International Vedanta Society (IVS)

International Vedanta Society was founded by Bhagavan on 19th November 1989 in a railway colony in Guwahati, Assam. It was the birth anniversary of Swami Pavitranandaji Maharaj, Bhagavan’s guru. Shortly before his death, Swamiji told Bhagavan that, “the body, mind and heart of the realised soul become Consciousness embodied and are engaged in the welfare of others”. Bhagavan took this to mean that he should dedicate the rest of his life to the well-being of the world. He founded IVS to this end.  

The Ideal of IVS: Man is God

The most precious thing we have in life surely can only be life itself. But now we have this gift, what should we do with it? Lost in the wilderness of the world, men grow old and die without finding out the answer to this question, to the pre-spiritual man, the only truly important question in life. If we can answer every question except the one question upon which our fate is balanced, to what does it all avail? Aye, to what does it all avail? What can we possibly achieve, not even knowing the purpose of our life?

For enlightenment we were born, and enlightenment alone. Every soul is the Light Divine; our minds alone cloud this Truth. Cut asunder the knots in the mind, so that Divine Light may blaze forth and envelop all from one who has attained to the very pinnacle of life. This can only be achieved with awesome strength, gigantic will, or else the sweetest love of the purest of hearts. Generating that strength, strengthening that will, gently nourishing that love into flowering, and purifying each and every heart on the planet is the ideal of IVS.