From the Drab to the Sublime

7:00PM-21 March 2007-Yesterday after riding in a tiny Russian-made car for what seemed forever we finally got out of Sofia into the mountains of Bulgaria. We were heading up, up to a mountain pass that marked the border between Bulgarian and Macedonia. There our ride stopped because our car did not have the proper papers to cross the border. The border station was the emptiest most isolated border station I've ever seen anywhere in the world. There was hardly anyone there. The duty shop with its duty-free liquor did nothing to dissipate the drabness.

mountains of Bulgaria

We walked with our luggage through the Bulgarian and Macedonia border control to the Macedonian side where the Macedonian devotees were waiting to drive us down to Skopje. When the Macedonian border authority saw that I had extra pages in my passport they examined it minutely as if it passports counterfeit. I explained that the US Government had twice added extra pages to my passport because I am traveling so much all over the world. All you can do at moments like this is to give it your best shot to deal with obstacles and then depend on Krishna for the outcome. For a moment there I thought they were going to decide that our passports were not legitimate and not allow us to enter into Macedonia. But by Krishna's grace everything worked out favorably and we continued walking about another 100 yards where a Macedonian devotee couple, Santana das and Sundari devi dasi, met us down from to Skopje in their car.

We were taken to our place of residence in Skopje with a nice devotee family. In the evening I was driven to the temple to lead kirtan and give a lecture to the assembled devotees. The sweetness of the sublime transcendental gathering made up for whatever austerities we had undergone on our way to get there.

Sankarshan Das leads Kirtan, Skopje, Macedonia

Sankarshan Das leads Kirtan, Skopje, Macedonia

Sankarshan Das gives a lecture, Skopje, Macedonia

There's no doubt about it. Krishna consciousness elevates your consciousness beyond this material world.

Answers According to the Vedic Version

Question: Regarding Christ and Krishna...

Namaste. I was raised as a Christian, in fact a Catholic, but now I am so in love with Krishna that I think I may be doing Jesus a disfavor. Do you think that he minds that I am so into Lord Krishna? Isn't his "job" to bring us to the Father, to Krishna? I am a little confused about to whom I should owe my allegiance. They are both avatars, forms of Godhead, equal in all respects. So, maybe I am worrying about nothing. I can still pray to either, or both; although my favorite Deity is still Lord Krishna. Please comment. Thank you. Love always...Tommi.

Response: Develop Actual Pure Devotion...

Lord Jesus Christ is most pleased with you that you have approached his father, Lord Krishna because, as you say, his job is to bring everyone to Krishna. There is no question of whether you should have allegiance to one or the other. If you are devoted to Jesus, he will lead you to Krishna. And if you are devoted to Krishna, He will order to worship His pure devotees such as Lord Jesus Christ.

That they are both avatars is a fact. Avatar means one who descends into the material world from the spiritual world. But because they are different types of avatars they are not equal in all respects. Lord Jesus is known as a saktyavesh avatar, an associate of the Lord who was ordered by the Lord to come here to spread lover of God. And Lord Krishna is Avatari, the source of all the Avatars.

It is a fact that by surrendering unto Lord Krishna that you have nothing to worry about. By doing so you will become a perfect follower of Christ. Whether you approach the spiritual world through Krishna or Christ, either way you are in good shape. But you must develop actual pure devotion, not the pseudo devotion, which is nothing more than covered materialism and is being deceptively peddled as pure devotion these days in the age of Kali.

Sankarshan Das Adhikari

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