The desire can never be taken away from the soul, so how can the soul be desireless? We may try to obliterate our desire. That’s what the impersonalists try to do. They see that all their sufferings are connected with some previous desire and think: “I had so many desires which ultimately led to so much pain that it’s better for me not to exist - then I can be happy or at least I won’t be suffering." Thinking that happiness does not exist they define their pleasure as the absence of suffering. They say: “All my attempts for pleasure resulted in sufferings which were caused by my unfulfilled desires. Let me not exist. At least I won’t have to suffer.” When a devotee hears that, it’s very painful for him. A devotee doesn’t like such a concept - not to exist. First of all, he knows that’s not possible and he thinks: “If I don’t exist, how shall I serve Krsna, which is my only happiness?” Therefore, to hear such a philosophy is painful for a devotee.
May 15, 2011, Kishinev