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Unify

Sri Caitanya-caritamrta

CC Madhya-lila

CC Madhya 25.132, Translation and Purport:

"'The Absolute Truth is known by the self-realized souls as a unified identity known by different names—impersonal Brahman, localized Paramātmā, and Bhagavān, the Supreme Personality of Godhead.'"

This is a quotation from Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (1.2.11). For an explanation see Ādi-līlā, Chapter 2, text 11.

Other Books by Srila Prabhupada

Easy Journey to Other Planets

Sanātana-dharma is the constant companion of the living being, the unifier of all religions.
Easy Journey to Other Planets 1:

When a man professes to belong to a particular faith—Hindu, Muslim, Christian, Buddhist or any other sect—and when he refers to a particular time and circumstance of birth, such designations are called non-sanātana-dharma. A Hindu may become a Muslim or a Muslim may become a Hindu or Christian, etc., but in all circumstances there is one constant. In all circumstances, he is rendering service to others. A Hindu, Muslim, Buddhist or Christian is in all circumstances a servant of someone. The particular type of faith professed is not sanātana-dharma. Sanātana-dharma is the constant companion of the living being, the unifier of all religions. Sanātana-dharma is the rendering of service.

Lectures

Festival Lectures

There's another class of men that is not satisfied. These men are searching, that there is always something on his mind. He is thinking, "There must be something behind all of this. That I can look at all of this as a unified whole."
Janmastami Lord Sri Krsna's Appearance Day -- Montreal, August 16, 1968:

There is said to be two classes of men. One class of men is satisfied with his existence. He goes from one pleasure to another. From the cinema to the restaurant to sports, from one to the other. "I can't wait to finish one to go to the next," and still he's saying, "I'm happy. I'm satisfied." And there's another class of men that is not satisfied. These men are searching, that there is always something on his mind. He is thinking, "There must be something behind all of this. That I can look at all of this as a unified whole." So this first class of men will not want to take to spiritual knowledge, but the person who is inquisitive and is not satisfied with this material life, he can hear this knowledge submissively and derive great benefit from it. The symptom of the human being is that he is not satisfied. He's disgusted, he's searching. The symptom of animal life is that he is satisfied taking everything, "That's very nice. Everything is fine." Like a hog, hog eating stool. He's thinking, "Oh, it's very nice." But the human being will not accept such awful things. The human being has the chance to get out of this shackle of continued, repeated births and deaths.

Philosophy Discussions

Your conception of the universe is imperfect, because you are imperfect. Otherwise, everything is complete.
Philosophy Discussion on William James:

Śyāmasundara: William James's position is..., he calls himself a radical empiricist. He says that the unity of the universe as a neat set of interconnected relations in an absolute. It is false, because...

Prabhupāda: Absolute? False?

Śyāmasundara: No. He says that a unified pattern of things, that the universe as a unified scheme, neat pattern of things, is false because our direct experience informs us of a discontinuity of facts. Our direct experiences sees discontinuity of facts, so we must conclude that the universe is comprised of facts which are not perfect in unity.

Prabhupāda: Yes. Because you are seeing the universe by your imperfect eyes. So it is your imperfectness. Just like you are seeing the sun planet just like a disc, but it is not a disc. But because you cannot see perfectly, you are thinking like that. So your conception of the universe is imperfect, because you are imperfect. Otherwise, everything is complete. Just like Īśopaniṣad, pūrṇam idam (Īśopaniṣad, Invocation). It is complete. That is the first verse of the Īśopaniṣad. But because you are imperfect, you are seeing the universe and everything as imperfect. The universe, because it is made by God, it cannot be imperfect. God is perfect, and anything created by God is perfect.

Śyāmasundara: His idea is that...

Prabhupāda: Because you do not see through the eyes of God—you want to see through your imperfect eyes-therefore you consider this universe as imperfect.

What you can perceive, that may be wrong thing also, because you are not perfect.
Philosophy Discussion on William James:

Śyāmasundara: Because his vision of a unified universe is evolving, then he ascribes that the universe itself is false...

Prabhupāda: No. The universe is not evolving. It is perfect since it was created. But because we have no perfect knowledge, you are thinking it is evolving.

Śyāmasundara: Because he... Because my observations of the universe are evolving toward a unity. This is his criterion for truth, that only that which I can perceive is true, or which I can experience.

Prabhupāda: Yes. What you can perceive, that may be wrong thing also, because you are not perfect. But because you have got a poor fund of knowledge, therefore you are thinking that imperfect thing it is also perfect.

This is practical. Anyone can understand that when the body is, does not contain any more the soul, then it is dead, dead body, lump of matter.
Philosophy Discussion on Johann Gottlieb Fichte:

Śyāmasundara: He says that our progress towards this kind of understanding comes about because we unify our speculative reason, our theoretical reason with our practical reason or our moral reason.

Prabhupāda: This is practical. Anyone can understand that when the body is, does not contain any more the soul, then it is dead, dead body, lump of matter. So spirit soul is different from the matter. This is practical. If anyone cannot understand, then he's less intelligent. This is practical.

Conversations and Morning Walks

1976 Conversations and Morning Walks

You are trying to unify the so-called human beings, but you are keeping the poor animals for cutting their throat. This is your humanity.
Room Conversation -- August 10, 1976, Tehran:

Prabhupāda: That's all. You are trying to unify the so-called human beings, but you are keeping the poor animals for cutting their throat. This is your humanity. Because these poor animals cannot protest, so you are strong. And this is your humanity, you cut their throat and eat. But that is not humanity. Humanity is here mentioned: God is the seed-giving father all living entities. That is the fact. That is humanity. They do not know what is meaning by humanity. Here is the explanation, humanity. That is called brahma-bhūtaḥ prasannātmā (BG 18.54). Unless you come to that stage, there is no question of humanity. Artificially, you manufacture something and you think humanity. According to your convenience. "Let us combine together and exploit other living entities for our benefit." That is not humanity. They do not know what is humanity. Here is the explanation. How humanity can be established unless there is the understanding of the supreme father, how there is question of, how this question of brotherhood can come in? Here Kṛṣṇa says ahaṁ bīja-pradaḥ pitā: (BG 14.4) "I am the seed-giving father." So you try to understand this, then humanity. You cannot manufacture some ideas of humanity, imperfect, because you are imperfect. Here is perfect idea.

Correspondence

1968 Correspondence

The Indian government is particularly secular government, and if we can present unified form of Krishna Consciousness—one God, Krishna; one scripture, Bhagavad-gita; one mantra, Hare Krishna; and one work, His service, then certainly we shall get very good encouragement from Indians also.
Letter to Hamsaduta -- San Francisco 23 March, 1968:

One of my Bombay friends has written me as following: "I am pleased to receive your letter dated 3rd March, 1968, and have noted the contents. We are already doing Kirtana on Sundays and that is a part of our curriculum. This can be made extensive by your team of followers from America arriving in India. The best place for continuous Sankirtana is Vrndavana. Please let me know when you would come to India, with the devotees, so that we may arrange a reception and have a suitable program. Yours sincerely, Hari Krsna dasa Aggarwal." So, if we can reach Bombay with our Sankirtana party, and as promised by my friend, some Indians join us, then we shall make an extensive tour of India with the party, and we shall invite all kinds of religionists to join us. The Indian government is particularly secular government, and if we can present unified form of Krishna Consciousness—one God, Krishna; one scripture, Bhagavad-gita; one mantra, Hare Krishna; and one work, His service, then certainly we shall get very good encouragement from Indians also.

1969 Correspondence

Sannyasa means to sacrifice everything for the Supreme, and if we link up our activities in such way as is enunciated by the Lord, then all the diversities become unified in Krishna Consciousness.
Letter to Sacisuta -- Tittenhurst 19 September, 1969:

Regarding your question, this is also described in Chapter 9, when Krishna says that whatever you sacrifice, whatever you eat, whatever you give in charity—give it all to Me. Such action is also called Sannyasa yoga. Sannyasa means to sacrifice everything for the Supreme, and if we link up our activities in such way as is enunciated by the Lord, then all the diversities become unified in Krishna Consciousness. Krishna Consciousness is itself Brahma platform, so all our students who are engaged in the service of God, they are not on the material platform. They are already liberated (PAGE MISSING)

1971 Correspondence

I am also glad to note that a meeting of all the presidents was held just recently in order to unify the temples.
Letter to Tribhuvanatha -- Brooklyn 17 July, 1971:

I am also glad to note that a meeting of all the presidents was held just recently in order to unify the temples. That is the process. Unless we work cooperatively, how this movement will go on? So my request to you all is that you maintain that spirit of cooperation always and help me to deliver Lord Caitanya's message all over the globe.

Our aim is one God, one religion, one people, one activity, everything one. Practically it is happening also, so we can help the leaders of the society if they are sincere in the attempt to unify all the nations under the name of United Nations.
Letter to Tamala Krsna -- London 1 September, 1971:

Our movement is not any local movement. It is for the total human society. It is most authorized on the principles of Bhagavad-gita and affirmed by Lord Caitanya and all the big acaryas. So we have got every confidence on this movement for the peaceful situation of the whole world. Our aim is one God, one religion, one people, one activity, everything one. Practically it is happening also, so we can help the leaders of the society if they are sincere in the attempt to unify all the nations under the name of United Nations. So you can try to fix up an appointment time for this important meeting.

1972 Correspondence

Try to convince upon them the high philosophy we follow. This is the only means to unify the whole world.
Letter to Tamala Krsna -- Honolulu 11 May, 1972:

What are your plans for Bangladesh? That is great opportunity, and when Americans will speak about this philosophy, the Muslims in Bangladesh will agree to hear and it will be very convincing. Try to convince upon them the high philosophy we follow. This is the only means to unify the whole world.

We are trying to unify the whole population of this globe by this cultural movement. There are blessings of Lord Caitanya in this connection, and if we try sincerely it will be successful.
Letter to Tamala Krsna -- Honolulu 16 May, 1972:

I have read the letter from Turya ___, so he is anxious to get our papers, so arrange to send him our English and Bengali literature and advise he should regularly get all our papers. When you go there, on cooperation with him you can establish a center in Bangladesh by mutual arrangement, and that will be very suitable for your preaching. If the Americans can take up this movement seriously, why not the Bangladesh people? Try to meet with this educated public, and if you can convince them, it will be a great service. We are trying to unify the whole population of this globe by this cultural movement. There are blessings of Lord Caitanya in this connection, and if we try sincerely it will be successful.

Why not give them opportunity to read a book which is full of philosophy and science in the matter of developing their firm understanding of the truth or God-consciousness, and thus very easily unify and satisfy all the citizens.
Letter to Secretary to Minister of Education and Culture -- Los Angeles 7 June, 1972:

Our only desire is that when the good people of your country are so anxious to continue the natural God-consciousness, why not give them opportunity to read a book which is full of philosophy and science in the matter of developing their firm understanding of the truth or God-consciousness, and thus very easily unify and satisfy all the citizens.

Try to keep the whole situation in unified condition, but if Siddha Svarupa and his disciples are living there separately and peacefully, I have no objection, so long there is no controversy or ill feelings between their camp and yours.
Letter to Madhudvisa -- Bombay 29 December, 1972:

And you may also go to that farm in Australia where Siddha Svarupa is living with the others of his disciples and give me report also how the things are going on there, whether our standard is being maintained, like that. I know there has been some controversy within the Society about the actual position of our Siddha Svarupa. But I think he is a very nice boy and he has understood our philosophy just to the point, so I have every faith that he will manage all right. Recently, I had sent one letter to reply Tusta Krsna's questions about Siddha Svarupa, namely, that Siddha Svarupa may be pure devotee, but so all of you are also pure devotees. There is no question that Siddha Svarupa is only pure devotee and no one else is pure devotee. All of my disciples, as soon as they surrender themselves to Krsna, they become pure devotees actually. If you see Tusta there you may see also the copy of my letter to get the right idea. These things must be cleared up or there may be danger of split within our ranks. Try to keep the whole situation in unified condition, but if Siddha Svarupa and his disciples are living there separately and peacefully, I have no objection, so long there is no controversy or ill feelings between their camp and yours. You may initiate some program to integrate the two camps by sending some of our own strong men there to assist. And if they get that land as gift, it should be in the name of International Society for Krsna Consciousness.

1975 Correspondence

Your ideas are good and are surely worth considering. I have discussed them with Bhagavan das and he also thinks that it may be possible to unify Europe in this way.
Letter to Locanananda -- Bombay 16 January, 1975:

Please accept my blessings. I am in due receipt of your letter dated Dec. 31st, 1975 and have noted the contents. Your ideas are good and are surely worth considering. I have discussed them with Bhagavan das and he also thinks that it may be possible to unify Europe in this way. So, Bhagavan should be going back to Europe in a couple of weeks and we shall see how things are working out there.

1977 Correspondence

If you invite everyone, and the Hindus and Muslims come and take prasadam, that will unify the whole country.
Letter to Atreya Rsi -- Bombay 20 April, 1977:

Your report of your visit to Pakistan is very very encouraging. Why not develop this center and take the help of these men? The temple is already there and the men are willing to help. Simply we have to explain our philosophy to the learned circles. Generally our program should be to hold kirtana and give very nice sumptuous prasadam, and if the opportunity arises we can speak some philosophy. If you invite everyone, and the Hindus and Muslims come and take prasadam, that will unify the whole country.

Page Title:Unify
Compiler:Labangalatika
Created:02 of Oct, 2009
Totals by Section:BG=0, SB=0, CC=1, OB=1, Lec=4, Con=1, Let=10
No. of Quotes:17