Question: Different organisations like the United Nations or the government of a country have souls. I know that you feel that these different souls have different qualities. But is there something inherent in all of them that is unchangeable and the same?

Sri Chinmoy: One thing that every soul has is consciousness. It is in this consciousness that we see the role of Peace, Light, Bliss and Power. There is no soul that does not have consciousness. But we have to see the consciousness within us. We have to see how it wants to manifest itself: with the help of Power or with the help of Light or Bliss or Peace. There will be some souls who would like to manifest themselves through Light, others through Bliss and still others through Power. But if you want to know the common characteristics that each soul has, then I wish to say that there is no soul that totally lacks consciousness. This consciousness is like a house. A man has to live in his house. He may fulfil himself by becoming an artist or an engineer or something else, but still he dwells inside the house. Likewise, the soul becomes all Light, all Power, all Bliss or all Peace just as a man adopts any profession he wants to adopt.

There are souls that do not want to function at all through Power. Again there are souls that do not want to function through Bliss. These souls prefer to function through Light or Peace or some other divine qualities. But all of them have consciousness. The unchanging, or unchangeable quality within every soul is consciousness. But at the same time, this consciousness can be expanded. It cannot be annihilated, but it can be expanded. In each individual consciousness it can be expanded. But if we enter into the Universal Consciousness then it becomes infinitely easier for us to transform the limited human consciousness. We are constantly dwelling in the human consciousness. Ordinarily it is impossible for us to enter into the Universal Consciousness. But if we meditate on the Universal Consciousness it can illumine and perfect our individual consciousness.