Enzombied Intelligence? Nay!

[Guest guest]

Pancha Tattva dasa wrote:

 

>Dear Guru-Krishna prabhu,

>A few reflections. First, a verse and partial purport from the glorious,

>all-blissful, and all-perfect Srimad-Bhagavatam:

....

 

>So, here the meaning of being the "dog" of the spiritual master is defined:

>"One should engage in the service of a Vaishnava and try to please him in

every >respect." It doesn't mean, I'm sure you'll agree, that one should

become a >mindless, drueling, tail-wagging moron.

 

You know that I would agree with that, yes. And I also agree with everything

you wrote after that.

 

>... Some of the people that come, materially exhausted, to Krishna

>consciousness, are in dire straits. Have you not known any such persons? In

>some cases, the chanting of the Holy Names works on their problems in a

quick >way, but for others the road to recovery is a long one and they would

benefit >from professional treatment.

 

The Ayurveda explains that mental disease is generally caused by a

disturbance of the life airs. Personally, I would direct mentally disturbed

devotees to Ayurvedic doctors. There are very significant reasons why Srila

Prabhupada said "Psychiatrists are humbug--all humbug," and for those

reasons I would definitely not want a devotee to come under their so-called

shelter. But there are exceptions to most every rule, I admit, so possibly a

rare mental health professional may actually be able to help a Vaisnava to

stabilize his mind enough so that he can steadily and determinedly practice

bhakti-yoga.

 

Jayadvaita Swami, during the seminar "Pyschology 108," in which he soundly

discredited modern psychology/psychiatry, told that he himself had on an

occasion or two actually recommended to certain devotees that they consult

certain psychiatrists/psychologists whom he *knew* to be generally

ideologically consistent with transcendental philosophy. I agree with that

approach.

 

>Why should seriously incapacitated persons not get help? If, for example, I

>broke my arm, wouldn't you take me to the doctor right away?

 

Yes, of course. I have not in any way suggested that devotees should shun or

condemn practial medical treatments.

 

>What would you do, for example, if I climbed into a cardboard box and

refused >to come out for two days, all the while carrying on insane

conversations

>with nonexistent persons? Would you do nothing?

 

I'd climb right in with you and beg you to give me the eyes to see and the

ears to hear those exalted transcendental personalities with whom you were

conversing!

 

>What if you caught me throwing up all of my recent meal, and you found out

that >I was doing this practically daily. Wouldn't you want get me help?

 

Even with my heart of stone, of course I would want to help your good self

or any devotee in such difficulty!

 

Hare Krsna!

 

--gkdas