Prabhupāda: So dṛṣṭvā imaṁ svajanam. Arjuna is a great warrior, fighter, and for a kṣatriya to kill one is not very difficult task. The kṣatriyas are trained up. Hunting. Hunting is allowed for the kṣatriyas. Just like medical practitioners, they are trained up how to practice surgical operation on dead body. It is not possible to, of course, for a gentleman, to push knife in someone's body. It is naturally very difficult thing. Rogues and thieves, they can stab. So as the doctors, medical men, surgeons are trained up to operate their knife on the dead body to see where are the nerves, similarly, kṣatriyas are also allowed for being trained how to kill. Kṣatriya means... Kṣat. Kṣat means injury. And tra means trāyate, saves. A kṣatriya has to save the citizens from being injured by others. He is called kṣatriya. Brāhmaṇa means one who knows brahma, the supreme. So brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya, vaiśya, śūdra. These divisions are there according to quality. Guṇa-karma-vibhāgaśaḥ (BG 4.13). By guṇa. Guṇa means quality. And karma means actual operation of the guṇa.
Nerves
Srimad-Bhagavatam
SB Canto 3
Three different activities are recommended for clearing the passage of breath: pūraka, kumbhaka and recaka. Inhaling the breath is called pūraka, sustaining it within is called kumbhaka, and finally exhaling it is called recaka. These recommended processes can also be performed in the reverse order. After exhaling, one can keep the air outside for some time and then inhale. The nerves through which inhalation and exhalation are conducted are technically called iḍā and piṅgalā. The ultimate purpose of clearing the iḍā and piṅgalā passages is to divert the mind from material enjoyment.
When the eyes lose their power to see color or form due to morbid affliction of the optic nerve, the sense of sight becomes deadened. The living entity, who is the seer of both the eyes and the sight, loses his power of vision. In the same way, when the physical body, the place where perception of objects occurs, is rendered incapable of perceiving, that is known as death. When one begins to view the physical body as one's very self, that is called birth.
SB Canto 4
In this way the capital is described. In the capital there are assembly houses and many squares, many street crossings, avenues and streets, many gambling places, markets and places of rest, all decorated with flags and festoons. The squares are surrounded with railings and are devoid of trees. The heart of the body can be compared to the assembly house, for the living entity is within the heart along with the Paramātmā, as stated in Bhagavad-gītā (15.15): sarvasya cāhaṁ hṛdi sanniviṣṭo mattaḥ smṛtir jñānam apohanaṁ ca. The heart is the center of all remembrance, forgetfulness and deliberation. In the body the eyes, ears and nose are different places of attraction for sense enjoyment, and the streets for going hither and thither may be compared to different types of air blowing within the body. The yogic process for controlling the air within the body and the different nerves is called suṣumnā, the path of liberation. The body is also a resting place because when the living entity becomes fatigued he takes rest within the body. The palms and the soles of the feet are compared to flags and festoons.
Lectures
Bhagavad-gita As It Is Lectures
Prabhupāda: To establish yourself. "Yourself" means you are part and parcel of the Supreme. So just like my hand. Some way or other, if my hand becomes paralyzed, it is not working. And as soon as it is established with this body, then it will work. The nerves and veins will at once work. Similarly, established in self. Because I am part and parcel of the Supreme Self, so my establishment with the Supreme Self means I will be active for Kṛṣṇa. This is the simple philosophy. As soon as I am active in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, that means I am established in the self. The same example. This finger, when it is diseased... Just like I am moving my finger very nicely. Because it is established with the whole body. But when it is detached or someway or other diseased, "Oh, I am feeling pain. I am not well." That is the diseased condition. So any person, any living entity, who is not engaged in Kṛṣṇa consciousness activities, he's detached. So one has to (be) reestablished. That is Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. That is also explained in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. Muktir hitvā anyathā rūpaṁ sva-rūpeṇa vyavasthitiḥ. Mukti means liberation. What is the liberation? Liberation means, Bhāgavata explains, hitvā anyathā rūpam. Anyathā rūpam means a different identification. When one gives up the different identification and is established in his own real identity, that is called mukti. Now our identification is that "I am matter; therefore I am this body; therefore I belong to this country; therefore I am American; therefore I am this, I am that, I am that." You see? This is our diseased condition. So mukti means one has to be released from this wrong identification.
Srimad-Bhagavatam Lectures
Prabhupāda: There is knowledge. Svābhāvikī jñāna-bala-kriyā. Everything is done by knowledge, by power, and by action.
So there is everything. We can see practically how the trees are growing. Your body, my body—in the same way, everything is coming out. Now, there was seed, the father and mother's seed. Now, within that seed, all these arrangements of the veins, nerves and fibers and muscles and everything was there. You cannot explain how these veins are working. Little discrepancy of the working of the vein, I suffer on my finger for so many days. What is that? There was no regular supply of the energy. The, there was some disturbance in the holes of the veins and nerves. This is the medical science. But as soon as it is cured, the supply is there. Just like when the pipe is jammed, the water does not go and it creates disturbance. Similarly, everything is going on nicely in a machine. And Kṛṣṇa knows everything. Anvaya-vyatirekābhyām. Janmādy asya yataḥ anvayād itarataś ca artheṣu abhijñaḥ svarāṭ (SB 1.1.1). I do not know how the nerves in my finger became disturbed and how it has become diseased and how it became cured. And now it is all right. I do not know, although I claim, "This is my hand, this is my leg." But I do not know. Therefore it is not my leg, not my hand. Just like I'm living in a room, rented room. That is not my room. If you study in this way, you'll find: īśāvāsyam idaṁ sarvam (ISO 1). Everything belongs to God, Kṛṣṇa. Falsely you are claiming. I do not know how it is working. I have been given the chance to live in this particular body.
Prabhupāda: A snake, if you kindly give him foodstuff, there is no... Snake is very fond of drinking milk. They are very much fond. So sometimes a snake charmer, they mix milk with banana and give them to eat for their satisfaction. But the result? What is the result? Result is as soon as he becomes strong by eating, the poison teeth becomes filled with poison. Just like with our healthy body, our different nerves and parts of the body become healthy, similarly, the snake's most important part of the body... They have got a teeth. They keep... Within the pocket of the teeth there is venomous poison. So when they bite, from the hole of that teeth, the poison is emitted, and the man dies or the animal dies. But this is a fact. If you infect some disease, you will have to suffer from that disease. This is a fact. It is scientific. Similarly, if you are infected with the particular type of the modes of nature, then you will have to suffer like that. If you remain in ignorance, then you will get the body of animal. This is the...
Therefore every one of you should become pure devotee, first-class devotee. First-class devotee is that... In this age it has been made very easy. Simply keep yourself cleansed, not to indulge in the four principles, prohibition, and chant Hare Kṛṣṇa.
Prabhupāda: Kuṇape. Kuṇape means a bag. This body is a bag. What is is made of? Now, it is made of flesh, bone, marrow, and nerves, and stool, urine, and so many things, blood. So I am not this blood. I am not this urine, I am not this stool. This is the composition of the body. But one is thinking, "I am this body. I am stool. I am urine. I am blood. I am flesh. I am this and that." So there are so many big, big scientists. Take these ingredients and make an intelligent man like Napoleon or Professor Einstein. The ingredients are there. But thinking that "I am this blood, I am this flesh, I am..." Where is the scientist? If I am combination of these material things, blood, flesh, bone, and urine, stool... You, you just dissect your body. What you'll find? You'll find there is blood, there is flesh, there is nerves, there is intestines, there is stool, there is... Is that the ingredient of your so much intelligence? Who was telling that they're trying to make intelligent man in the scientific laboratory? Who was saying in the morning? Yes. So take these ingredients, and make an intelligent man. Is it possible? Then how they will do it? They are thinking like that, that this blood, this flesh, this bone, and this urine, and the stool can be, by careful combination, they can produce a very intelligent man. That is their intelligence. So therefore śāstra says, yasyātma-buddhiḥ kuṇape tri-dhātuke. If one is thinking this body is the man or the living entity...
Prabhupāda: Nṛ-deham ādyaṁ sulabhaṁ sukalpam. This nṛ-deham, this machine is very carefully made not by me, but by the nature. Nature is the agent of God. I wanted to do something. That means I require a particular type of machine. God orders nature that "This living entity wants something like this. You give him a machine." So the prakṛti, or the nature, gives us different types of machine. Prakṛteḥ kriyamāṇāni guṇaiḥ karmāṇi sarvaśaḥ (BG 3.27). I am neither driving the machine; neither I have made the machine. I have been given as gift to work on or to fulfill my desire. This is the position. So śāstra says that "You have got now a very good machine." Nṛ-deham. The human form of body is very good machine. Nṛ-deham ādyaṁ sulabhaṁ sukalpam. It is very rare. With great difficulty, you have got this machine because we have to come through so many machines, the aquatics, the plants, the insects, the trees, and the serpents, reptiles, then birds, then beast, millions and millions of years. Just like you have seen this. The trees are standing there, maybe standing for five thousand years. So if you get that machine, you cannot move. You have to stand in one place. So we had to go through this. Foolish people, they do not know.
Therefore this machine is sulabham. Sulabham means very fortunately we have got this machine. And sukalpam, "very nicely made." Those who are medical man, they see how nicely made it is, how the nerves are working, the nails are working, the intestines and the heart and everything—a grand machine. Therefore it is called sukalpam, "very well planned." And what for? Just like a nice boat, well planned.
Prabhupāda: We are engaged in studying the machine, that's all. Instead of using the machine to cross over the ocean, take the advantage, they are very busy in studying the machine. Is that very good intelligence? Machine is already given to you. You cannot study even. You do not know. Even if you study, you cannot say... I claim, "It is my body," and if somebody asks me, "How many hairs you have got in your body?" I cannot say. How I am eating something, how it is being turned into some secretion, it is going to the heart, it is becoming red and it is again distributed through the nerves and veins—I do not know anything. I can simply theorize. But the machine is not under your control. The machine is made by God or by nature. It is very subtle machine. If you are very expert, the first thing is that what is the use of simply studying the machine? You got it. You utilize it for going to the destination. That is your intelligent. No, they forgot to use the machine for going to the destination; they are simply studying the machine. And that is going on in the name of science. What is this nonsense science? Simply busy in studying the machine.
Philosophy Discussions
Prabhupāda: Mind creates some idea and again rejects it. It creates another idea. That is mind's business. He is not satisfied by creating something as final. Mind is creative. He creates something and he thinks, "Oh, this is not..." Just like you were making some doll (door?). You don't like it. Again you break it. Then again do it nicely, "Oh, it is not right." Then again break it. That is mind's business.
Śyāmasundara: Accepts and rejects.
Prabhupāda: Reject.
Śyāmasundara: He says that the mind has two functions also, but he describes them slightly different. He says that first one is contemplation, that is perceiving the qualities of an object. And this is a, it's called a neurological activity. In other words, when the nerve endings in the body react with the qualities of an object. If an object is red, my nerve ending perceives that it is red. This is the object.
Prabhupāda: Just like if there is a tamarind, immediately there is saliva in my tongue.
Conversations and Morning Walks
1972 Conversations and Morning Walks
Śyāmasundara: There is a science of equilibrium where you can study another person, if he is off equilibrium, you can move his body in such a way to defeat him every time. Japanese art.
Prabhupāda: Train. That Los Angeles, there is one Japanese...
Śyāmasundara: Behind the temple.
Prabhupāda: You know?
Devotee (2): Yes.
Prabhupāda: What he is teaching?
Several devotees: Karate.
Prabhupāda: Karate.
Śyāmasundara: That's it, same, that art of defeating someone if he is off balance a certain way.
Devotee (3): Karate is the art of hitting your nerve points. You can paralyze people with it. Just with one finger hitting on a certain nerve junction, you can paralyze a person.
Devotee (1): They do. They show movies of one man who has killed his nerves in the hand and a bull will be running like this, and he can put his hand through the bull and grab the heart. They're like that. They show movies like that. They develop like that.
Devotee (2): So much wasted effort.
Prabhupāda: You have kept there some other razor?
Nanda-kumāra: I have put yours back. Yours was in a bag I could not find immediately, so I put another one there, and now I've changed it back again. (break)
Devotee (1):...at least half of the energy that you have to preach.
Prabhupāda: Hm?
Devotee (1): We may develop at least maybe half of your energy to continuously preach someday?
Prabhupāda: Continuously?
Śyāmasundara: He says that someday he hopes that the devotees, your disciples, may acquire half of the energy that you have for preaching.
Prabhupāda: Why not full or double? You may have doubled.
Devotee (1): It's inconceivable.
Prabhupāda: Just like my Guru Mahārāja did not travel all over the world, so I have got double energy than him. So you must triple energy, four times energy than me. Then actually disciple. My Godbrothers are envious because they could not do. They could not do even half of Guru Mahārāja's work, and I am doing ten times. So therefore they are envious. So if an ordinary man like me can do ten times, you are Americans-twenty times, then you are successful.
1973 Conversations and Morning Walks
Prabhupāda: Some Sanskrit scholar in Swedish language must come forward. Then it can be done. But he must be a good scholar because each word is meaningful. Yes. Just like beginning of the Bhāgavata, janmādy asya (SB 1.1.1). Janmādi. So this one word has volumes of meaning. Janmādi means beginning from janma. So beginning from janma, but, how many things are there? Generally, birth janmastiti lat(?), birth, then you stay for some time and then you become vanquished. This body. Janmādy asya (SB 1.1.1). Asya of this material world. Janma, creation, then situation, then annihilation. Now how many volumes of books you can write on these three words? How this universe was created? How it is being maintained and how it will be annihilated? These three words. How many books you can write?
Dr. Hauser: Infinity.
Prabhupāda: (indistinct) Bhāgavata verse, janmādy asya (SB 1.1.1), asya janmādi (indistinct) concise word but volumes of meanings. Volumes. Each word is like that. Vidyā bhāgavata-vali(?). Therefore one's learning is complete when he reads Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. Otherwise he remains imperfect, in spite of all learning. Janmādy asya yataḥ (SB 1.1.1), from where? Now the creation of this cosmic world, from where? But you do not know from where. This is explained in Bhāgavatam. Paraṁ satyaṁ dhīmahi. That is actually true. In this way simply if you analyze one verse, you'll find each word is full of volumes of meaning. Janmādy asya yataḥ, anvayāt (SB 1.1.1). Like the creation, anvayāt, directly and indirectly, itarataś cārtheṣu, in the matter of understanding, abhijñaḥ. Abhijñaḥ means completely cognizant. That is the Absolute Truth. He knows everything—how this universe is created, how it is maintained, how it annihilated, directly and indirectly. Just like, I always, regular, everyday thing, when I am massaged by my student, I see so many veins so I think that I claim, "This is my leg," but I do not know what are these veins. Directly I know this is my leg, but indirectly I do not know how this leg is working with these veins and nerves and muscles. I do not know. But so far God is concerned, He has created. He knows every veins and everything. That is called abhijñaḥ. In this way you analyze every word, you'll find volumes of meaning. The next question, "Where you got this experience?" You say He's abhijñaḥ, He knows everything. To get experience one must have teacher. But the next word is svarāṭ, He's experienced and self-sufficiency, svarāṭ, independent. He hasn't got to go anywhere for experiencing. In this way each word is full of meaning. Janmādy asya yataḥ, anvayād itarataś cārtheṣv abhijñaḥ svarāṭ, tene brahma hṛdā ya ādi-kavaye muhyanti yat sūrayaḥ (SB 1.1.1). We have very shortly described this one verse. I think five, six pages. You've got that verse?
1974 Conversations and Morning Walks
Prabhupāda: How you can change? Can you make the dead body alive? (French)
Karandhara: I can say that life is not present in a dead body, but you can't say that death is present in a live body. (French)
Prabhupāda: No, he says that the living force and the body is the same.
Devotees: Yes.
Prabhupāda: Does he not say? But why the body becomes dead, and the living force go on? Why? Why the body is no more moving? (French)
Pṛthu Putra: He says when the body is dead, everything is gone, but what is still existing is the karma.
Prabhupāda: Is the karma.
Pṛthu Putra: The karma. What is still existing when a body is dead and when the soul is gone, the something is still there, still existing, is the karma.
Puṣṭa-kṛṣṇa: Let's say if your hand is cut off, and it's lying there. Why is it that you are not conscious of that hand? (French)
Pṛthu Putra: Because the nerves are just cut.
Prabhupāda: No, no, if the body and the hand is the same, when it is cut, then it is lying down on the floor. So why there is no consciousness. His question is very intelligent.
1975 Conversations and Morning Walks
Prabhupāda: Wherefrom you are coming?
Guest (1): Indianapolis, Indiana. You ever hear of that? Yes. Five-hundred-mile race.
Prabhupāda: It is in America?
Gurukṛpa: It's the all-American city.
Guest (1): You know where the Great Lakes are in the United States? Just right down south from there, about a hundred, 150 miles south of Indianapolis.
Prabhupāda: We have no temple there?
Śrutakīrti: No.
Gurukṛpa: We've been there many times for saṅkīrtana.
Guest (1): Well, you folks are good people. God bless you. And, you know, sometimes it takes a little nerve to come up and stop you. But I was just curious. An awful lot of people might be, and they do a little staring, but they never get enough guts up to stop and talk to you. And I thought I'd do that. It's nice talking to you.
Prabhupāda: Thank you.
Prabhupāda: When you can give life. There is sometimes cow sacrifice yajña. The cow sacrifice yajña means an old cow, he is sacrificed in the fire, and by Vedic hymns he is given again new life. To test the potency of the Vedic mantra, an old cow is sacrificed and by mantra he is given again new life. Not for killing and eating. That was discussed between Caitanya Mahāprabhu and Chand Kazi, Mohammedan magistrate. Those who have read Caitanya-caritāmṛta will find. So the Kazi was challenged by Caitanya Mahāprabhu that "You are killing cow and bulls. What is your religion? You are killing your father and mother." Then, he also was learned man, he said it that "In your Vedas the cow sacrifice yajña is there." Then He explained, "This sacrifice is not for eating. It is giving a new life. To test the Vedic mantra." That is discussed in Caitanya-caritāmṛta. That is a different case. For meat-eating a cow should not be killed. This is not very good civilization. If you are..., you must eat meat, then you can kill other animals. They, those who are the kṣatriyas, they were sometimes going to the forest, killing the deer. They are allowed. Because they have to learn how to kill. So by killing animals, they used to practice. Just like doctors, medical practitioners, they first of all ply their knife on the dead body and find out where are the nerves, where are the..., not a living man.
1976 Conversations and Morning Walks
Guest (3) (Indian man): Where is soul?
Jagad-guru: He is asking where is the soul.
Prabhupāda: Can you see? So soul is within the heart. When the soul goes away you cannot explain what happened. You say, "heart failure." So why the heart failure? The nerves and the bones and the muscle and the blood, everything is there, and still, you say that "It stopped. Heart failure." So just like machine is running but somehow or other stopped, but you do not know what is the cause of stopping. The cause is that the heart, when it goes away, then the machine stops.
Guest (3): God is within the soul also.
Prabhupāda: Yes. God is along with you. Īśvaraḥ sarva-bhūtānāṁ hṛd-deśe arjuna tiṣṭhati (BG 18.61). He is there.
1977 Conversations and Morning Walks
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: (reading:) "Baboons imported for FP vaccine trials. Twenty-five baboons have been specifically imported from Africa for crucial experiments with the birth control vaccine developed three years ago at the All-India Institute of Medical Sciences. The five male and twenty female baboons which came two months ago are kept in the institute's animal house for use in trials before the vaccine could be cleared for use on women." About anti-pregnancy vaccine. "The baboons will be used in the experiments to find out if the sterility induced by the vaccine is reversible and whether the baby baboons, born after such reversal, are normal both mentally and physically."
Prabhupāda: Abnormal. (laughs)
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: "Upset in Fiji. The Fijian government formed by the National Federation Party, which draws its support mainly from the people of Indian origin, will have to tread warily if it is to avert racial tension in the islands. It was by no means easy, even for the multiracial alliance party which hitherto ruled the South Pacific republic, to maintain harmony between the people of Indian origin who form fifty-one percent of the population, and the indigenous Melanesians. Its leader and the former Prime Minister Ratu Sir Pamish Nara had to strain every nerve to keep the extremist Melanesians in check."
Prabhupāda: The Prime Minister is lightie?
Upendra: Yes. He is very educated. He is half. All the ministers are, those natives are light-skinned. They are from a particular island group, mixed. They are very intelligent and polite. The other natives are darker and more extremists. But this extremist agitation is, they say, is instigated by the Europeans, who keep the Indians and natives apart, because the natives have all the land, and this is what the Europeans are interested in. So they instigate it.
Prabhupāda: These rascals, wherever they go, they create trouble.
Dr. Ghosh: Massage is good, but gentle massage. The object of massage is to improve the circulation. To improve the circulation. So massage should be from below, upwards towards the heart. From below, upwards towards the heart. There is a way, proper way of doing a thing, and wrong way of doing a thing. So the right way of doing a thing is massage... The object of massage is to improve the circulation. And the way is to squeeze the blood towards the heart. First squeeze, squeezing motion. You see every tip of the finger like... So that this swelling will also be reduced if you do it properly. This is called petrissage. Squeezing towards the heart. Every nerve and muscle should be petrissage. And then just like twisting gently, very gently, always towards the heart. Squeeze the blood towards the heart. That will improve the flow and deportment. Petrissage first, then efflurage is like this. (demonstrates) And deportment. Chest should also be just like this. There's hardly any muscle left. And stomach, just like the hands of a clock. From right to left, like that. This is the way, how peristalsis occurs in the intestine. You see? Towards the rectum always, like the hands of a clock. Not this way, anticlockwise. Just like that. Legs too. Similarly, from below, upwards. That is very important. That will reduce the swelling and improve the circulation. Gentle, should be very, very gentle. You know? Left side is more so. And you should change him from side to side. His body shouldn't be kept in one position for a long time. That is increase the hypostasis and increase the... Look at this.
Prabhupāda: Who is taking the...
Trivikrama: Chanting, you want?
Prabhupāda: No. The instruction.
| Page Title: | Nerves |
| Compiler: | Sahadeva, Lilasara |
| Created: | 21 of Jun, 2012 |
| Totals by Section: | BG=0, SB=3, CC=0, OB=0, Lec=8, Con=8, Let=0 |
| No. of Quotes: | 19 |