Thanks for the memories

I'd like to thank everyone for all the love and support and positive messages. Sometimes I think I have all the strength and power of a young man of 25 years, but after a long walk in the chill snows of Moscow I can feel my age. My idea was for a flashmob of devotees to blow everyone's minds with
 kirtan on ice, but now I have a terrible sore throat and laryngitis and worry about continuing the talks we're doing.  After scouting locations yesterday, we finally decided to do as many Muscovites do in the freezing cold: visit a museum. This way I got out of my room and had a chance for some dialogue with the local devotees.

After a hearty breakfast and a short trip to the Vedalife Yoga shoppe here at the center

We ventured forth into the Moscow streets.

After a leisurely stroll around Red Square, we ended up in a local tea-drinking establishment.

We had a long chat about how young people with their natural enthusiasm will be the real hope for any future Vaishnava mission in the West. We swapped stories about India and Govinda Maharaja. I explained the project I'm doing with Avadhuta Maharaja and how the ancient ruins of Angkor are filled with the secrets of a lost Vaishnava culture. I drank Darjeeling and Muralishwara and the others sampled the Cacao.

And then it was off to the Museum, one of the best places to stay warm and continue the conversation. Nama Chintamani turned out to be quite the guide and she schooled us on the different styles of art and their meaning.

I asked a lot of questions about Russian culture. I think it's important, if you give a talk somewhere, to understand something about the traditions and ideas of the people you're talking to. I've always been fascinated with Russian traditions and languages, ever since I was a kid and studied Russian. The Cold War of the 1950s and 60s made such bogeymen of the Russians. I never believed the propaganada.

Pushkin was a great Russian poet. He is well loved by everyone, Russians, Ukrainians, rich and poor. He was the first to capture the beauty of the Russian language and demonstrate its simplicity and power.

Here I am with the great poet. No resemblance at all. Sorry. Well Pushkin died young as great poets do. I believe it was a duel, an affair of the heart.

After a few hours I was exhausted. We returned to the temple. Last night we had a pretty good crowd for a Monday. I talked about how the soul is naturally blissful, anandamayo bhyasat. How we forget this so often being moved by fear. Faith removes fear. Faith beings us higher. Of all the yoga schools, bhakti is the best. Divine love conquers all. I counseled humility and tolerance. They asked me if I had realized humility and tolerance and I confessed that I'm still working on it. I told the community here that they are doing something experimental, that we all come to Krishna in our own way, while we are under the guidance of our guru. But as each of us advances along the path at a different pace, we must be tolerant of those who might be slower and nonenvious of those who have achieved greater progress. The Moscow devotees were extremely generous and listened with attention. I felt a good vibration of great love and affection here. It was a very happy day in my life. Thanks to all and dandabatas.