Universal consciousness

Expressions researched:
"universal consciousness"

SB Canto 2

Universal consciousness is factually achieved by coordinated service of all concerned to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and that alone can insure total perfection.

SB 2.9.36, Purport: Therefore the complete social construction is the body of the Lord, and all the parts of the body, namely the brāhmaṇas, the kṣatriyas, the vaiśyas and the śūdras, are meant to serve the Lord's whole body conjointly; otherwise the parts become unfit to be coordinated with the supreme consciousness of oneness. Universal consciousness is factually achieved by coordinated service of all concerned to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and that alone can insure total perfection. Therefore even the great scientists, the great philosophers, the great mental speculators, the great politicians, the great industrialists, the great social reformers, etc., cannot give any relief to the restless society of the material world because they do not know the secret of success as mentioned in this verse of the Bhāgavatam, namely that one must know the mystery of bhakti-yoga.

SB Canto 4

here it is clearly said by the Supreme Lord that Dhruva Mahārāja was so absorbed in meditation on the thought of the Supreme Personality of Godhead that He Himself, the universal consciousness, was attracted to Dhruva.

SB 4.8.82, Purport: Here one word, saṅgatātmā, is misinterpreted by the Māyāvādī philosophers, who say that the self of Dhruva Mahārāja became one with the Supreme Self, the Personality of Godhead. The Māyāvādī philosophers want to prove by this word that the Supersoul and the individual soul become united in this way and that after such unification the individual soul has no separate existence. But here it is clearly said by the Supreme Lord that Dhruva Mahārāja was so absorbed in meditation on the thought of the Supreme Personality of Godhead that He Himself, the universal consciousness, was attracted to Dhruva. In order to please the demigods, He wanted to go Himself to Dhruva Mahārāja to stop him from this severe austerity. The Māyāvādī philosophers' conclusion that the Supersoul and the individual soul become united is not supported by this statement. Rather, the Supersoul, the Personality of Godhead, wanted to stop Dhruva Mahārāja from this severe austerity.

Bhagavad-gita As It Is Lectures

Because the universal consciousness of Viṣṇu is there, therefore everything within the universe is working so nicely.

Lecture on BG 2.17 -- Hyderabad, November 22, 1972: Therefore you are individual soul. I am individual soul. But there is another soul, Supersoul. That is Kṛṣṇa. Īśvaraḥ sarva-bhūtānāṁ hṛd-deśe arjuna tiṣṭhati [Bg. 18.61]. That Supersoul is present both in you and in me. Kṣetra-jñaṁ cāpi māṁ viddhi sarva-kṣetreṣu bhārata [Bg. 13.3]. Sarva-kṣetreṣu bhārata. In every living entity. Sarva-kṣetreṣu. It is confirmed in the Vedic sūtras, Brahma-sūtra: aṇḍāntara-stha-paramāṇu-cayāntara-sthaṁ govindam ādi-puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajāmi **. Eko 'py asau racayituṁ jagad-aṇḍa-koṭim [Bs. 5.35]. That Supersoul is present within this universe. Because that Supersoul is present within this universe, Kṛṣṇa says, viṣṭabhya aham: "I enter within this world." Ekāṁśena sthito jagat: [Bg. 10.42] "I do not enter, but My plenary portion, ekāṁśena, Paramātmā..." The Kṣīrodakaśāyī Viṣṇu, He enters. The Garbhodakaśāyī Viṣṇu, He enters within this universe. And the Kṣīrodakaśāyī Viṣṇu enters into everything, even in the atom. Therefore it is working. So that consciousness is there. Because the universal consciousness of Viṣṇu is there, therefore everything within the universe is working so nicely. Not that nature... Nature, you can compare with your body... The material nature is there, but without the soul's presence, the consciousness being there, it will not work.

Bhagavad-gita As It Is Lectures

This is universal. As soon as you become Kṛṣṇa conscious, as soon as you become God conscious, then your real universal, ideal, universal consciousness develops.

Lecture on BG 10.8 -- New York, January 6, 1967: This is universal. As soon as you become Kṛṣṇa conscious, as soon as you become God conscious, then your real universal, ideal, universal consciousness develops. Otherwise it is all simply jugglery. There are so many doctrines of universal love, universal friendship, fraternity, but they are fighting, and they are killing simply, because there is no God consciousness. If you are universal, if you are after universal love, then how you can maintain regular slaughterhouse? How you can think that an American gentleman or lady is your countryman and not a cow, and not a goat, not a serpent? Where is your universal idea?

So unless there is development of God consciousness, this universal ideas, oh, these are nonsense. There cannot be. It is all false, jugglery of words. So first business is to understand your identity, identity of God, your relationship, and your action reformed in that way. Then there is question of universal, brotherhood, universal... Otherwise it is simply jugglery of words.

If you are thinking of universal way, how you can give protection to a human being born in America, and send a cow to the slaughterhouse. What is your reason?

General Lectures

That universal consciousness knows your pains and pleasure, my pains and pleasure, and millions and trillions of living entities and bodies.

Lecture at a School -- Montreal, June 11, 1968: The presentation of the soul within this body is proved by consciousness. So from Bhagavad-gītā we can understand there are two different qualities of consciousness. One consciousness is that I know about the pain and pleasure of my body, you know about the pains and pleasures of your body, but I do not know the pains and pleasure of your body; neither you know the pains and pleasure of my body. Therefore each and every one of us is individual soul, and our consciousness is limited within the body. Similarly, there is another consciousness and another body. That body is universal body, and that consciousness is universal. That universal consciousness knows your pains and pleasure, my pains and pleasure, and millions and trillions of living entities and bodies. He knows the pains and pleasures of everyone. These are the statements in the Bhagavad-gītā. Kṣetrajñaṁ ca māṁ viddhi sarva-kṣetreṣu bhārata: "As individual soul is conscious, is, only of his body, similarly, I am also conscious of everyone's body." The Supreme Personality of Godhead says that "I am conscious of everyone's body," because He is all-pervading. He is all-pervading. That is all-pervading consciousness. So this all-pervading consciousness, or Kṛṣṇa consciousness, we are preaching, consciousness, all-pervading consciousness, universal consciousness. So our consciousness, when it is dovetailed with universal consciousness, them our consciousness also becomes universal consciousness.

Similarly there is another consciousness which is Kṛṣṇa's consciousness, or universal consciousness. If I pinch your body, He feels, that I am pinching somebody, as Paramātmā.

Lecture at Caitanya Matha -- Visakhapatnam, February 19, 1972: Just like if I pinch your body, you feel pain. This is also consciousness, that somebody is pinching me. But if I pinch somebody else, you cannot feel it. Therefore, your consciousness or my consciousness is limited within this body. Similarly there is another consciousness which is Kṛṣṇa's consciousness, or universal consciousness. If I pinch your body, He feels, that I am pinching somebody, as Paramātmā. These things are explained in the Bhagavad-gītā. Kṛṣṇa says in the Bhagavad-gītā, kṣetra-kṣetrajña, chapter (?). Kṣetra means this body, and kṣetra-jña means the knower of the body. Kṣetra-jña, jña means knower. So, Kṛṣṇa says that each and every body, there is a kṣetra-jña. I know about the pains and pleasure of my body, you know the pains and pleasure of your body.

1973 Conversations and Morning Walks

The individual soul is also knower, conscious, and the Supersoul, God, is also conscious. So we also admit, universal consciousness, that is God's consciousness.

Room Conversation with Rosicrucians -- August 13, 1973, Paris:

Prabhupāda: What is the aim of this movement?

Yogeśvara: The evolution of man.

Prabhupāda: Evolution of man. So man is going to evolve more? What is that ultimate evolution?

Yogeśvara: To a reintegration of man with the cosmos or cosmic consciousness.

Prabhupāda: Cosmic consciousness. We also believe individual consciousness and cosmic consciousness. We are now studying this subject matter in our class. Kṣetra-kṣetra-jña. So kṣetra-jña, the knower... The individual soul is also knower, conscious, and the Supersoul, God, is also conscious. So we also admit, universal consciousness, that is God's consciousness. [break]... consciousness is limited.

So if we love the supreme consciousness, Supreme Person, who has got universal consciousness, then automatically my service goes to everywhere.

Room Conversation with Rosicrucians -- August 13, 1973, Paris: Yes, yes. Cosmos represents, as he says, consciousness. That is the person, consciousness. Just like if I love a tree, I love the leaves and twigs also. If I pour water on the root of the tree, it goes to the leaves, twigs, branches, automatically. So if we love the supreme consciousness, Supreme Person, who has got universal consciousness, then automatically my service goes to everywhere.

Professor: By transcendence, I understand it, the universal consciousness. The search for God.

Room Conversation with Professors -- February 19, 1975, Caracas:

Professor: What kind of transcendence would that be?

Prabhupāda: Transcendence means the Absolute Truth. What do you mean by transcendence?

Professor: By transcendence, I understand it, the universal consciousness. The search for God.

Prabhupāda: Yes, right you are. This life, human life, is distinguished from animal life because the animal cannot inquire about transcendence. The human life, if it is not interested in transcendence, then he is animal. If simply he is interested with the bodily demands of life, namely eating, sleeping, sex and defense, these are bodily demands of life. So if we think that "Dog is eating on the street, and we are eating very palatable dishes, nicely made, very tasteful. That is advancement of civilization," that is not advancement of civilization because it is, after all, eating. Similarly, sleeping; the animals sleep on the street and we sleep in very nice apartment. But in sleeping, we dream horrible things more than the animals. So eating, sleeping, sex life and trying for defense, these are common formulas both for the animals and for the man. Therefore a human being is distinguished from the animal when he enquires about transcendence.