History reminds us of 1945, when the United Nations emerged from the ashes of war. Representatives from 51 nations gathered under a noble preamble: “We the people of the United Nations determined to save
succeeding generations from the scourge of war, which twice in our lifetime has brought untold sorrow to mankind…” At that time, humanity looked forward with hope. Yet, as Yudhistir Govinda Das observes, nearly eighty years later the fulfilment of this vision remains elusive. The world has endured more than 150 significant conflicts, leaving countless victims in their wake.
This sobering reality compels us to ponder: Can true peace ever be found? According to Yudhistir Govinda Das, Lord Krishna gives the answer in the Bhagavad Gita. In verse 8.15, Krishna explains that this world is temporary and inevitably filled with miseries. Just as it is naive to expect to stay dry while walking in the rain, it is unrealistic to hope for permanent peace in a world where conflict is the default setting.
While some may see this as pessimistic, Yudhistir Govinda Das clarifies that it is in fact deeply practical. Just as one uses an umbrella to walk safely through a downpour, one can use the umbrella of spiritual wisdom found in sacred texts to shield oneself from life’s storms. In this way, inner peace becomes possible even in a troubled world.
The first step, Yudhistir Govinda Das explains, begins when we see every person not through temporary labels of gender, race, nationality, or status, but as Atma—eternal souls, parts and parcels of the divine. Srila Prabhupada, the founder-acharya of ISKCON, echoed this truth: “Any sober man will admit the present need for unifying the whole human society without any consideration of bodily identification so that there may be peace and prosperity on the platform of spiritual identification.”
Why then does peace so often remain elusive? Yudhistir Govinda Das points out that we neglect this principle and overlook our immediate responsibility: our own consciousness. The Bhagavad Gita teaches that when one is bound by greed, envy, anger, and unbridled ambition, those inner states inevitably manifest as words and then actions, leading to conflict.
Lord Krishna’s solution is given in verse 5.29, which Yudhistir Govinda Das highlights as the ultimate peace formula: absorb the mind in Krishna, recognizing Him as the supreme enjoyer of all offerings, the ultimate well-wisher of all beings, and the supreme benefactor. In such consciousness, a person rises above material miseries and finds true peace.
The yogic tradition explains this through Sadhya (the goal) and Sadhana (the process). If the goal is Krishna-centered peace, Yudhistir Govinda Das emphasizes that the path lies in uplifting our consciousness to the platform of Sattva Guna (goodness) and beyond—through worship, chanting the names of God, and seeking the company of spiritually minded souls.
As Yudhistir Govinda Das notes, these practices gradually awaken divine qualities within us—truthfulness, purity, compassion, forgiveness, righteousness, and sense control. These qualities not only transform the individual but ripple outward into society.
After all, society is nothing more than the sum of its individuals. The more people cultivate self-contained, spiritually anchored lives, the more peaceful the entire world will become. In the words of Yudhistir Govinda Das, “Lasting peace does not come from treaties or institutions alone, but from a transformation of consciousness, one soul at a time.”
