June 04, 1976 Raja Sajid Husain, Chairman, Indian Humanist Union, Kotwara House, Kaisarbagh, Lucknow, U.P., India
Dear Mr. Raja Sajid Husain,
Please accept my greetings. I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letter dated May 16, 1976, and I have noted the contents carefully.
Your idea of the "unity" of man is utopian. It will never become. The United Nations has tried for so many years, and they will never agree. If we keep human beings in the status of cats and dogs, in the bodily concept of life, how can they live in peace? They will simply fight like cats and dogs amongst one another. However, when members of the human society come to the spiritual platform, then there is a genuine possibility of unity.
Without God Consciousness, nobody can be ethical. In the Vedic literatures, we find this verse:
yasyasti bhaktir bhagavaty akincana sarvair gunais tatra samasate surah, harav abhaktasya kuto mahad-guna manorathenasati dhavato bahih. (SB 5.18.12)
"All the demigods and their exalted qualities, such as religion, knowledge, and renunciation, become manifest in the body of one who has developed unalloyed devotion for the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Vasudeva. On the other hand, a person devoid of devotional service and engaged in material activities has no good qualities. Even if he is adept at the practice of mystic yoga or the honest endeavour of maintaining his family and relatives, he must be driven by his own mental speculations and must engage in the service of the Lord's external energy. How can such a man possess any good qualities?"
I hope that this meets you in good health.
Yours sincerely,
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami
ACBS/pks