Kidney

Expressions researched:
"kidney" |"kidneys"

Philosophy Discussions

Philosophy Discussion on Thomas Henry Huxley:

Hayagrīva: Now there is one interesting point that Huxley makes in Evolution and Ethics. He tries to tie in the theory of karma with the theory of evolution.

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Hayagrīva: He writes in this way: "In the theory of evolution the tendency of a germ to develop according to a certain specific type, for instance of a kidney bean seed to grow into a plant having all the characters of Phaseolus vulgaris," that is a kidney bean, "that is its karma. The snowdrop is a snowdrop and not an oak tree—and just that kind of snowdrop—because it is the outcome of the karma of an endless series of past existences."

Prabhupāda: Yes. Karma... That is called karma-bandhanaḥ: one after another, one after another, one after another, it is going on. So if this evolutionary process one comes to the form of human being, then he is allowed the discrimination to decide whether he shall continue in this karma-bandhanaḥ process or he should stop his karma-bandhanaḥ process and surrender to Kṛṣṇa. If he surrenders to Kṛṣṇa then his karma-bandhanaḥ process stopped, and if he does not, then he is again put into the karma-bandhanaḥ process by the laws of nature.

1974 Conversations and Morning Walks

Morning Walk -- January 16, 1974, Hawaii:

Prabhupāda: Oh, it was so nice. Eh?

Sudāmā: Do you like it, Prabhupāda?

Prabhupāda: Yes, yes. It is very beneficial for the stomach and kidney.

Bali Mardana: It's like medicine.

Prabhupāda: Yes. Your wife also did not like?

Bali Mardana: Oh, she likes it.

Prabhupāda: (laughing) Then it is all right. You are American fools. And she is Japanese. Japanese are very intelligent. Yes. Extraordinarily. They're just like Bengalis. Yes. Because mostly they eat fish. Fish is very good thing. It has got sufficient quantity of phosphorus.

1976 Conversations and Morning Walks

Morning Walk -- January 6, 1976, Nellore:

Acyutānanda: A man in Calcutta, he was a devotee, rich also. He had some kidney thing. He wanted to go to the Calcutta hospital. They said, "All the beds are full of Naxalites with bomb wounds and stab wounds and fighting wounds."

Prabhupāda: Just see.

Acyutānanda: He could not get a bed in the hospital because it was full of guṇḍās. Hospitals were all full of guṇḍās.

Yaśodānandana: In America they have the highest quality of hospitals and schools and everything, but yet the young people are turning to be hippies. You have mentioned that in the introduction to your Nectar of Devotion.

Evening Darsana -- July 8, 1976, Washington, D.C.:

Prabhupāda: Rascals. (laughter)

Dr. Sharma: Even scientifically now it is being proven that many of the diseases, like of the kidneys, of the heart, arterial sclerosis, arteriosclerosis, uremia, gout, is because of high protein diet, particularly meat. Many of the scientists now are going away from meat by chanting.

Prabhupāda: By?

Dr. Sharma: By chanting Kṛṣṇa we also feel that meat is no longer necessity, in fact it is harmful for longevity and health of the body. So whether it is beef, pork or anything, all this meat is very harmful. Both in Heart Institute, cancer and other, they are finding that meat is harmful for the body—on scientific grounds, religious grounds apart.

Room Conversation -- July 26, 1976, London:

Bhagavān: You have been like this for some time?

Prabhupāda: It has begun from New York, eh?

Hari-śauri: Yeah, you had kidney trouble in New York, and then immediately after that, coughing and.... When we came on the plane it grew worse.

Prabhupāda: One doctor came, he gave me three bags of tablets.

Hari-śauri: He wanted to give you five. He gave us five different prescriptions.

Prabhupāda: I did not take anything, tablet. Rather, what one I was taking, I have stopped that also.

Jayatīrtha: You do not put very much faith in these doctors.

Prabhupāda: What this medicine will help?

Morning Walk and Room Conversation -- December 26, 1976, Bombay:

Prabhupāda: No, no, this is all right. (break)

Dr. Patel: Only tired feel? (break) ...or may be due to poverty of heart action, or it may be due to some inaction on the part of the kidney or some collection of some obnoxious substances in the blood. That is why we must have an analysis done. So for a right understanding, we can advise you what to do. Anyone can write analysis, acidity and (indistinct).

Prabhupāda: Now, everything is less.

Dr. Patel: Then you stay here. And you're completely home, without anything. You are not prepared to... This is...

Prabhupāda: As soon as this building is, I will take. (?)

Morning Walk -- December 29, 1976, Bombay:

Prabhupāda: No, a little movement.

Dr. Patel: We got your examined. You haven't got much diabetes now. But unfortunately kidneys are...

Prabhupāda: I'm not eating all.

Dr. Patel: No, after kidneys are little affected. It was lack of albumen and perhaps you'll be all right by this shapauri.(?) You know this shapauri. Shapauri's growing in our own garden here. That (indistinct) will be coming on first day at six o'clock.

Prabhupāda: What is that satavari,(?) you see. If it is medicine, we can have.

Dr. Patel: He will guide you better than me. At six o'clock we have to send somebody to catch him on his consulting. He stays somewhere... His house number is 36.

1977 Conversations and Morning Walks

Morning Darsana and Room Conversation Ramkrishna Bajaj and friends -- January 9, 1977, Bombay:

Prabhupāda: Yes. That is my point. Why you become falsely proud that you have done so advancement that you don't care for God, you don't care for the original manufacturer? That is your fault.

Guest (2): The other day there was a doctor who had come from America for transplantation of kidney, and he has given a lecture in the Rotary Club. I was there. Now they give so much importance to the person who is able to transplant kidney from one body to the other, but how about the whole human being or the universe which has been created by God? Now, this is just a very, very insignificant thing which is already there which is just transplanted. But they feel so happy and proud.

Prabhupāda: That is my point, falsely proud.

Room Conversation -- January 19, 1977, Bhuvanesvara:

Prabhupāda: Our immediately problem is toward my health. I am not digesting food, so therefore there is some swelling in the hands and the legs.

Rāmeśvara: That's due to the kidney?

Prabhupāda: Kidney or whatever it may be.

Rāmeśvara: So is it affecting your translation work?

Prabhupāda: That is not affected. That is going on. I have translated today seventeen volumes (verses?). That does not affect.

Rāmeśvara: So what to do? (Prabhupāda turns on dictaphone, then off. On again-reading verse) This is the twenty-fourth chapter, Śrīla Prabhupāda?

Prabhupāda: Hmm.

Evening Conversation -- January 25, 1977, Puri:

Prabhupāda: They are luscious(?) that... (break) Just like a tuberculosis patient. To him doctor says that "You don't have sex life. That will bring your death." Does it mean sex life is bad? The tuberculosis person, for him it is bad, not for the sane man, not for the healthy man. So when sex life is advised to..., forbidden, that is for the diseased condition. But who is never diseased—he is perfect—for him there is no forbidding of sex life. So you do not understand that in this material condition you are suffering only. You have no brain. Therefore morality, immorality, good, bad, there are so many things. But when one is perfect, healthy, for him all the activities of life is perfect. Just like a physician advised me, "You don't take salt." Does it mean salt is bad? I am in a particular condition of this kidney trouble or liver trouble. For me salt is bad. But does it mean salt bad?

Room Conversation -- February 10, 1977, Mayapura:

Prabhupāda: That doesn't matter.

Bhavānanda: Water will be there, electricity, and clean.

Jayapatākā: So this morning you won't go..., be going on a walk. You're not feeling up to a walk this morning? It affected your kidney or your digestion?

Prabhupāda: That I cannot say. But the foodstuff is not digesting. That can I say. I am not feeling at all appetite.

Bhavānanda: Śrīla Prabhupāda I haven't digested either from yesterday.

Prabhupāda: Ācchā? What is the reason?

Satsvarūpa: I don't know. Eating here was very nice, and now, since yesterday...

Hari-śauri: I digested all mine. (laughter)

Prabhupāda: Same digestion. (laughter—break)

Room Conversation -- May 2, 1977, Bombay:

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: (to Upendra:) Yeah, I'll be back. Tell him it'll be ready tomorrow.

Prabhupāda: What is the...? (break) ...already a artificial kidney.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Yes, Prabhupāda. For two years.

Prabhupāda: So it is not working.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Not sufficiently, no. How can it work? How can an artificial kidney be expected to work like a real kidney? I mean, they want to hold back time.

Prabhupāda: Hm?

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: They think that they can defeat the time...

Prabhupāda: Nature. Nature's way.

Room Conversation With Svarupa Damodara -- October 15, 1977, Vrndavana:

Hari-śauri: You're not drinking that orange juice. I was told by Parivrājakācārya... He seems to know something about juices and things like that, and he said that orange juice is much too powerful. It kind of scourges the kidneys. It scours them out.

Prabhupāda: So what I am drinking now?

Hari-śauri: This sweet lime juice. He also thought that might be a little strong, because it's citrus, because actually the urine is still cloudy, and that did not occur until you began to drink this orange and sweet lime. The first night when the blood was there, that day you had drunk two glasses of sweet lemon and one glass of orange. Just like pomegranate juice, this is very good because it's not citrus. Is the sweet lemon juice giving some strength?

Room Conversation With Svarupa Damodara -- October 15, 1977, Vrndavana:

Hari-śauri: Of sweet lime. And then in the nighttime he had orange juice. And then the next morning he passed the blood in his urine. And then again the next morning he took the sweet lime again. But he hasn't had any orange juice since then, so there's been no blood, but his urine is still cloudy. He's still taking the sweet lime juice. But it wasn't there before when he was taking it. So Prabhupāda hadn't had any orange juice for a long time. Parivrājakācārya said that citrus fruits are much too strong for the kidneys, 'cause the kidneys are weak.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Oh.

Prabhupāda: Maybe will take...

Upendra: We can get the bathing ready?

Prabhupāda: Hm. (break)

Room Conversation -- October 17, 1977, Vrndavana:

Prabhupāda: So, what doctor says?

Bhavānanda: I was just discussing with them. They've given a, a series of medicines. That one doctor, Dr. Gopal, he said that you have a chronic kidney infection, and they both, Dr. Ghosh and Dr. Gopal, say it is very serious, that if it's not treated, that it could develop into uremia, which could be fatal. So he's given a whole group of medicines. However, the medicines can be combined. They say everything is functioning well, but the kidneys are not. (sic:) Renial, they call it renial infection.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Renal. Renal damage.

Room Conversation -- October 17, 1977, Vrndavana:

Bhavānanda: And he gave one tablet... He said that you should only take one half tablet in the morning in place of the Lassix. It's a very, very mild dialysis for the swelling. He said it's not... He doesn't want to give any sort of... Very, very mild. He also said that your feet should be raised on two pillows or the bed, at the foot of the bed, should be raised on one brick on each side. That will reduce the swelling a great deal, he said. Most important though, Śrīla Prabhupāda, is that we increase the liquid intake for flushing the kidneys, and it will give you some strength. Now your condition is so weak.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Actually, Prabhupāda, your condition has become much weaker since you stopped eating more and more. In Bombay, when you had more strength, you were eating..., at least drinking three times what you are drinking now. So if you gradually increase your drinking, your strength will come back. As long as you're passing urine, it means it's being digested all right.

Bhavānanda: Everyone... All the doctors agree that your liver and digestion, spleen, is all in good working order.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: And also the blood pressure is normal. It's 130. It's very reduced, Śrīla Prabhupāda. It's normal blood pressure now.

Bhavānanda: But he said that your pulse is so weak that every 18 beats it skips a beat, misses, because you're in such weakened state.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: But he was hopeful in general.

Prabhupāda: Dr. Gopal.

Room Conversation -- October 18, 1977, Vrndavana:

Bhavānanda: If the infection from the kidney goes away... But everyone agrees that that has to be taken away. That is the fatal, fatal infection. Kavirāja and allopathic all agree that that urine must become clear and that infection is dispelled.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: And that you have to get... The other thing that they all stress the most is that you're very, very weak. So the only complaint now is that you cannot sleep properly. But that's not very difficult. They can give you something to help you sleep.

Bhavānanda: And that masseur can come this morning and give you a massage.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Why didn't he come yesterday?

Bhavānanda: They told him not to come. I told him to come in the afternoon.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Who told him?

Bhavānanda: Viśvambhara and Dr. Ghosh. But he can give you a good massage. That will help.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Have you been drinking much this morning, Śrīla Prabhupāda?

Bhavānanda: We can cut the dosage of the medicine in half.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Why not just give something that helps Prabhupāda to sleep? That's the easiest thing.

Prabhupāda: Hm.

Room Conversation -- October 18, 1977, Vrndavana:

Bhavānanda: And he also was able to analyze your inability to eat and drink as a result of this poisoning from the kidney infection. So he was able to diagnose fairly accurately.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: I think, from everybody's point of view, this Dr. Gopal, factually speaking, seemed more up-to-date and able to diagnose correctly according to allopathic standards than Dr. Ghosh. Dr. Ghosh... After all, this allopathic medicine is still a developing science. So Dr. Ghosh's knowledge of it cannot be as up-to-date as someone who's younger.

Bhavānanda: Dr. Ghosh was insistent, he wanted you to take Lassix. And Dr. Gopal said, "No, no. Lassix is too strong. There is a new dialysis medicine, very, very, very gentle and mild."

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: But Dr. Ghosh never heard of it. I think Dr. Ghosh's value is that he's willing to stay here and attend to you. But I think that Dr. Gopal is better to...

Abhirāma: They both agreed on it was the same disease.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Yes. They agree that the disease is the same. They understand what the disease is, and they both agree on that. But as to treatment, Dr. Gopal seems to be more aware of the more modern and up-to-date discoveries that science has made than Dr. Ghosh. Dr. Ghosh is aware, more or less, of things which were available ten or twenty years ago.

Bhavānanda: We can go and see Dr. Gopal this morning.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Bhagatji said Dr. Gopal is his close friend. He can bring him here once a day if necessary.

Bhavānanda: And explain to him that you've had some restless reaction to this medicine and get his opinion and new diagnosis, new medicines, if necessary. And for your liquid intake, if you can take just four glasses of Complan in one day, plus some juice now and then, it won't be so much, so many times you'll have to be bothered. They all recommended that Complan is the very best.

Prabhupāda: Hm? What?

Room Conversation -- October 21, 1977, Vrndavana:

Prabhupāda: No medicine. What is that medicine?

Bhavānanda: There's no many medicines, but today you haven't taken any. There is medicine for the infection in the kidney. There's medicine for the heart. There's medicine for passing urine. There's medicine for preventing any cough in the lung. There's vitamin supplement.

Prabhupāda: So how many I shall take?

Room Conversation -- October 27, 1977, Vrndavana:

Trivikrama: But how can Prabhupāda travel?

Devotee: But Prabhupāda cannot travel, because any movement will disturb his kidney.

Prabhupāda: He cannot come?

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Well, it will be the same as the man from Delhi. He can't come and stay here and give up his practice. He stays in Calcutta, so... He won't be able to simply come and then... He'll leave, and then we won't be able to consult. The idea is that the man has to be here every day.

Prabhupāda: No. If he Rāmānujī kavirāja gives makara-dhvaja, that is the last.

Room Conversation With Sri Narayana and Rama-Krsna Bajaj -- October 31, 1977, Vrndavana:

Svarūpa Dāmodara: He said that the difficulty is to make the medicine. It takes time.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Yes, that's...

Kavirāja: Kidney, it is special.

Svarūpa Dāmodara: It is for kidney, special.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Whew. What is it made from? Śrīla Prabhupāda, Shastriji has made very nice medicine for you, very, very nice. What is that from?

Svarūpa Dāmodara: Twenty-two ingredients.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Distilled. No one will take the time anymore these days. How is it given? How is this given?

Svarūpa Dāmodara: Drink. One once, one dose.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Whew. This is the science. This is real medicine. It took him seven, eight hours, twenty-two ingredients distilled. He has to distill the water first. Twenty-two ingredients.

Kavirāja: (Hindi) (Prabhupāda drinks medicine)

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: This is for the kidneys?

Kavirāja: (Hindi) Vṛkka-sañjīvanī. (Hindi)

Bhakti-caru: Vṛkka. V-ṛ-k-k-a. Kidney. The Sanskrit name for kidney is vṛkka. Araka(?) means extract, and sañjīva...

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: What does that mean? Extractive.

Bhakti-caru: Yes. Extract, to revitalize the kidney. No, our medicine for revitalizing the kidney.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Śrīla Prabhupāda, would you like a little soft kīrtana?

Prabhupāda: No. Now let me take rest.

Prabhupada Vigil -- November 1, 1977, Vrndavana:

Prabhupāda: Even half hour, if I am fainting... So if I die without medicine, without kavirāja, what is the harm? Hm?

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: According to the kavirāja, his treatment is that first of all he has to take care of your liver and kidneys before giving you strength. He said there's no question of you getting any strength until your liver and kidneys are healed.

Prabhupāda: So take the medicine.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Yes. So the first part of his cure is to help your liver and kidneys. Then, when they are functioning properly, you'll be able to eat and other things which will automatically give strength. Medicine will not give strength, but medicine can cure the organs which are now not working properly.

Prabhupāda: No, you take medicine from him.

Room Conversation -- November 3, 1977, Vrndavana:

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: No, the strength is not supposed to come yet. You shouldn't expect strength yet, because strength can't come unless you eat. There's no reason for him to feel strong, because he isn't eating yet. The kavirāja explained that in order for Prabhupāda to eat, first of all the liver and the kidneys have to be properly healed. Then automatically there will be appetite. If there's appetite, then Prabhupāda will eat. (break)

Bhakti-caru: (Bengali) Gaura-govinda Mahārāja.

Prabhupāda: (Bengali)

Gaura-govinda: It's okay. Bhāgavata has arrived. Bhāgavata has arrived, so I came to have darśana.

Prabhupāda: (Bengali)

Room Conversation -- November 3, 1977, Vrndavana:

Prabhupāda: No, that is not...

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: He states that you can't expect to eat as long as the liver and the kidneys are not functioning properly.

Prabhupāda: So that is not functioning.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Well, he says that he can get it to function properly.

Prabhupāda: He says, but I practically see.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: But his medicine cannot... He also says that his medicine cannot be judged over a period of five or six days. He's not claiming...

Prabhupāda: I mean in case I do not increase.

Room Conversation -- November 4, 1977, Vrndavana:

Bhakti-caru: Right now, Śrīla Prabhupāda, Shastriji didn't give you any medicine to strengthen you up as such. His medicines are simply to cure your kidney and liver. When they are cured, then he's going to give medicines like makara-dhvaja which will make you strong.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: One thing, Śrīla Prabhupāda, this is one of the reasons I wanted the kavirāja to be with you was to be able to answer your doubts, because I felt that he could far better than we can. But factually speaking, it seems to me there's every... I mean if he were here now he would feel your pulse and he would be able to understand that your pulse is not weak. Your heart is good. You're starting to pass more urine, you're getting sufficient rest, you're able to take things like milk, which you couldn't take before, and these are positive signs. And the one thing that we're looking for, strength, he already said will not come immediately, and he's not even giving any medicine for increasing strength yet. The thing is, we're a little impatient because we've waited so many months and had so many failures with so many different doctors, but really, this doctor, so far, has the best record, his medicines. So we think that you should be encouraged. We feel hopeful. Even if you feel hopeless, we are hopeful.

Prabhupāda: (Bengali with Bhakti-caru)

Room Conversation -- November 5, 1977, Vrndavana:

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: No, that's not necessarily the only solution, to stop. I just explained, Śrīla Prabhupāda, that that is not the only way. Another way may be that they add some other kind of medicine which stops the passing of stool. The medicine you're getting is supposed to be doing good to your kidney and liver. That it causes you to pass stool, that is not good, but at the same time, it may be doing good for the kidney and liver. If you stop taking it, then how will you heal the kidney and liver? Simply by not passing stool, that's not going to heal the kidney and liver. What we want is that you should not pass stool too much and at the same time you can still have your kidney and liver healed. Naturally, if you stop taking medicine, the stool may stop passing.

Prabhupāda: And he is not experienced.

Room Conversation -- November 5, 1977, Vrndavana:

Prabhupāda: In this condition.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Well, what we have to do is carry on with this medicine, medical treatment, and let the kavirāja come. Then, when he comes from Calcutta, he'll review everything that's happened and he'll see what your condition is like. And if he feels that the liver and kidney have been cleared up a little bit, then he'll begin to give medicine for giving you strength. And we will make him stay here until you get sufficient strength. And if you do get sufficient strength, which means his medicine is working, then he can take you to Māyāpur. And after some days, if he gives you medicine for strength and you don't get any strength, then there's no reason to leave Vṛndāvana. He may go back, but we will stay here. I think that should be our course of action. We certainly... I've looked just now with Upendra, and pretty much, you've increased by about double what you drink and you've increased by about double the amount of urine.

Room Conversation -- November 5, 1977, Vrndavana:

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: That's one of the brahmacārīs shaking out the dust in the rugs. In my office we have some rugs, so he takes them outside and shakes them. He's a nice brahmacārī, young boy from the Gurukula, from Mexico. Is it time to go on, Śrīla Prabhupāda? (break) ...today. So I would meet him last night, and if he was to come this evening I wouldn't think that there would be any harm, that he could come this evening, I think it's not bad in that it sort of sometimes has an effect to encourage the patient if the doctor or kavirāja comes. It's reassuring. So I think it's nice that he comes. There should be someone with a little bit of knowledge who we can consult each day. He may not be as expert as the Calcutta kavirāja. Still, he is more expert than we are. And he was appointed by the Calcutta kavirāja to come and check up on you and see how you are doing, see if there were any side effects. The real question is that your kidney and liver should be getting better. There's no doubt that you're getting weaker now. That I can see. I've never seen you this weak. But according to the...

Prabhupāda: Very weak. I sit up..., oh, everything...

Room Conversation -- November 7, 1977, Vrndavana:

Prabhupāda: Let us see.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: I felt very... I thought that was good, that recovery doesn't mean simply laying in bed for the next few years, but recovery means actually being fit. He says it's gradual. He says, "Now, the medicine I've given for the kidneys over the past week, the kidney has not gotten worse. It's improved a little." He said, "So that..." (break)

Prabhupāda: You don't strain for collecting. Then spiritual progress will be hampered.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Don't strain for collecting. Then spiritual progress will be hampered.

Room Conversation -- November 7, 1977, Vrndavana:

Prabhupāda: (Hindi) ...choke... (Hindi) ...choke... (Hindi)

Bhakti-caru: We have to increase the quantity of that Arak.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: That's for the kidney? Next one we'll keep. There'll be more. Prabhupāda, you want to try for passing urine?

Prabhupāda: Immediately?

Bhakti-caru: No, whenever...

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Śrīla Prabhupāda? You want to rest now? You've been talking for a long time. You want kīrtana or not now, Śrīla Prabhupāda?

Prabhupāda: Soft.