There was a millionaire who was suffering with severe eye pain. He consulted many physicians, consumed various medicines, but the pain remained.
At last a monk, who was expert in treating such patients, was called for by the millionaire. The monk understood the problem and instructed that for sometime the millionaire should concentrate only on green colour; and avoid seeing any other colour. The millionaire immediately employed a group of painters, purchased barrels of green paint and directed that every object his eye was likely to fall upon be painted green just as the monk had directed.
When the monk came to visit him after a few days, the millionaire’s servants ran with buckets of green paint and emptied it on the sage.
Seeing this, the monk smiled and said, “If only you had purchased a pair of green spectacles, worth just a few rupees, you could have saved these walls, furniture, jewels and other articles; and also saved a large fortune. It is childish to think that you can paint the whole world green.”
Let us change our vision. It is foolish to shape the world, let us shape ourselves first.”
Chaitanya Mahaprabhu’s instruction is that you can improve the welfare of others when your own life is a success:
bharata-bhumite haila manushya-janma yara
janma sarthaka kari’ kara para-upakara
[Cc. Adi 9.41]
First make your life perfect. Then try to teach others. Lord Chaitanya has given the greatest boon: in this age one simply has to chant the holy name of God to attain perfection in spiritual life.
Following in the footsteps of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, the Krishna consciousness movement is recommending this process all over the world. We are saying, “Chant the Hare Krishna maha-mantra, be freed from all the complexities of life, and realize Krishna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Engage in His devotional service and perfect your life so that you can return home, back to Godhead.”
"Art of Living stories" 