Super Sweet Weekend in Russia

25 April 2011--Our visits to Russia are always super sweet because the devotees in Russia so much open their hearts to us. Every program during our short weekend stay here has been unforgettably blissful as we dive deeper and deeper into the sweet nectarean ocean of Krishna consciousness. Even though the vast difference between Russian and English sometimes creates a barrier for communication, the ecstatic kirtans always bridge the gaps. Spring is just beginning now during our short weekend visit. Flower buds are coming out marking the end of the bleak, austere winter. In the same way the splendorous spring of Krishna consciousness is heralding a break from the bleak, desolate Kali yuga as it gradually transforms into the Caitanya Era, an amazing 10,000 year period during which this planet will again become like Satya Yuga.

Sankarshan Das Adhikari

Memories of Russia: Public Hall Program--24 April 2011

Overflow Audience at Bhakti Club--22 April 2011

Affectionate Farewell from Russia--25 April 2011

Answers According to the Vedic Version:

Question: Is It Right to Dread Love?

Respected Srila Gurudeva,

Please accept my humble obeisances.
All glories to Srila Prabhupada.

I fall at your feet to kindly clear some doubts which have arisen in my mind.

1. For quite sometime now, I have had a strong feeling that material love only serves the purpose of continuing the human race and nothing more than that. Consequently, I have concluded that it is not at all love but only some sort of illusion that we are put into. Ever since I got this feeling, I tend to dread this "love." Are my thoughts regarding this matter right?

2. I have heard of incidents that occurred in the past when brahmanas asked the sudras to stay away from their vicinity lest the latter's shadow fall on them. The reason being they might get contaminated because of the shadows. However, even if it was written in the scriptures exactly in the same way, I guess the meaning was, 'do not allow even a tinge of ignorance to contaminate your consciousness.' Is this interpretation right? If not, I humbly request you to tell me the correct meaning.

Your humble student,
N.V.

Answer: Don't Deny Love. Perfect It.

Yes, the sexual attraction urge, which we call love, is nature's way of inducing us to produce children for the continuation of the species. Such love is not actually love. It is lust, the desire to experience intense sensual pleasure. Such pleasure is detrimental for our spiritual progress because it strongly pulls us back into the false bodily conception of the self and thus binds us to remain in the miserable cycle of birth and death. Real love is selfless service without any desire to receive anything in return. The perfection of real love is when we give our love to the Supreme Lord, the source of all existence, because by loving Him, who is the root of all existence, we factually give perfect love to all living beings.

Such brahmanas who ordered the sudras to stay away so that they would not be contaminated by the shadow of the sudras are not real brahmanas. Brahmana refers to a liberal, broad-minded person. Such so-called brahmanas who are cruel to others are designated as kripanas or misers.

I have never heard that such injunctions are taught in the scriptures. If they are, such scriptures are not for those who want to be liberated from this material existence. Such caste consciousness is the invention of materialistically minded men who desired to exploit others. The actual varnashram system of four social and four spiritual orders is meant for elevating every member of the human society, not for repressing them and keeping them in ignorance.

Sankarshan Das Adhikari