The science of properly depending on Krsna (God) and how to maturely pray to Him.

Srila Prabhupada properly shows us here how to recognise Krsna's (God's) help and guidance.

Sadly many do not understand how to properly pray and then positively deal with illness and sickness in the best way.

For example, some believe nothing else can heal your material body except only the chanting of the Hare Krsna mantra, without doing anything else to also try to help yourself (see second story below), which is simply NOT true explained here-

In early February 1973 in Sydney Australia, Srila Prabhupada developed an infection on his finger from a paper cut while opening mail.

The infected finger got worse over a few days and eventually Prabhupada asked us to bring him a doctor who could give him penicillin.

We did this and a doctor came and gave him penicillin that healed his infected finger in a day.

However, one young "immature devotee" was confused. He saw that Prabhupada was always constantly chanting Hare Krsna, translating Srimad Bhagavatam's 3rd Canto and preaching to the devotees.

This young devotee could not understand why Krsna did not personally protect His pure devotee.

So this boy asked Prabhupada,

''You are always chanting Krsna's name, working late at night translating Sastra into English and preaching to the devotees, why didn't Krsna personally heal your finger that caused you so much discomfort?''

Srila Prabhupada smiled and answered the boy showing great faith in Lord Krsna,

''Oh yes Krsna was so kind He DID immediately help me, it was Krsna who sent the doctor who gave me the penicillin that healed my finger''.

The lesson here is, it's not that Krsna has to personally appear and wave some magic wand and heal his pure devotee.

No, it does not work that way, the fact is Krsna wants us to do everything we can to help ourselves, then He will give us what we lack as Bhagavad Gita As It Is tells us.

''God helps those who helps themselves''

Also remember we chant and hear Hare Krsna so we do not forget Him even when the material body does break down and ceases to function (death)

Actually the chanting of the Hare Krsna Maha-mantra is a constant petition to the Supreme Lord-

“O Krsna, O energy of Krsna, please ALWAYS engage me in Your service.”

The individual jiva-souls ultimately have nothing to do with the material bodily vessel they are in as a passenger.

We chant Hare Krsna to remember Krsna always, especially while we are in the process of leaving this decaying material body (during death)

We only temporarily occupy this temporary material body while in the material creation.

Therefore, the temporary material bodily vessel is it NOT who we really are as a spiritual living entity.

The fact is, the real home of the individual jiva-souls as their spiritual bodily perpetual Svarūpa form, who they are eternally, is in their original position in the Spiritual Planets of Vaikuntha and Goloka Vrindavana.

Understanding this is important to comprehend.

We also should not be like the foolish man on the roof during a flood who ignorantly prayed to Krsna (God) in the following sentimental way-

Once a man was stuck on his rooftop during a great flood and prayed to Krsna to be saved with the idea only Krsna's personal appearance would only be accepted.

Soon a man in a rowboat came by and shouted to the trapped man on the roof -

"Jump in, I can save you from this big flood!"

The stranded man shouted back,

"No, it's OK, I'm praying to Krsna and He alone is going to save me."

So the rowboat went away.

Then a motorboat came by and the man in the motorboat shouted out,

"Jump in my boat, I can save you, the flood is getting worse, I will save you from drowning."

To this the stranded man on the roof again declined the help and shouted back,

"No thanks, I'm praying to Krsna and He is going to save me personally, I have faith in my Lord He will do this."

So the motorboat went away too.

Then a helicopter came by and the pilot also shouted down to the trapped man on the roof,

"Grab this rope I am throwing  down to you so I can lift you to safety."

To this the stranded man again replied,

"No thanks, I'm praying to Krsna and He is going to save me, I have faith that Krsna will only personally come and save me."

So the helicopter reluctantly flew away as well.

Soon the water rose high above the rooftop and the man drowned.

After the man left his material bodily vessel due to its death, he was taken to Yamaraj the Lord of death and discussed his situation with Yamaraj.

The jiva-soul that was in that material vessel said to Yamaraj the Lord of death-

"I had faith in Krsna but He didn't save me, He let me drown, I don't understand why!"

To this Yamaraj replied,

"Krsna DID answer your prayers, He sent you a rowboat, then a motorboat and then a helicopter, what more did you expect from Krsna!? 

Krsna tried to help you but you were so foolish you could not see that it was Krsna who was trying to help you all along!".

So the conclusion is, it is not that Krsna has to personally appear to save His devotee.

No, Krsna can come in many different ways, or send many different living entities and spiritual guides to help His devotees, as Prabhupada has clearly told us by his proper examples.

An example of ignorantly praying to God was recently in the news here in a country Town within a Western Christian pentecostal cult who did not believe in vaccines, hospitals or modern Western doctors.

Sadly, within their cult a young child was very, very sick and the leader of the cult called all the congregation to pray and chant around the boy to heal the child.

So this went on for a few days and other members of the cult came from other Towns to also pray around the child.

However, one member brought a friend along who just happened to be a doctor.

So eventually they arrived at the house and also started praying and chanting around the child, singing the glories of God to save the child.

Eventually after a few hours, the visitor, who just happened to be a doctor, noticed some symptoms from His training and took a closer look, the child was near death at this time.

To the doctors surprise, his diagnosis determined the child's Appendix had burst and demanded they call an Ambulance.

The determined cult leader refused saying that only faith by prayering to God can only heal the child and nothing else is needed.

The doctor strongly disagreed and then called the Police who came and forcefully removed the child and and arranged an Ambulance to take the boy to Hospital.

Thankfully the child was saved from Appendicitis, and also from the fanatical Christian religious cult, who foolishly believed God's personal presents could ONLY help the child.

He did not understand that God can ALSO work through many others as an answer to prayer.

Furthermore, the cult leader of the religious sect was jailed for 5 years for serious child neglect.

True story.

Hare Krsna - please practise Krsna Consciousness intelligently as Prabhupada shows by his example above.*.1