To judge the usefulness of an object or person, it is first necessary to ascertain that object or person’s real identity. If we procrastinate or demonstrate indifference towards the object, then it becomes impossible to determine its merit. No definitive conclusion can be ascertained by judging the mere externals only. It is for this reason that the ancient seers analysed both the inner and outer forms of an object before disseminating logical advice regarding its necessity. Today, intellectuals and scientists abound, but their main concern is to see to the needs of only an immediate nature. They offer their advice with this in mind. Very few of this type of thinker present lasting solutions to problems, even after having made extensive, in-depth studies. The attention of the majority is focused on gaining profit, power and fame. Thus, they are noticeably silent when it comes to answers to major problems. Seeing that the gross majority will dance with joy as soon as they can grab something gross, those giving advice will accordingly cater to their appetites with that which is gross. Ordinary persons do not realise that the subtle is the cause behind the gross. The so-called learned, who are aware of this truth, praise other learned men and endeavour to secure prestige for themselves by emphasising the gross achievement of mankind. They thus attempt to satisfy their minds by receiving praise and recognition for their work. The net result is that the people at large are deprived of any lasting, long-term happiness.

The conscious entity can discern between what is required and what is dispensable, and can speak about pain and pleasure. Happiness and unhappiness, good and bad, are not applicable to that which is without consciousness and lacks feelings. Man possesses the highest degree of sensitivity in comparison to insects, worms, birds, beasts and all others that inhabit the earth, sky and water. Thus, we refer only to man, to the exclusion of all other living beings, when discussing the topic of needs and requirements. What do we really need? What, if acquired, would provide us with lasting happiness? Presently, efforts are being made by politicians, sociologists, economists and religious leaders representing countries across the globe to make man happy. The politicians prescribe various views such as monarchy, democracy, socialism and communism for world peace. Each view is backed by innumerable arguments. The economists vary in advocating capitalism, socialism or communism. Some sociologists want man to unite globally as one race, while others would like to see geographical units of social groups based upon heredity. Still others argue for a society categorised according to qualifications and work. The religious and moral guides flounder when it comes to the acceptance or denial of the existence of God. There are many divisions and subdivisions to be found within this maze of views.

It is difficult to understand those who deny the existence of God, and yet harp on about moral values. If the existence of God is rejected, then that which is gross and without consciousness becomes the primary cause. This is not supported by logic as has been analysed in the scriptures. The cause of any object or activity is consciousness. Therefore, one cannot accept any cause other than consciousness. The following verse explains this idea, agni-saktye lauha yaiche karaye jarana: (Caitanya-caritamṛta, Ādi-lila 5.60) On its own, iron does not have the ability to burn, but after associating with fire, it too acquires this ability. Similarly, unconscious matter cannot engage in activity or even possess a sense of engaging in activity or work. The touch of consciousness makes it appear as if the unconscious matter were working. Thus, it must be admitted that whatever is active must have consciousness behind it.

At this point, it may well be asked, “Is the consciousness of the living being the primary cause? Is it the cause of all causes? Other than this consciousness, is there any other principal conscious entity?”

It can be said in answer, if this consciousness of the living being (jiva) is at the root of everything, then it should be full in its completeness, omniscience, omnipotence, and control over all. We can clearly see that the preceding attributes are absent in any of the living entities and thus, no particular jiva among the ordinary jivas can be said to be the Principal Cause of everything. The living are different from the non-living due to the presence of consciousness. The opponents of this philosophy may now present a counter-argument by saying that because the jiva is endowed with consciousness, although not infinite, it must be a direct expansion (svamsa) of the Infinite. The response to this is, if each jiva were a part of the infinite, then each individual would also be infinite. Since we observe that the ordinary living entities are not omnipotent, etc., then they must also not be infinite. All living beings are amsas (particles) of the prakṛti (potency) of Sri Bhagavan. In some instances, Sri Bhagavan and His potency manifest in a similar manner. On seeing a slight similarity between Bhagavan and His potency, men of small intelligence become bewildered. They mistakenly conclude that the jiva, a particle of the potency of Sri Bhagavan, is equal to Sri Bhagavan Himself, and thereby fall down. The Supreme Absolute Truth, Bhagavan Sri Hari, is All-Existence, All-Knowledge and All-Bliss (saccidananda). The prakṛti of all living beings is part of the prakṛti of Saccidananda Sri Bhagavan. The jiva is neither saccidananda nor Sri Bhagavan; he is relative in manifestation. Since the living beings are part of the prakṛti of Sri Bhagavan, this relationship with Him never ceases, and hence the difference between Sri Bhagavan and the innumerable living entities is also eternal. Since cit, or consciousness, is distinct from acit (non-consciousness or matter), it is beyond the comprehension of the mind produced of matter. Thus, the sublime doctrine of acintya-bhedabheda (inconceivable simultaneous oneness and difference), based on the firm foundation of infallible logic and sound philosophy, is the only correct description of the relationship between God and the living entity. The cetana, or conscious living entity, manifests itself through thinking, feeling and willing. These are absent in that which is not conscious. Wherever the symptoms of thinking, feeling and willing are present, the existence of personality is to be admitted. Thus, the effectual consciousness (the jiva) and the Causal Consciousness (the Supreme Lord) both possess personality. In other words, Sri Bhagavan Himself is not without personality. Due to our mundane, material conditioning, we have formed a conception of personality which is inherently limited. To impose this notion beyond the confines of prakṛti is ignorant and unreasonably whimsical. Directly or indirectly, the non-dual Supreme Absolute Truth, the Infinite Supreme Person—Bhagavan Sri Kṛṣna—is the cause of all cit, acit and taṭastha potencies as well as all causes and effects. Everything emanates from Him, everything is sustained by Him, and at the time of annihilation, everything is absorbed into Him. Thus, the welfare of all living beings is derived from Sri Kṛṣna, is maintained by Him and is absorbed into Him. Sri Kṛṣna is the Cause of all causes. The pleasures of man are relative. Thus, by seeking the happiness of the Whole Who is Bhagavan Sri Kṛṣna, the parts of the Whole also become happy and full of bliss.

If the politicians, economists, sociologists and moralists exclude Sri Bhagavan or exhibit indifference towards Him, and formulate new laws or regulations for the so-called good of mankind, then the rules which they enunciate will not bring about lasting happiness. On the contrary, they will only bring about suffering, even though their methods and techniques may certainly be different. The general masses tend to imitate the example of the leaders. If the leaders exclude Sri Bhagavan from their agenda of education and activity, then very rapidly, the ordinary folk will also adopt that policy, thinking it to be the current trend. Maddened with the pride of being the enjoyer, they will engage in fierce competition fuelled by desire and envy, thus doing harm to themselves. In this manner, all will be deprived of true, long-lasting peace and happiness.

Sri Caitanyadeva made His appearance in a society torn apart by strife and conflict. Instead of attempting to tackle each petty knot, He brought everything under one umbrella. His own life setting the example, He inspired His countrymen to focus all their theories and principles on that one centre, Sri Bhagavan, and to do everything out of love for Bhagavan Sri Kṛṣna. The masses may very well be ignorant of the main centre of one’s life and of the glory of God. However, the seers of the Truth and truly learned persons who are aware of the real situation cannot disregard the discernment of the good as opposed to the bad, or demonstrate negligence toward the pangs of conscience. They cannot afford to cater to the base, vulgar and harmful passions, fuelling them, causing harm and damage to the masses. Rather, fulfilling their actual responsibility, they should lead the ignorant to a continuously evolving path which will nourish their real needs and which will never cease to bring the happiness of love for Sri Bhagavan. In this way, such wise men will be performing the greatest act of mercy and friendship. Like the affectionate parents who discipline and direct the playful child toward his studies, displaying anger when they are actually thinking of the future welfare of the child, so too should the guardians of society see to the true welfare of the people and gradually wean them from the low and vulgar toward a co-operative form of welfare that includes all for all times.

The followers of Sri Caitanya have realised that bhakti, or devotion to Sri Kṛṣna, is the only reality that benefits all levels of mankind. Thus, they have endeavoured to their utmost to plant the roots of bhakti in society. The nectar of Sri Caitanya’s immortal love and compassion flowed through His spiritual brethren, Sri Rūpa, Sanatana and the other Gosvamis, along with their three followers, Sri Srinivasa, Sri Narottama and Sri Syamananda Prabhu. In this way, following the system of guru-parampara (lineage of teachers and disciples), Sri Caitanya’s love also flowed through Rasika-mauli Sri Visvanatha Cakravarti, Vedanta-acarya Sri Baladeva Vidyabhūṣana, and later, through Sri Gaura-sakti Srila Saccidananda Bhaktivinoda Ṭhakura, Sri Gaura-karuna-sakti Srila Bhakti Siddhanta Sarasvati Gosvami Ṭhakura (who were empowered by Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu) and others, it continued and is still ceaselessly continuing to flow. Srila Sarasvati Ṭhakura spread the message of Sri Caitanyadeva not only in undivided India, but also throughout the entire world via the medium of his qualified disciples. During the course of this mission, he founded sixty-four maṭhas (monasteries) and temples, both in India and abroad, for the practice and propagation of kṛṣna-bhakti. After his disappearance from our midst, his disciples, in keeping with his wishes and with the welfare of mankind in mind, established hundreds of temples.

It is the company one keeps that propels one toward either the good or the bad. Man’s tendencies are given impetus by his friends and associates. There is no other shortcut to a change for the better other than seeking out the association of the sadhus (saints). That is why sages and acaryas of ancient India dotted the landscape with asramas, monasteries and temples. Here, the holy flame was kept alight. The seekers of truth had the opportunity to delve into the scriptures in the company of the saints, who were leading lives of austerity and discipline. They had the opportunity for achieving their eternal welfare by means of service to the Supreme Absolute Truth, Sri Kṛṣna—the personification of all delightful mellows, and benefiting all people of the world.

All living beings strive for happiness, each according to his level and station. They enact many laws, earn money either honestly or dishonestly, undergo hardship to gain an education, and direct their attention toward the upliftment of society. Thus, it is natural to have an eager curiosity to know exactly what happiness might be. Does happiness possess a real existence of its own or is it a mere bundle of feelings that are triggered by vibrations of the material senses?

Devarṣi Narada has stated, “The form of the atma is the form of happiness.” By using the word atma, both jivatma (the living entity) and Paramatma (the Supersoul) are indicated. Sri Bhagavan is the cause of the atma. Thus, the root of all happiness is Sri Bhagavan. Sri Bhagavan is non-dual knowledge. Ātma, being the form of atomic happiness (anu-sukha-rūpa), seeks out the original all-pervading happiness (vibhu-sukha-svarūpa) of Sri Bhagavan and savours it with joy. The atomic soul and the Universal soul are both persons. Thus, happiness has a personality. This personality is not mundane or temporal. It is transcendental and eternal. Being eternal, it cannot be perceived by the material senses. What we perceive on the temporal, earthly plane is but maya, or the shadow of the eternal happiness. Those who desire genuine happiness know that the essence of happiness cannot be relished from an imitative reflection (the shadow world of maya). Instead, they search for the transcendental personification of happiness and bliss—Sri Kṛṣna. Their advice to us is to seek out Sri Kṛṣna.

Sri Kṛṣna is their sadhana (practice) and sadhya (goal); such are the members of Sri Caitanya Gaudiya Maṭha. They know that the real welfare of all living beings rests at the feet of Sri Kṛṣna. Armed with this supreme knowledge, how could their behaviour be tainted by hypocrisy in any way? If it were otherwise, how would they be able to show the way to others? Sri Caitanya Gaudiya Maṭha follows the rules and teachings of Sri Caitanyadeva, which are non-different from those in Srimad-Bhagavatam and those of the pañcaratrika-marga. Due to their proper understanding, they never offer advice contrary to these teachings, as doing so would lead one to a road long and uncertain. The life essence of Sri Caitanya Gaudiya Maṭha is unalloyed devotion to Sri Kṛṣna. If such maṭhas did not exist, then lesser mortals like us, striving and seeking material pleasures, would not have the opportunity to partake of the nectar flowing from Sri Kṛṣna.

If reliable and dependable centres were not there for observing spiritual disciplines favourable to the realisation of Sri Bhagavan, society would become ever more confused and lost in the complexities of religions centred on the material body, mind or other such illusory concepts. This fact can be illustrated by what happened during the first part of the independence movement in India. At that time, there was a dearth of indigenous, genuine khadi material (a type of cotton). Taking advantage of this, dishonest traders passed off Japanese imitation goods as Indian khadi, creating loss for the common people of the country. Similarly, if genuine spiritual centres, maṭhas or temples are absent, people will spend their valuable time and energy on adulterated organisations, falsely stamped with the name of Sri Bhagavan. That is why there is an urgent need for setting up such temples of devotion to Sri Kṛṣna. This is especially true today, at a time when man has sacrificed virtually all religiosity and values, become licentious, and has adopted a firm resolve to do harm to both himself and to the rest of society.

Those who take shelter of such a bonafide maṭha do not engage in futile endeavours of indulgence or renunciation. Rather, they can differentiate between what will please Sri Bhagavan and what will not. They follow the path delineated by the scriptures and by those who are saintly. They are constantly alert to that which is to be rejected. The path of bhakti is more easily traversed by following such yukta-vairagya. Leading a simple existence or having detachment towards wealth and property are, in and of themselves, insufficient to reach the final goal. Only the association of the bhakta (devotee) will bring about bhakti that will nourish and sustain the true seeker. The seeker of bhakti may hail from any class of society and be of any age or stage in life. By rising above such temporary identifications and entanglements associated with the bodily conception, and by keeping the company of suddha-bhaktas (pure devotees), such seekers may gradually begin to savour love for Sri Bhagavan. The association of the sadhu and one’s highest prospect can only be achieved by means of sincere, unadulterated service.

The Sri Caitanya Gaudiya Maṭhas are not only places for observing the disciplines of bhakti, but they also serve to spread and multiply bhakti. The maṭhas provide peace and shelter to those who are restless, who are wounded by the cruel whiplashes of the material body, mind and elements, who are suffering from the threefold miseries, and who are scorched by the fire of life in the material world. At the maṭha, there is happiness and bliss. Thus, the necessity of such spiritual institutions has been admitted to by all cultures since time immemorial. However, the very same maṭhas or temples will be the place of the bondage and downfall of those who, being aware of their real purpose, utilise them for their own enjoyment and sense gratification.

Confounded by the enchantment of wealth, comfort and power, the hypocrites who grab for themselves what is meant for the service of the Supreme Lord, who resort to deceit and falsehood in the name of Sri Hari, are forever deprived of partaking of the real benefit of the maṭha. On the other hand, those who earnestly seek Sri Kṛṣna, who serve Sri Kṛṣna, can never come to any harm. Sri Hari, with His deep love and compassion for the seekers and servitors, will always show them the right path and see to it that they can drink His divine nectar. If we stay away from maṭhas and temples because of the sly and the shrewd who sometimes misuse them, then only we miss out on the opportunity provided by these centres, because the monasteries and temples themselves are not actually affected in any way.

Today, the need for such spiritual centres is all the more urgent because, all over the world, man’s greed and lust seems to know no bounds. Interest in the scriptures has reached an all-time low. Values and morals are trampled underfoot. There is no respect for one another and an orgy of hatred and violence seems to have intoxicated the masses. These spiritual places will be the shelter for good people and the proper place for practicing the disciplines of pure devotion. My fervent prayer at the Feet of Sri Gaurahari is that many such places of spiritual shelter may spring up, whether Hindu or not.