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Cancer

Srimad-Bhagavatam

SB Canto 5

SB 5.21 Summary:

The sun's movements determine the duration of night and day. When the sun travels north of the equator, it moves slowly during the day and very quickly at night, thus increasing the duration of the daytime and decreasing the duration of night. Similarly, when the sun travels south of the equator, the exact opposite is true-the duration of the day decreases, and the duration of night increases. When the sun enters Karkaṭa-rāśi (Cancer) and then travels to Siṁha-rāśi (Leo) and so on through Dhanuḥ-rāśi (Sagittarius), its course is called Dakṣiṇāyana, the southern way, and when the sun enters Makara-rāśi (Capricorn) and thereafter travels through Kumbharāśi (Aquarius) and so on through Mithuna-rāśi (Gemini), its course is called Uttarāyaṇa, the northern way. When the sun is in Meṣa-rāśi (Aries) and Tulā-rāśi (Libra), the duration of day and night are equal.

SB 5.21.4, Translation:

When the sun passes through Meṣa (Aries) and Tulā (Libra), the durations of day and night are equal. When it passes through the five signs headed by Vṛṣabha (Taurus), the duration of the days increases (until Cancer), and then it gradually decreases by half an hour each month, until day and night again become equal (in Libra).

SB Canto 7

SB 7.14.20-23, Purport:

The six months when the sun moves toward the north are called uttarāyaṇa, or the northern path, and the six months when it moves south are called dakṣiṇāyana, or the southern path. These are mentioned in Bhagavad-gītā (8.24-25). The first day when the sun begins to move north and enter the zodiacal sign of Capricorn is called Makara-saṅkrānti, and the first day when the sun begins to move south and enter the sign of Cancer is called Karkaṭa-saṅkrānti. On these two days of the year, one should perform the śrāddha ceremony.

SB Canto 8

SB 8.8.11, Purport:

Unfortunately, because people in Kali-yuga are mandāḥ, all bad, and sumanda-matayaḥ, misled by false conceptions of life, they are killing cows in the thousands. Therefore they are unfortunate in spiritual consciousness, and nature disturbs them in so many ways, especially through incurable diseases like cancer and through frequent wars and among nations. As long as human society continues to allow cows to be regularly killed in slaughterhouses, there cannot be any question of peace and prosperity.

Lectures

Bhagavad-gita As It Is Lectures

Lecture on BG 7.1-3 -- Stockholm, September 10, 1973:

In the chemical laboratory, they are trying to manufacture chemicals for stopping birth, contraceptive. But there is no medicine that after taking this medicine or these chemicals, there will be no more death or no more birth, no more old age and no more disease. You can manufacture chemical or combination of medicine as counteracting the disease. Just like in the Western countries the cancer disease. There are so many chemicals and medicines they are discovering, but there is no medicine, no chemical, which can say that no more cancer disease. That is not possible.

Srimad-Bhagavatam Lectures

Lecture on SB 1.1.4 -- London, August 27, 1973:

Disease is happening. You cannot make, manufacture any medicine that one tablet I take, I shall never be diseased or I shall never die. That is not possible. You are manufacturing some medicine for some disease. All right, that disease is cured, but another disease is there. Huh? Just like in India there are malaria or some disease. In your country there is cancer. Rich disease. You are rich men. That disease is also very rich. (laughter) India, poverty stricken, they suffer only a little malaria. That's all. Oh, you are rich. You have got cancer. There is no cure.

Lecture on SB 1.3.23 -- Los Angeles, September 28, 1972:

So this Rāma-Kṛṣṇa is different from this bogus Ramakrishna. Rāma-Kṛṣṇa Bhagavān. They are actually the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and They proved it. Not that Rāma-Kṛṣṇa is dying out of cancer disease. Yes. We are not after such kind of Ramakrishna. Besides that, when there is real Rāma-Kṛṣṇa, why I shall go to the false and imitation Ramakrishna? They say the same Rāma-Kṛṣṇa. That's all right, the same, but I don't find any proof that the same. So why shall I take to this imitation Ramakrishna? Why not take this real Rāma-Kṛṣṇa?

Lecture on SB 1.16.6 -- Los Angeles, January 3, 1974:

You are trying to make nice medicine to get out of the attack of disease. But you can manufacture a better medicine, but you cannot get out of disease. That is not possible. This is struggle. Now we have manufactured such a nice medicine that cancer or any other disease will not attack us. That is very nice. But find out some medicine that death will not attack you. "Oh, that is not possible." Then where is the meaning of your advancement?

Lecture on SB 1.16.12 -- Los Angeles, January 9, 1974:

This trident means threefold miseries: adhyātmika, adhibhautika, adhidaivika. I have several times explained: pertaining to the body and mind, pertaining to the other living entities, adhibhautika, adhidaivika, pertaining to the nature's disturbance.

So always we must be disturbed. If everything is all right... Just like in your country, supposing everything is all right. But what is that severe disease? Cancer. Cancer. People are afraid of cancer. Or something else. Must be. You cannot be peaceful here.

Lecture on SB 6.1.30 -- Philadelphia, July 14, 1975:

You cannot cure even one disease. You are embarrassed with the cancer disease. You find out how the cells are working, how it can be changed, and there will be no cancer. No, that you cannot do. You go on studying simply, waste your time. So śāstra says, "Don't waste your valuable time in that way. Try to understand God. Use your intelligence for this purpose."

Lecture on SB 6.2.16 -- Vrndavana, September 19, 1975:

You are suffering from some headache, and that is also disease. And you are suffering from cancer, and that is also disease. But when you are suffering from headache the doctors may give you a tablet, Anacin, and the headache is cured. And this is laghū, very insignificant disease. But if you are suffering from cancer, that tablet will not help you. Therefore gurūṇāṁ ca laghūnāṁ ca. As there are different types of diseases—some of them are very, very acute and severe, and some of them are very insignificant—similarly, the grades of sinful activities are there. Some of them are not very serious and some of them are very, very serious. So as the physician prescribes costly medicine for serious disease, similarly, maharṣibhiḥ, big, big saintly persons, liberated persons, they have prescribed prāyaścitta, atonement, for severe types of sinful activities and insignificant types of sinful activities.

Sri Brahma-samhita Lectures

Lecture on Brahma-samhita, Lecture -- Los Angeles, November 9, 1968:

You are counteracting one disease; another disease is coming out. They complain that "India is poor. There are so many diseases," but here there are so many cancer. So you cannot stop this, the nature's way. Janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi (BG 13.9). Your only business is to find out Brahman. That is your business.

Philosophy Discussions

Philosophy Discussion on Charles Darwin:

Svarūpa Dāmodara: President Nixon has made a promise that very shortly this cancer disease should be cured. So he has allotted a lot of money for the coming few years and he is giving to all scientists (indistinct). He is saying he is going to stop this death from cancer, but...

Prabhupāda: Suppose he stops death from cancer. Can he stop death at all?

Svarūpa Dāmodara: Not at all.

Prabhupāda: Well then? What is it? He'll direct some other disease come?

Conversations and Morning Walks

1973 Conversations and Morning Walks

Morning Walk -- May 4, 1973, Los Angeles:

Brahmānanda: Do they know the cause of cancer?

Svarūpa Dāmodara: Oh, there are several theories. (laughter)

Prabhupāda: Suppose he knows the cause of cancer. What is the benefit? Neither he can stop cancer, neither a man suffering from cancer, if it is cured, he will live forever. That is not possible. Cancer or no cancer, a man has to die. He cannot check death. The death may be caused, if not cancer, simply by accident you can die. The real scientific research should be how to stop death. That is real scientific. That we are giving. To find out some medicine for some disease, that is not triumph.

Morning Walk -- May 4, 1973, Los Angeles:

Prabhupāda: Tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma naiti mām eti kaunteya (BG 4.9). After giving up this body, no more acceptance of material body. This is real science. (break) ...suffer from cancer. (laughter) They don't suffer from cancer. So they are in better position than the so-called human society. They are creating causes of cancer disease and then making research and taking Nobel Prize. How foolish society it is, this. Why you create the cause of cancer disease? You accept these four principles of life—no meat-eating, no intoxication, no illicit sex—there will be no cancer. There will be no cancer. You find out, those who are strictly on this line, they never suffer from cancer or any disease. Now take for example, me. I have come here in this country for the last seven years, 1965, and it is 1973, eight years. How many times I have gone to doctor? That once that heart attack. That is serious; that is another thing. Otherwise generally how many times I have gone to? I don't pay any bill of doctors. So if we live very hygienic life, regulated life, there is no question of cancer or any disease.

Morning Walk -- May 4, 1973, Los Angeles:

Brahmānanda: Their whole idea is that they want to violate the law but not suffer for it. That is the whole basis of their research work.

Prabhupāda: But actually they suffer. Actually they suffer. Now, what is this research work? This is suffering, spending so much hard-earned money. So one of the cause of, I can say, one of the cause of cancer disease is this contraceptive method. You can make research on it. This is very dangerous stipulation, to use contraceptives. So they are, one side, discovering contraceptive medicine, contraceptive chemical; another side researching for cancer disease. And they say also that smoking is also one of the causes, smoking. So why do you not give up smoking? Smoking, illicit sex, contraceptive method.

Morning Walk -- December 31, 1973, Los Angeles:

Prabhupāda: There is no devotee in India, real devotee, at the present moment.

Viṣṇujana: So they classify us like that. They say, "You Hare Kṛṣṇa people, you want to take us back to cholera and dysentery and everything."

Prabhupāda: But you are already suffering from cancer. What you have done? (laughter) Instead of cholera, you have got cancer. Is that very good exchange?

Morning Walk -- December 31, 1973, Los Angeles:

Viṣṇujana: In this country they have the venereal disease. One out of ten men is suffering gonorrhea.

Prabhupāda: Yes. Long ago one professor, medical professor, he said, he was Englishman—that in our country, 75% students are suffering from venereal disease. Colonel Megor (?). Yes. Colonel Megor. There must be venereal disease because sex life is so cheap. There must be venereal disease. And venereal disease, once infected, it brings so many other diseases, one after another, one after another. The cancer is also due to that. Madness. Yes. And the Vedic civilization knew it. Therefore first restriction: sex. Brahmacārī. First beginning, brahmacārī. No sex life.

1975 Conversations and Morning Walks

Morning Walk -- May 15, 1975, Perth:

Prabhupāda: Proportionately, you increase the amenities, and proportionately the distress increases.

Paramahaṁsa: It's just like in some countries the diseased men, they suffer in the street, but here we give them a nice place to suffer.

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Paramahaṁsa: They can suffer in a nice warm hospital...

Prabhupāda: So you are increasing this cancer. Very comfortable at home, but there is cancer.

Morning Walk -- June 2, 1975, Honolulu:

Prabhupāda: You cannot stop even cancer disease and you are controlling nature. Just see their (?) false, puffed up. They cannot control one disease, and they are going to control nature. We have to believe that.

Morning Walk -- June 10, 1975, Honolulu:

Prabhupāda: What the disease? What they have...? Have they found any cure for the cancer?

Siddha-svarūpa: Cancer?

Harikeśa: For certain diseases they are...

Prabhupāda: Certain diseases. Then we are calling of disease.

Morning Walk -- July 9, 1975, Chicago:

Prabhupāda: ...disease, heart failure, these are the modern disease. People... Cancer.

Morning Walk -- July 24, 1975, Los Angeles:

Prabhupāda: We are trying to make spiritual progress. We are servant of God. We never say that we are very big men, Vaiṣṇava. Tṛṇād api sunīcena. We think most insignificant creature.

Paramahaṁsa: But what of our efforts to conquer cancer and tuberculosis?

Prabhupāda: No. Because we are conquering to... We are trying to avoid death. Then it is... Everything is cured. Cancer, cancer's father, grandfather, everything is cured. So we are trying for that. Tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma naiti (BG 4.9). That is Kṛṣṇa consciousness, that "If you simply understand Me..." Janma karma ca divyaṁ me yo jānāti tattvataḥ. Simply if you understand what is Kṛṣṇa, why He comes, what is the purpose, then you become conqueror over death. That is our philosophy. Simply by understanding Kṛṣṇa.

Morning Walk -- July 25, 1975, Los Angeles:

Rādhā-vallabha: They argue that this Vedic philosophy is coming from India, and in India there is so much disease and so many problems, but here, where we have our science, there is no disease.

Prabhupāda: Because they are now fond of you. The Indians have become infected by you; therefore they are diseased. You are all diseased, and now you infected them, they have also become diseased.

Brahmānanda: But why is there no disease here? Why is there no symptoms?

Prabhupāda: There is no disease? Why you are anxious about the cancer, the big disease? India may be suffering from small disease, and because you are suffering from big disease, therefore you are big. "We... I am suffering from big disease." First of all become diseaseless, then talk of that India is suffering and you are not suffering. You are big, and you are suffering from big disease, that's all.

Morning Walk -- July 25, 1975, Los Angeles:

Prabhupāda: Question is that India is small, he is suffering from malaria, and you are big; you are suffering from cancer. So a big man, big disease; a small man, small disease. But we wants the diseaseless. But you become proud: "Oh, we have got big disease. For treatment we pay the physician thousands of dollar. You pay eight annas. Therefore I am better. I am able to pay the physician millions of dollars. You cannot pay. Therefore I am big."

Morning Walk -- Durban, October 13, 1975 :

Prabhupāda: You have stopped smallpox, but you have increased cancer. So what is the use?

Harikeśa: "Now we are finding a cure for that also."

Prabhupāda: That's all. Go on working like ass, (laughs) without any… Even if you have some medicine for disease, you cannot stop disease. You cannot stop death.

Morning Walk -- November 11, 1975, Bombay:

Prabhupāda: That is the disease. That is the disease. A diseased man never thinks that he is diseased. He thinks, "I am quite all right." But a physician will say, "Oh, no, no, you are diseased." He says, "I am quite all right." Cancer. And then, after few days, finished. They do not know that "Why I am dying?" They think death is natural. But Bhagavad-gītā says, na hanyate hanyamāne śarīre (BG 2.20). They have no brain to inquire that here is information that even after the destruction, the jīva does not die. But he does not inquire. He says, "Death is natural. Let me die." This is blind. They agree to die. And Bhagavad-gītā says, na hanyate hanyamāne śarīre: (BG 2.20) "There is no death even after destruction..." They will not inquire about this. So blind. So blind. This should be inquiry, that "If it is a fact that even after destruction of the body I do not die, then what is that position?" That inquiry is also not there. They are so fool. That is human life, athāto brahma jijñāsā, to inquire about the spirit soul.

1976 Conversations and Morning Walks

Morning Walk -- June 10, 1976, Los Angeles:

Prabhupāda: ...said that beef-eating is the cause of cancer.

Devotee: Yes.

Prabhupāda: Which is correct?

Hṛdayānanda: Too much addicted. (Prabhupāda laughs)

Rādhāvallabha: This cancer problem seems to be increasing. Previously only old.... We would only hear of old people getting it. Now young people are getting it also. It is becoming very common.

Room Conversation and Reading from Srimad-Bhagavatam Canto 1 and 12 -- June 25, 1976, New Vrindaban:

Prabhupāda: We have seen in our childhood that my grandmother, she died at the age of ninety-six years. There was no disease. The scientists say that there was disease, now there is no disease?

Devotee (2): They say there is less disease now.

Prabhupāda: Less disease, everyone suffering from cancer.

1977 Conversations and Morning Walks

Room Conversation -- January 21, 1977, Bhuvanesvara:

Prabhupāda: Sex desire cannot be controlled by ordinary man. That's a fact. But they have invented so many things to stop increase of population. Why population is increasing? That is the point. They are killing and more... They're taking contraceptive tablets and so on, so on, a vigorous arrangement for stopping birth or checking increase of population. Why every second or every minute throughout the whole world three men are increasing? That they cannot stop. That is stated in the Bhagavad-gītā. Janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi-duḥkha-doṣānudarśanam (BG 13.9). It is indeed troublesome, but you cannot stop it. Either birth or death or disease or old age, you cannot stop. You want it. Everyone wants. Who wants to become old man like me to run on with a stick and with so many inconveniences? But I have to become old man. Who can stop it? Similarly, birth, death also, or disease... You may be proud that "We have invented medicine for cancer and...," but you cannot stop disease. That is not possible.

Page Title:Cancer
Compiler:Rishab, Priya
Created:17 of Feb, 2011
Totals by Section:BG=0, SB=4, CC=0, OB=0, Lec=9, Con=17, Let=0
No. of Quotes:30