Back to Tartu, Estonia

We returned yesterday afternoon to Tartu, Estonia. With only 16% of Estonians believing in the existence of God, this country is the most atheistic within the European Union. Theism, however, is thriving very nicely at Tartu's Hare Krishna center run by university students who attend the University of Tartu.

We come here twice a year as part of our Spring European Lecture Tour and our Around-the-World Lecture Tour each fall. It is very encouraging and enlivening to see these future leaders so enthusiastically embracing Krishna consciousness. They have arranged for me to give a lecture today on the campus.

Here is an online video clip available for your enlivenment:
http://www.backtohome.com/video/Tartu_Kirtan.wmv

Answers According to the Vedic Version

Question: Is Ego an Attitude We Should Avoid?...

What does ego mean in human beings? Is it something we should accept or something we should avoid?

At times I hear from others that self-respect and ego are the same. They say that loosing our egotistic consciousness is detrimental for our self respect.

I humbly request your explanation on this matter, whether ego is something we should avoid or we should base ourselves on it.

Thank you,
Yours sincerely,

S. Ganeash
Malaysia

Answer: We Must Accept Real Ego and Reject False Ego...

Ego means identity. In itself it is neither good nor bad. It is what you do with it that will either make you or break you. False ego means false identity, to consider the body to be the self. Real ego means to identify yourself as the eternal spirit-soul, part and parcel of God. Real ego gives unlimited joy. False ego gives unlimited misery.

Sankarshan Das Adhikari

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