Who Feeds the Bird or Polishes the Cage?

Question: Who Feeds the Bird or Polishes the Cage?

I would like to inquire about the example which is often given in our books about the bird and the golden cage. The bird is compared to the soul and the cage is compared to the body. The point of the example is that if we polish the cage all day long and neglect the bird inside, the bird will soon perish.

But in this example if I am the soul (the bird) and the body is the cage then who is there to feed the bird and polish the cage?

Please forgive me if the question is irrelevant.

Answer: The Self

Thank you very much for your very nice question.

The person who is either feeding the bird or polishing the cage is the self. If the living entity is polishing the cage, he is foolishly misdirecting his energy towards material sense gratification. And if he feeds the bird, he is tending to his real self interest by cultivating Krishna consciousness.