Still in remote villages, in forest, they do not come to the physician, doctors. The bhillas, the aborigines, they know so many drugs. For toothache, we go to the dentist and they extract the teeth, but I have read in Āyurvedic medicine, there is a drug, a root, only if you touch this side of the mouth, all the germs collected within the teeth will come out. I have seen it. Sometimes in the year 1931 or '32 I had a very severe tooth pain. So I was taken by my servant in the jungle to some..., this vaidya. They cured me, and the dentist could not. I attended so many times to the dentist. I have got my practical experience. And in the Āyurvedic literature there is mention some drug, the root only if you touch here, the germs collected in the teeth, they will come out in the corner of the teeth, some germs—sometimes it is itching; there is all germs—so they will come out. Sometimes pains in the toe. All they are germs. The germ theory is all right, but they want to cure these germs in different way. But by nature's way there are so many drugs and roots and creepers that can cure all the diseases.
Similarly the river. The river has its function: to supply water all the year. During rainy season the water is collected on the top of the hill. It is stocked there by God's arrangement, and they come down. Just like we, by power pump, we get water down to the top of the roof and stock there. Similarly, on high level of hills and mountains water is stocked. Sometimes they are stocked in ice form, not in liquid form. So according to the seasonal changes the ice become melted and the water is supplied. It comes through the river. The same thing is there, but because we have now turned to become demons, the river sometimes overflood, killing so many men and animal, at the loss. Actually, everything is meant for kāmam, for supplying our necessities. And as soon as you are disobedient to God, demons, nature will give you punishment. Instead of supplying you water, water is there, it will overflood. You will be in trouble.
So these rascals, they cannot see how nature is strong and it is controlling everything. Prakṛti.
- prakṛteḥ kriyamāṇāni
- guṇaiḥ karmāṇi sarvaśaḥ
- ahaṅkāra-vimūḍhātmā
- kartāham iti manyate
- (BG 3.27)
Everything is perfectly being done by nature. Nature is appointed by Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa says in the Bhagavad-gītā, mayādhyakṣeṇa prakṛtiḥ sūyate sa-carācaram (BG 9.10): "Under My control." So prakṛti will work very nicely provided you are also nice, Kṛṣṇa conscious. If you are not nice, then daivī hy eṣā guṇamayī mama māyā duratyayā (BG 7.14). "My māyā, My prakṛti, My energy, is very strong, duratyayā." These rascals, they are trying to control this flood, government. So much money they have wasted, but still in this quarter there are havoc. Therefore daivī hy eṣā guṇamayī mama māyā duratyayā. You cannot control the nature's way. That is not possible.
How nature can be controlled? Mām eva ye prapadyante māyām etāṁ taranti te (BG 7.14). This is the law of nature. If you become disobedient to God, then prakṛti, or nature, will give you trouble in so many ways. And as soon as you become submissive, surrender to Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, there will be no more natural disturbances. I have heard in 1900..., 1898—I was born in 1896—so I have heard, I have seen also, I remember, in Calcutta there was a very virulent type of plague epidemic in 1900..., 1898. So Calcutta became devastated. All people practically left Calcutta. Daily hundreds and hundreds of people were dying. I was one year old or one and a half year old. I have seen what was happening. But there was plague epidemic. That I did not know. I, later on, I heard from my parents.