Amputated

Expressions researched:
"amputate" |"amputated" |"amputates" |"amputating" |"amputation"

SB Canto 7

SB 7.5.37, Translation and Purport:

Although a medicinal herb, being born in the forest, does not belong to the same category as a man, if beneficial it is kept very carefully. Similarly, if someone outside one's family is favorable, he should be given protection like a son. On the other hand, if a limb of one's body is poisoned by disease, it must be amputated so that the rest of the body may live happily. Similarly, even one's own son, if unfavorable, must be rejected, although born of one's own body.

Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu has instructed all devotees of the Lord to be humbler than the grass and more tolerant than trees; otherwise there will always be disturbances to their execution of devotional service. Here is a vivid example of how a devotee is disturbed by a nondevotee, even though the nondevotee is an affectionate father. The material world is such that a nondevotee father becomes an enemy of a devotee son. Having determined to kill even his son, Hiraṇyakaśipu gave the example of amputating a part of one's body that has become septic and therefore injurious to the rest of the body. The same example, of course, may also be applied to nondevotees. Cāṇakya Paṇḍita advises, tyaja durjana-saṁsargaṁ bhaja sādhu-samāgamam. Devotees actually serious about advancing in spiritual life should give up the company of nondevotees and always keep company with devotees. To be too attached to material existence is ignorance because material existence is temporary and miserable. Therefore devotees who are determined to perform tapasya (penances and austerities) to realize the self, and who are determined to become advanced in spiritual consciousness, must give up the company of atheistic nondevotees. Prahlāda Mahārāja maintained an attitude of noncooperation with the philosophy of his father, Hiraṇyakaśipu, yet he was tolerant and humble. Hiraṇyakaśipu, however, being a nondevotee, was so polluted that he was even prepared to kill his own son. He justified this by putting forward the logic of amputation.

Bhagavad-gita As It Is Lectures

Lecture on BG 6.2-5 -- Los Angeles, February 14, 1969:

Devotee: Verse number two. "What is called renunciation is the same as yoga, or linking oneself with the Supreme, for no one can become a yogi unless he renounces the desire for sense gratification (BG 6.2)."

Prabhupāda: Here is the point of yoga practice. Yoga means to join. Now in our conditional state, although we are part and parcel of the Supreme, but we are now separated. The same example. This finger is part and parcel of your body, but if it is separated, amputated, it has no value. But so long it is joined with this body, it's value is millions of dollars or more than that. If there is any disease you can spend any amount to cure. Similarly we at the present moment in the conditioned state of material existence, we are separated from God. Therefore we are so much reluctant to speak of God, to understand about God, our relationship with God. We think it is simply waste of time. In this meeting, everyone knows, this temple, Kṛṣṇa consciousness temple, is speaking of God. Or any church. People are not very much interested. They think it is a kind of, what is called, recreation, in the name of spiritual advancement, otherwise it is simply waste of time. Better this time could be used for earning some money. Or enjoying in a club or in a restaurant, sense enjoyment.

Lecture on BG 6.46-47 -- Los Angeles, February 21, 1969:

So anyone who is not serving, any living entity who is not serving the government, he's painful. Because he is painful, therefore Kṛṣṇa comes. He feels pain. That is sinful, if you give pain. The same example. Sthānād bhraṣṭāḥ patanty adhaḥ. And as soon as one thing is very painful, just like the government keeps all these painful citizens into the prisonhouse. Collect together. "You live here, you are nonsense, you criminals. Live here. Don't disturb in the open state." Similarly all these criminals who have violated the laws of God, who have simply given pain to the Lord, they are put in this material world. All these. And, sthānād bhraṣṭāḥ patanty adhaḥ, he falls down from the specified place. Just like the same example, if your finger is painful only, the doctor advises, "Oh, Mr. your finger has to be now amputated. Otherwise it will pollute the whole body." So sthānād bhraṣṭāḥ, it is fallen down from the specified place.

So we have fallen down. Being rebelled against the principles of God consciousness, we are all fallen down. So if we want to revive our original position, we must be placed again into that service attitude. That is the perfect cure. Otherwise we shall suffer pain and God will be suffering pain on account of us. Just like if your son is not good, you suffer and the son suffers. Similarly, we are all sons of God. So when we are painful, God is also painful. The best thing is to revive our original Kṛṣṇa consciousness and be engaged in the service of the Lord. That is natural life and that is possible in the spiritual sky or the Goloka Vṛndāvana. Go on.

Srimad-Bhagavatam Lectures

Lecture on SB 1.7.24 -- Vrndavana, September 21, 1976:

Because every one of us are māyā-mohita-ceta... Māyā-mohita-cetasaḥ. Prahlāda Mahārāja has described, vimukha-cetasaḥ. Māyā-mohita-cetasaḥ means averse to Kṛṣṇa. I want everything except Kṛṣṇa. That is māyā-mohita-cetasaḥ. I want everything, but except Kṛṣṇa. That is my missing point. Because we are rascals, fools, we do not know what we should want. Na te viduḥ svārtha-gatiṁ hi viṣṇum (SB 7.5.31). He does not know that his actual want is Kṛṣṇa. Just like a small child crying, and we are trying to pacify him, giving this, giving that. But he's crying, crying. Because his actual want is his mother. And as soon the mother comes, takes the child on the lap, immediately he stops. Similarly, we want Kṛṣṇa because we are part and parcel of Kṛṣṇa. That we want. Just like a part and parcel of a machine, if it is taken away from the machine, it has no... One screw. Suppose your typewriter machine, one screw is missing, and the machine is not working nicely. So without the machine that one screw has no value. If it is lying somewhere, one does not know what is the screw, nobody cares for it. It is no worth. But if you want to complete the machine, if you want to go to purchase in a mechanical shop, that very screw which has no value, you have to purchase at ten rupees. Because it is to be fit up. In this way, we are parcel and parcel of Kṛṣṇa, part and parcel of Kṛṣṇa. When we are along with Kṛṣṇa we have got value; otherwise no value. There are so many examples. This finger, when it is attached to the body, if there is any trouble you can spend thousands of rupees to cure the trouble. But if the finger is cut off, amputate, and thrown on the street, it has no value. No value. Similarly, so long we are māyā-mohita-cetasaḥ, out of Kṛṣṇa's touch, we have no value. No value. Valueless. Useless. That is our position. Matir na kṛṣṇe parataḥ svato vā mitho... The position is that adānta-gobhir viśatāṁ tamisram (SB 7.5.30). When you forget Kṛṣṇa... What is that forgetfulness? When you are interested in sense gratification. That is called forgetfulness.

Festival Lectures

Lecture-Day after Sri Gaura-Purnima -- Hawaii, March 5, 1969:

So here, in the Kṛṣṇa's order, because He is Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Lord, there is no force. That voluntary. He says that "This is life. You surrender unto Me." But He could force Arjuna to surrender, or anybody, because He is Supreme Lord. But that force He does not apply because He has given us little independence. Therefore, if He forces, then His gift of independence is misused from His side. We are misusing our, that gift of independence, but for that reason, Kṛṣṇa cannot withdraw your independence. Just like you are independent citizen. You are... If somebody misuses that independence, he becomes a criminal, but still, the independence continues. You are criminal. You are punished. Again you are set free. That means you are given again independence. But again if you misuse, then again you are put into prison. Similarly, if the state cannot withdraw your independence, then what is the meaning of this independent country? How God can withdraw the independence He has given to you? That He will not withdraw. It is up to you to use your independence properly. That proper use of independence is to surrender unto... We are suffering, we are manufacturing so many philosophical ways, but actual position is—that is the statement of Bhagavad-gītā—that we are part and parcel of Kṛṣṇa, God. We are not working according to our particular duty. Just like this finger is part and parcel of my body. It has got a particular duty: to serve the whole body. When it is unable to do it, it is painful, the physician or the surgeon says that "This finger should be amputated. Otherwise it will create disturbance to the whole body." Similarly, we are all part and parcel of the supreme whole, but not surrendering unto Him, misusing our independence, we are giving pain to the Supreme. Therefore He comes, that "You surrender. Don't give Me pain. You just abide by My order. That will give Me pleasure. You will be happy." That state of consciousness, to abide by the order of Kṛṣṇa, is Kṛṣṇa consciousness. That's all.

General Lectures

Lecture -- Hawaii, March 23, 1969:

When I am feeling itching, my finger is helping it. When I want to pick up something, my finger is helping. Similarly, any part of my body... When I want to go out, my leg is walking. When I want, I want to see something, my eyes are helping. So in this way you can understand what we mean by part and parcel. Take materially also, any machine. The part and parcel... Just like here is a machine, tape recorder. There are different parts. One part is required to give, adjust speed; one part is required how to move, how to start, how to stop, how to increase. So different parts. Similarly, we are living entities, and the Lord is also a living entity. And we are originally created to help the Lord. He does not require... Because He's complete. But just to give a crude example, as the part and parcel required: now, suppose this finger is not giving me service. It is diseased. So sometimes doctors advise that "You have to amputate this finger, otherwise it will affect the whole body." Similarly, we living entities, being part and parcel of the Supreme Lord, when we rebel, that is our diseased condition. We, when we don't want to render service to the Lord, that is a state which is called demonic state.

1975 Conversations and Morning Walks

Morning Walk -- October 8, 1975, Durban:

Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: All of the ships would go around the south of Africa up to England. So they would maintain their shipping route. But now... That's a fact. They don't need it.

Prabhupāda: And that Suez Canal is closed, complete?

Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: No, it's open again. (break) It is not as Westernized as in a place like Nairobi.

Prabhupāda: The Africans are all thieves.

Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: Yes. Here there is not as much stealing as in Nairobi. (break) I think they have had to amputate afterwards, mangled by the shore. It happens frequently. On some of the beaches here they've put up signs that "There are many sharks in the water. It is dangerous to bathe here." Kṛṣṇa says in Bhagavad-gītā, "Amongst fish, I am the shark." (Prabhupāda chuckles) He shaved off his beard yesterday, this young boy. He shaved off. He had beard. He shaved off.

Prabhupāda: Oh. Further progress.

Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: Jaya.