The people in general will follow what the leaders, without any transcendental knowledge, ask them to do. The leaders, therefore, must be aware of this fact for the benefit of all concerned. The leaders must know first of all how they can do good for their followers, by understanding the real method of karma-yoga, or work with transcendental results. If the physician is himself a diseased fellow, how can he endeavor to heal others? The physician must heal himself first, before treating the disease of the general public. To gratify the senses of the diseased fellow is not the business of a real physician. A good, qualified physician cannot indulge the patient by merely satisfying him, but must prescribe the real medicine, whether it satisfy the senses of the patient or not. The leaders therefore must know that the real disease of the people in general is their aversion to serve the almighty Godhead, Viṣṇu. So if, instead of treating the people's inherent disease—atheism—the leaders simply show a superficial sympathy for the disease's symptoms, certainly there will be no benefit whatsoever for suffering humanity.
Real disease
Other Books by Srila Prabhupada
Nectar of Instruction
Although Kṛṣṇa consciousness may not be very palatable for a diseased person, Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī nonetheless advises that if one wants to be cured of the material disease, he must take to it with great care and attention. One begins his treatment by chanting the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra because by chanting this holy name of the Lord a person in the material condition will be relieved from all misconceptions (ceto-darpaṇa-mārjanam (Cc Antya 20.12)). Avidyā, a misconception about one's spiritual identity, provides the foundation for ahaṅkāra, or false ego within the heart. The real disease is in the heart. If the mind is cleansed, however, if consciousness is cleansed, a person cannot be harmed by the material disease. To cleanse the mind and heart from all misconceptions, one should take to this chanting of the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra. This is both easy and beneficial. By chanting the holy name of the Lord, one is immediately freed from the blazing fire of material existence.
Message of Godhead
Lectures
Bhagavad-gita As It Is Lectures
You are not free, either outside the prison house or inside the prison house. But when you think that you have become free... Vimukta-māninaḥ. Vimukta-māninaḥ, falsely thinking that "I have now become liberated." Aviśuddha-buddhayaḥ (SB 10.2.32). But the intelligence is not very clear. This is last snare of māyā. When one thinks that "I am God. I have become God," that is the last snare of māyā. That is also māyā. How you can become God? What capacity you have got? God has created so many things. What you have created? God has shown so many things. What you have done? But still, falsely they are thinking, "I am God." This is māyā, last snare of māyā. Because the real disease as we have already explained, is to lord it over the material nature. Everyone is trying: "I am the lord of all I survey. I want to become lord of this universe. I want to become minister. I want to become president. I want to become business magnitude." And everything fails. Then he wants to become God. That is also māyā. That is not possible.
The idea of classless society can be achieved when people become Kṛṣṇa conscious. It is so important movement. Therefore I am speaking that the matter is placed before these Justices. Just try to understand. And for the benefits of the society, for the human society, for the human being, this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement must be very seriously taken up by you. That is my point. Kṛṣṇa bhuliya jīva bhoga. Here, either you become this party or that party, the real purpose of forming party is to enjoy, and they bluff the people that "I shall give you this thing, that thing." But actually I want somehow or other the post and I, bhoga vañcha... Either you become communist, socialist or capitalist or this "ist" or that "ist," the real disease is bhoga-vañcha, "How I shall enjoy this world." That is the real disease. So you can change from one party to another, but the real disease is there. The real disease can be cured here by Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. I am eternal servant of Kṛṣṇa. Everything belongs to Kṛṣṇa.
So to begin with knowledge, Kṛṣṇa recommends amānitvam, humility. Because the real disease of material life is that he is not humble. He is always proud. Little possession. Svalpa-mātrena. Just like the big fish in the ocean. They are deep within the water and if you find out a small lake, little water, you'll find small fishes (makes sound) they're doing there. So there is no depth of knowledge. Simply they're perplexed. Therefore this education should be given, how to become humble.
Just like when we are diseased, we go to the physician and we try to cure the disease, similarly, we do not know what is our main disease. That is explained by Kṛṣṇa previously. Janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi (BG 13.9)—this is our real disease, to take birth, to die, to become old and to become victims of disease. But nobody knows how to cure this, and still, we are very much proud of becoming advanced in education and civilization. This is called illusion. This is called illusion. The real disease is how to stop janma-mṛtyu.
Srimad-Bhagavatam Lectures
This human life is meant for doing, do, doing well to others, not exploiting others. That is animalism. "I kill this animal and eat." Tiger, very powerful. That is animalism. It has no value. Who is, who is asking for a tiger, although he's so powerful? There must be some upakāra. So Caitanya Mahāprabhu's mission is not tigerism, but welfare activities. People are very much so-called philanthropists. They open hospitals, schools, and other things, but actually, they do not know what is the real disease of the human being. The real disease is that he has forgotten Kṛṣṇa. That's all. Otherwise, there is no scarcity in the world.
They are trying to go into Candraloka, and according to śāstra, if one goes to Candraloka, he gets ten thousands of years his duration of life, and enjoy. So certainly there are many times more comfortable life, standard of life, very, very high, in the heaven, other planetary systems. But Kṛṣṇa says that any one of the planets you can go, but the material disease will not be relieved, the material disease, janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi (BG 13.9). We cannot understand. This is our real disease, repetition of birth, janma, and repetition of death. Janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi. And repetition of becoming old. And vyādhi, repetition of being affected by various types of disease.
So Caitanya Mahāprabhu has prescribed a very easy method to become pious. That is the chanting of Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra. Ceto-darpaṇa-mārjanam (CC Antya 20.12). The real disease is within our heart. Hṛd-roga-kāma. Hṛd-roga-kāma. We have got a disease, heart disease. What is that? Kāma, lusty desires. That is called hṛd-roga-kāma. So we have to cure this heart disease, hṛd-roga-kāma. And that will be done simply by chanting and hearing the Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra. Ceto-darpaṇa-mārjanam. The heart is all right, but it is covered by the material dirty things, namely the three guṇas: sattva-raja-tamo-guṇa. But by hearing simply Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, by hearing chanting of Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra, you will be purified.
If you have no money, then you will hanker after money, "How to get money, how to get money, how to get money?" And when you get money, then how to utilize it, how to, where to keep it, in the bank, or in the house, or who will take away? Somebody will take away. So where is anxiety-less? You possess or not possess, the real disease is anxiety. So when one becomes brahma-bhūta (SB 4.30.20), self-realized, identified with the Absolute Truth, then he has no more anxiety. This is the best education, when you become anxiety-less. That is perfection of education.
General Lectures
The real disease is, as it is stated by a Vaiṣṇava poet,
- kṛṣṇa bhuliya jīva bhoga vañcha kare
- pāśate māyā tāre jāpaṭiyā dhare
When we forget Kṛṣṇa and want to lord it over the material nature, this is called māyā. Māyā means which has no factual existence. So this idea that I shall lord it over the material nature, this is māyā.
- kṛṣṇa bhuliya jīva bhoga vañcha kare
- pāśate māyā tāre jāpaṭiyā dhare
As soon as we think of becoming the Lord and lording it over the Lord's creation, that is called māyā. And Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is just an attempt to revive the original consciousness that "I am not the lord, but I am the servant of the Lord." This is Kṛṣṇa consciousness.
Philosophy Discussions
Prabhupāda: Purify your existence, and you'll get perpetual, eternal happiness, bliss. So everyone is working hard for happiness, but how happiness can be attained in diseased condition? So cure the disease and he'll get it eternal. That is... Here is a physician. If you go when there is ailment, if you go to him, "Sir, cure me." "Why?" because it is impediment to happiness. Similarly, the real disease is janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi (BG 13.9). You cure this, then you get real happiness.
Conversations and Morning Walks
1974 Conversations and Morning Walks
Prabhupāda: Spiritual level means to cure his material disease.
Reverend Powell: Yes.
Prabhupāda: The material disease is birth, death, old age and disease.
Reverend Powell: I'm sorry. I don't quite follow that.
Satsvarūpa: He said the real disease is the material condition in which we have to suffer birth, death, disease and old age.
Reverend Powell: Yes.
Prabhupāda: So these things can be overcome by Kṛṣṇa consciousness.
1975 Conversations and Morning Walks
Prabhupāda: Oh, what is the question of Mr. Psychiatrist? Who is psychiatrist? You are? Come here.
Guest (7): No, I have just come to listen.
Prabhupāda: Thank you. The other day in Caracas two or three psychiatrists came. His question was how to solve the problems. So our statement is that unless you treat the spiritual disease of the human society, then the problems will increase. It will be never be solved. The real disease is spiritual disease.
Prabhupāda: That's said. And that is much. These rascals are chewing the chewed. One thing one has chewed, and throwing it, and again another person trying to chew it—if there is any mellow, if there is any sweetness. This is going on. Just like our Indian leaders, they are going to chewing the chewed. They are seeing the effect of material civilization in the Western countries, and they are going to imitate it, thinking that they will be happy with that. They are giving up their own culture, and they are going to accept another culture which is already failed (?) andhā yathāndhair upanīyamānās te 'pīśa-tantryām uru-dāmni baddhāḥ. Na te viduḥ svārtha gatiṁ hi viṣṇuṁ durāśayā ye bahir-artha-māninaḥ (SB 7.5.31).
- matir na kṛṣṇe parataḥ svato vā
- mitho 'bhipadyeta gṛha-vratānām
- adānta gobhir viśatāṁ tamisraṁ
- punaḥ punaś carvita-carvaṇānām
- (SB 7.5.30)
Adānta gobhir. Real disease is adānta go, uncontrolled senses. Viśatāṁ tamisram, entering into the darkest region of material existence. Punaḥ punaś carvita carvaṇānām (SB 7.5.30), chewing the chewed, again and again, the same sense gratification. Sometimes as a human being, sometimes as a hog, sometimes as a dog, sometimes as a demigod. But the business is the same: punaḥ punaś carvita-carvaṇānām (SB 7.5.30). Either at home or in the club or...
1976 Conversations and Morning Walks
Prabhupāda: Service also... Everything depends on advancement in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. If Kṛṣṇa is there, either you read or work as a coolie, the same thing.
Jayapatākā: You instructed that service is as good as reading, but only... We see that devotees only doing service without reading, then they become agitated in their mind.
Prabhupāda: That means there is no Kṛṣṇa. The real disease is there is no Kṛṣṇa. Therefore he'll be agitated, either reading or working.
Prabhupāda: The whites, they do not like the Negroes still. Wherever there are Negroes, in that quarter the whites do not go in. So is it not? They do not go. Although they have been given equal right, but at heart the whites, they do not like it. Is there any improvement? I don't think. Officially, "Yes, yes, you are good, I am good."
Nava-yauvana: Because people are still on the bodily conception of life, so they are...
Prabhupāda: Yes. That is the real disease. So long one is situated in the bodily concept of life, he is animal. First of all, you have to educate them. That is the difficulty.
1977 Conversations and Morning Walks
Prabhupāda: One, if he is gṛha-vrata, he goes to guru or not guru-he'll never be reformed. Gṛha-vratānām: one who has taken this vow that this home is everything, gṛha-vrata. Vrata means taken vow: "It is my only duty." Matir na kṛṣṇe. He cannot place his mind unto Kṛṣṇa, matir na kṛṣṇe parataḥ svato vā, either by good advice of guru or personal, svataḥ, na mithaḥ, nor by meeting, sat-saṅga, so-called sat-saṅga, because the real disease is gṛha-vrata.
| Page Title: | Real disease |
| Compiler: | Visnu Murti, Alakananda, MadhuGopaldas |
| Created: | 26 of Dec, 2009 |
| Totals by Section: | BG=0, SB=0, CC=0, OB=2, Lec=10, Con=6, Let=0 |
| No. of Quotes: | 18 |