Pariprashnena — Q&A Archive

In a word: lifestyle.

Dr Gupta, the devotee Ayurvedic doctor, told me:

"The best lifestyle in the world is the Vedic lifestyle.
The next best is the Western lifestyle.
The absolute worst is the Vedic lifestyle done the Western way."

As Bir Krishna Goswami explained:

"Lets take eating for example. Most of us were brought up in Kcon eating tons of Halvah, Sweet Rice, fried foods, etc. We thought: Its prasadam, so how can it be bad for our bodies?" Well I got news for you. A saturated fat or sugar even if it offered to Krishna has the same affect on our arteries, kidneys, liver, etc. that a saturated fat has when it is not offered to Krishna.

That may be a radical statement but it is true. Ask any devotee who is suffering from high blood pressure, kidney disease, liver disease, diabetes,etc. whether it is true or not.
...
Another example is that we ignore the fact that the byproducts of combustion (ie: incense, etc.) may cause cancer or lung disease even if it is spiritual combustion or even if the ingredients are completely natural and organic.

Interestingly enough, we oftentimes ignore even Ayurvedic injunctions in the name of religion. But, the Ayurveda has been given to us by Krishna."

read his whole article here: http://www.bkgoswami.com/Blog/Blog%205,%20May%204,%202007.html

Cancer is one of the most common death causes nowadays. Its caused by unnatural living and is a huge business at the same time. Thus an existence of any simple and cheap cure is against interests of politicians and medical industry. They even resorted to persecution of those who promoted such cures (dr. R. Rife, R. Caisse, etc.). One of the simplest and cheapest methods seems to be the one discovered by dr. Johanna Budwig: http://www.cancure.org/budwig_diet.htm

It might be that Krsna is giving notice of death to these devotees so they can become more Krsna conscious before leaving their bodies...

I fully agree with Prabhu sitpatis views. Should prasadam contain gaza, puris, fried rice, vegetarian cake etc. prepared out of pure cow ghee containing a lot of fats and carbohydrate? Prasadam is full of the above on most of the occassions particularly on Krishna Janmashtami day. Can prasadam be not of chaste cereal, vegetable and dal made out of bare minimum fat?
I see Prabhu Sitapati and his family in front of Prabhus Gour and Nitai. Very nice to see this. However, in India, taking a photograph in front of diety is not permitted. Why this? can any bhakta answer?
Hari Bol

[quote][cite] rasa108:[/cite]It might be that Krsna is giving notice of death to these devotees so they can become more Krsna conscious before leaving their bodies...[/quote]

Yes, maybe in some cases... but especially in case of cancer metastasis somewhere in the body dying person feels such increasing pain (many weeks before leaving the body), that keeping at least normal consciousness and remembering Krishna in last moments is often almost impossible. The consciousness is darkend either by unbearable pain or by the drugs against pain like morphium, which in final stages doesnt help anyway. Only very rare personalities such as HH Bhakti Tirtha Swami or some other exemplary devotees are able to endure such suffering in high state of Krishna consciousness. Therefore Im afraid, for devotees who are not on transcendental level yet, this modern, Kali-yuga way of leaving their bodies because of cancer is big complication on the way back to Krishna and doesnt help them become more Krishna conscious at the time of leaving the body. Any other explanation of this illness aflicting devotees from KC point of view? Please...

cancer is simply a breakdown of the immune system after being under heavy pressure for at least 8 years and usually finally started after a severe emotional crisis.
The system ceases to catch and destroy the cancerous cells we all produce.
It is the easier illness to prevent, and once is there the most difficult to cure.
I have seen that persons that cure mainly show a change in their psyche and that is the main cause of healing.
A long time of living with heavy emotional restrictions can cause the immune system to break down. That is "helped " with chemicals in the environment, bad nutrition, anxiety and probably not resting well.

So, in a nutshell,

chemicals
incorrect nutrition (lack of nutrients, dehydration, eating too much, etc)
incorrect or insufficient rest
anxiety
unresolved issues

In regards to disease management, I can attest that if the devotee is strong and sincere Krishna will help with the pain management w/o heavy pain killers that will cloud the consciousness.

Anupatha, thats a new question... but my understanding is that the Deity is not a tourist attraction like the leaning tower of Piza, so it shouldnt be photographed as a background. Thanks for pointing that out.

[quote][cite] Sathiya Ramakrishnan:[/cite]I know that material world is a place of misery and death can come in any form :) I would like to hear more deep insights..[/quote]
Modern food as well as impure water and air are killing more and more people on this planet,which is getting more and more "civilised!"
Even sacred Ganga is not spared,as it is polluted by industrialists,pouring heavy metals in it,and others with sewage etc.
The use of chemicals and pesticides are also causes of cancer,when we eat heavily doped vegetables.
The new threat is the use of depleted uranium in weapons,as soldiers come back from Iraq with a special atrocious cancer,that kills within days.
If we followed the instructions of Srila Prabhupada,to create self-sufficient farm communities,we could avoid such posionous food and water!
http://varnashram.org [Iskcon farms]
http://cadu.org.uk [depleted uranium]
http://rainwaterharvesting.org [purer water]

[quote][cite] mishra:[/cite]In regards to disease management, I can attest that if the devotee is strong and sincere Krishna will help with the pain management w/o heavy pain killers that will cloud the consciousness.[/quote]

This is a very good point..I know mishra you have had first hand experience of this situation and have witnessed this yourself.

[quote][cite] anupatha:[/cite]Therefore Im afraid, for devotees who are not on transcendental level yet, this modern, Kali-yuga way of leaving their bodies because of cancer is big complication on the way back to Krishna and doesnt help them become more Krishna conscious at the time of leaving the body.[/quote]

I have to disagree...a devotees death is no ordinary affair....and who are we to judge who is and who isnt capable of becoming more Krsna conscious in this situation.
We can talk about great devotees...but dont underestimate any devotee and what they are capable of.
That is why in the age of Kali...regardless of the modern situation...we have been given the benediction of the the Holy Name as a way to remember Krsna...a very simple way to become spiritually advanced in ANY predicament.

[quote][cite] Neelima Ghosh:[/cite]I fully agree with Prabhu sitpatis views. Should prasadam contain gaza, puris, fried rice, vegetarian cake etc. prepared out of pure cow ghee containing a lot of fats and carbohydrate? Prasadam is full of the above on most of the occassions particularly on Krishna Janmashtami day. Can prasadam be not of chaste cereal, vegetable and dal made out of bare minimum fat?[/quote]

I think the point is being missed here....we offer Krsna foodstuffs that are pleasing to him (ghee being one of them)...that is the consideration. I feel it is up to the individual to decide how much of those remnants they eat...a little ghee is very healthy.

We need to eat simple, but one time a week fried foods, little excess of sweet, etc is normally well tolerated by the body. Hence, the Sunday Feast :)

this is a very interesting thread. I always thought devotees ate too much, ate too much sugar and in the beginning i started restricting myself. I got odd looks becuase of that.

the "it is prasadam prabhu!" saying is very popular.

When one is in the mode of goodness he tends to chew his food slowly in quiet atmosphere and preferably solitude just as Srila Prabhupada did.Long chewing makes the prasadam easy to assimilate and digest.Such method of eating makes overeating very unlikely. Moderate physical activity during the day ,early rising are also contributing factors for good digestion.Honoring prasad with gratitude,cooking it in clean environment with fresh ingredients will insure great health and longevity.

On the other hand,I know many unhealthy health freak devotees and gurus that eat what they consider very healthy (even raw) diet and still they remain miserable ,depressed and unfulfilled.

I think the stress is considerable for a devotee, since it is like being all the time at war with Maya. Stress is the major contributing factor to cancer, even positive stress, as the case may be.

[i]Die fighting, or perish on your knees.[/i]