Reverend Powell: This very day I've been working closely with a doctor with a certain patient who's having what is called a nervous breakdown. And we, over the years, have spent a lot of time with spiritual healing. Now, do you yourself practice spiritual healing?
Prabhupāda: Hmm, no. Practically we have very little suffering from disease. The devotees . . . we are spending so much money, but we don't spend for doctors' bill. You see?
Reverend Powell: Well, normal doctors. But now, we explain to our patients that the doctor normally works at the physical level, and the psychiatrist works at the emotional, mental level, but the church works with the spiritual level. And just as Jesus . . .
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.
Reverend Powell: Umm . . . yes, I see. On the point of . . . in reading this very interesting magazine, and this . . .
Prabhupāda: (aside) You find out this verse of Bhagavad-gītā.
Reverend Powell: There was a reference to something you said about plants having a feeling. Some years ago I carried out an experiment at the request of one of our magazines in praying for plants and seeds growing and so on, and there seemed to be a relationship between these prayers for the plants and the opposite, in a negative way, against the plants. And I didn't have an opportunity to carry it out too far, much, but in two experiments, there was apparently a clear indication that the plants responded to prayer. And the peas and with beans in particular, there was a significant, a very significant increase in the plants that were prayed for . . .
Prabhupāda: Hmm. (aside) Find out, jarā-maraṇa-mokṣāya.
Satsvarūpa:
- jarā-maraṇa-mokṣāya
- mām āśritya yatanti ye
- te brahma tad viduḥ kṛtsnam
- adhyātmaṁ karma cākhilam
- (BG 7.29)
Translation: "Intelligent persons who are endeavoring for liberation from old and death take refuge in Me in devotional service. They are actually Brahman because they entirely know everything about transcendental and fruitive activities."