person who is fully in Kṛṣṇa consciousness can be said to be engaged in welfare work for all living entities. When a person is actually in the knowledge that Kṛṣṇa 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 Kṛṣṇa 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 Kṛṣṇa conscious person has no doubt about the supremacy of Kṛṣṇa. He has no doubt because he is completely freed from all sins. This is the state of divine love.
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 Kṛṣṇa, he is actually a liberated soul, although he may be in the material tabernacle.