1965/66 - International Institution for God Consciousness
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
Teaching all over the world the scientific education to all people in the matter of understanding one God, one religion, one scripture, one hymn and one function.
A man cannot be free from Fear, Bereavement, Anxiety, and Diseases, unless and until he knows his actual position as a living entity. He must, therefore, be educated about his real constitutional position. In knowing such constitutional position one has to learn about the controller above him; why he is controlled, why the laws of nature are so stern for him, why he is subjected to threefold miseries of life, what is the nature of his controller, what is this material nature, who is controlling the laws of material nature, what is the duration of life of everything manifested and what are the activities which keep everybody busy throughout day and night. Without knowing all these things in right earnestness, a man remains an animal in spite of his high academic education.
The Sanskrit word Dharma is translated into English as religion but by such translation the import of Dharma is not clear. In English religion is some kind of emotional faith in a particular system of rituals or moral conviction. But the word Dharma does not mean such emotional awakened sense without scientific value. Religion or faith can be changed but Dharma cannot be changed. You cannot change the liquidity of water nor you can change the heat and light of fire. Water means liquid substance and fire means heating agent. Such co-existence of water and liquidity, or fire and heat, is eternal; and similarly we mean religion is that which cannot be changed by the living entity. Faith can be changed but Dharma cannot be changed. Therefore, we mean by religion, in pursuance of the root meaning of the word Dharma, as eternal relationship or eternal quality. On this principle there is only one religion of the entire human society. In other words Dharma or eternal consciousness of creative energy and sense of enjoyment by lording it over the material energy, is the eternal religion of every living being and this perpetual quality of the living being is never changed like temporary faith or emotion. One may change his faith from one ism to another but one cannot change the consciousness of creative energy and the sense of domination over other.
In the living being, however, the consciousness of creation and sense of domination is not supremely manifested. Every one is moved by these two natural instincts of living conditions but nobody is the supreme conscious being or supreme dominator. Everybody tries to know more than others and dominate more than others and thus there is a regular competition in the fields of creative energy and domination; but nobody has come to the stage of the supreme. The Supreme is Summum Bonum and nobody is equal or above the Supreme Conscious Being and the Supreme Controller. The Supreme Conscious Being Who possesses the supreme creative energy and thus the supreme power of domination over all, is called the Supreme Enjoyer. This Supreme Enjoyer is nomenclatured in Sanskrit by the word KRISHNA the symbol of greatest amount of pleasure. He is the Supreme Living Entity and all other living entities are eternally parts and parcels of the Supreme. Individual living entities are happy in cooperation with the supreme and not independently. The whole world is moving by cooperation of greater and lesser personalities. Therefore, perfection of life is attained by cooperation with the greatest and not otherwise. This cooperative sense and its awakening in every individual living being, is the eternal religion of the living entity. It is not a question of faith but it is eternally dormant in everyone and the process of awakening this consciousness by systematic activities, is perfect religion and it is One in every living being.
The material nature or cosmic manifestation is one of the energies of the Supreme Being and is dependent on Him. We can very well understand that our material body is a product of our energy. The material body takes its shape larger and larger from the very beginning due to the spark of living energy which also is the superior energy of the Supreme Being. And combination of these two energies, namely the superior and inferior, is manifested as the cosmic creation or material nature. And these two energies are limited within eternal Time. Within the Time factors superior energy acts and reacts upon the inferior energy matter. Such actions and reactions being limited by the Time factor past present and future all such activities are temporary whereas the other factors namely the Supreme Living Being, the individual living beings, the inferior energy material nature and Time factor all are eternal. Perfection of activities is attained by transcendental position of the living entities in cooperation with the Supreme Being.
All these factors are systematically explained in the Bhagwat Geeta which is meant for all human being. The human being can utilize this great book of transcendental knowledge according to the direction of the author Sri Krishna inculcated in the book itself. One cannot understand Bhagwat Geeta by imperfect interpretations as fashion study. One can derive benefit out of it by accepting the whole thing in pursuance of the original student Arjuna. One who follows Arjuna is the perfect student of the Bhagwat Geeta. In all circumstances, therefore, the Bhagwat Geeta is the One scripture for everyone.
The world is very much anxious to have One religion, one God, One Scripture and one harmonized activity, and the International Institution for God Consciousness is meant for that. Here is the thing everyone is hankering after, and let everyone be a member of this institution as student and he will make his life a complete perfection.
This institution is already started in a small scale at 100 West 72nd Street Room #307. Classes are being held regularly on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays regularly from 7 to 9 p.m. Enquiries and personal interviews are, however, invited every day from 6 to 8 p.m.
You are cordially invited for enquiries or for taking lessons in the regular classes.