Devotional service and medical help and care, go side by side.

Trying to better understand the mental illness in some devotee and congregational members in ISKCON. 

Mental illness is NOT understood very well in ISKCON today, often devotee’s broadcast a 60 year old quote from Prabhupada that condemns psychiatrists and mental health professionals. 

However, understanding mental illness has come a long way in the last 60 years since Prabhupada made those comments, and the following comment should NOT be applied today in 2023 because proper mental professional can and do help devotees where in many cases, ISKCON cannot help devotees and, as we have seen, just ignore their struggles by quoting out dated comments from Prabhupada.

Srila Prabhupada - "Psychiatrists are humbug, all humbug. They cannot help. Best thing is to be engaged in continuously chanting and hearing Sankirtana, that will cure anyone of mental disease." (Letter to Upendra, Feb 19, 1972) 

Today in 2023 I believe that comment by Srila Prabhupada does not apply and is certainly not relevant to today’s time, place and circumstance of mantal health! 

Although one should ALWAYS chant Hare Krsna no matter what situation they are in.

Other than that, in most cases, the new medicines given by modern psychiatrist today, that did not exist 60 years ago, DOES help one perform their devotional service and should be researched to find a medication suitable for elevating serotonin levels in the brain.

Therefore, to call all psychiatrists humbug in today’s world is not correct and not right and certainly does not apply in today's world. 

Those who use the above comment by Prabhupada are ignorant of what is going on in the world today that is a lot different than the world Prabhupada was born into in 1896.

Over the last 60 years the world of medicine has greatly changed, many medical advances have happened that never existed when Prabhupada was here, so how can they all be humbug when he never had full knowledge of medical science in the 1960s and early 70s.

Back then medical science about the brain was in its early infancy.

So, many comments Srila Prabhupada said back then about psychiatry cannot be applied to today’s practice of psychiatry.

For example, psychiatry back in Srila Prabhupada’s day was influence strongly by Freudian ideas, a man of his time (he was born in 1856).

Śrīla Prabhupāda has said - “By speculating on some shock that may or may not have occurred in childhood, one will never discover the root disease. He [Freud] did not know the basic principle of spiritual understanding, which is that we are not this material body, we are different from this body, and we are transmigrating from one material body to another." (Vaniquotes discussion with devotees)

Today also many psychiatrists reject the outdated Freudian ideas, His method of cure was to have the patient try to recall the painful events of their childhood or some trauma in their lives and analyse them, Prabhupada referred to practise as nonsense. 

Psychiatric therapy today in 2023 is more in favour of chemical medicines like anti-depressants and anti-psychotics that acts on the damaged brain substance that is chemically unbalanced due to physical trauma.

In many cases, this therapy developed in the mid 1990s works well I have experienced, rather than turning to uneducated people, including immature young devotees, who have no professional training to properly deal with mental illness.  

There are many researchers who believe that an imbalance in serotonin levels influences mood in a way that leads to depression, in 1970 this research was in its infancy and Prabhupada had no knowledge of this and only preached we are not the material bodily vessel we are in, which he is right.

Trying to repair or fix the material bodily vessel's brain substance was not his concern, he simply preached we are not the material body.

But the fact is, to understand that, we must have a healthy ans sane human form (body) of life.

This repairing the material bodies brain substance is where Prabhupada lacked knowledge however, in all fairness back then in the 1960s almost everyone did.

The inbalance in the brain substance can be balanced with serotonin medication and other new medications now available since the mid 1995. 

Srila Prabhupada never commented on that form of psychiatry that is so prominent today in 2023 because it NEVER existed while he was with us.

So, to apply Srila Prabhupada's comment that all Psychiatrists are "humbug" today is a irresponsible and even dangerous for those who DO need help and support from a bonafide Psychiatrist.

To make a blanket comment that all psychiatrist are humbug by saying "they cannot help" or they are "all humbug" found in Srila Prabhupada’s letter in 1972, is just simply NOT true and WRONG in today's society.

To help us in our devotional service, sometimes we have to accept the help of the medical industry as many devotees including Jayapataka Swami, Mukunda Goswami, Gopal Krsna Goswami (some had byepass heart surgery)

Some devotees who had heart bypass surgery and other life saving procedures, are often criticised by a few ISKCON fanatical devotees, claiming they should follow only Ayurvedic medical methods in stead.

Sadly, they are often criticised by these ISKCON and Gaudiya math Ayurvedic fanatics who call modern Doctors and Surgeons "disgusting meat eating, karmi, Godless demon Doctors," then using Prabhupada's misinformed comment - "They are all humbug" to back their nonsense ignorance, saying nothing else can help you except the chanting of Hare Krsna."

The fact is, are these misinformed silly devotees going to ONLY chant Hare Kṛṣṇa if they break their leg? 

Foolishly they think only the chanting of Hare Krsna will heal their broken bones? Or refuse a breathing ventilater if they have Covid-19 and can't breath? (We know most of them died including Gurus and Sanyasis)

Mental illness is the same as a broken leg, medication is also needed to bring balance to the brain, and like the healing of a broken leg, the chanting of Hare Krsna will help you remember Krsna and will not heal a broken leg. 

God helps those who help themselves to seek out the proper medical help to.

I remember some years ago in the 1970s a devotee was offered psychiatric help but was told to reject it by immature Temple authorities at that time who told him that "no meat eating nonsense karmi Godless demon" can ever help a devotee of Kṛṣṇa, claiming "only Krsna can help you, He is the ONLY real doctor, so pray to Him and have faith in just chanting Hare Krsna!"

Sadly, this nonsense immature dogma is still prevalent today in some ISKCON Temples, who always call Hospitals, meat eating Doctors and Psychiatrists, demons.

Very immature!

Sadly, this has caused some devotees and congregational members to avoid the help of modern medicine they need and suffer because of such extremism ignorance and nonsense, even to the point of suicide.

Even with the Covid-19 pandemic (2020/23) where vaccination is the ONLY way out of being infected, sadly some devotees refuse to be vaccinated and condemns all vaccinations.

Ayurvedic medicine may help with some symptoms but it can NOT cure Covid-19 as previous proved during the Spanish flu pandemic of 1919/20 when 22 million people died in just India and 100 million world wide, and with the recent COVID-19 pandemic 2020/23 that killed 8 million world wide, it was useless against stopping Covid-19.

Even many big, big sannyāsis and ISKCON Gurus have died from Covid-19 because their Ayurvedic medication was useless against the virus.

History provides vaccinations work, Small pox, Polio, Diphtheria have all been eradicated because of vaccines.

Such immature ISKCON fanatics who demand you avoid vaccinations and specialist western educated doctors when sick, will only keep devotees and sincere congregational members, who need medical help, suffer more in ignorance under the advice of some immature ISKCON devotees and Temple authorities. 

The fact is, don’t listen to these people’s opinions on mental illness and vaccines, always have faith that Krsna DOES help those who seek out the medical help they need, to help themselves overcome different illnesses. 

As said above, all psychiatrists are NOT humbug in today’s (2023) world. 

Mental illness, just like a broken leg, also needs the proper medication to bring balance to the brain cells, like the healing of a broken leg. 

The chanting of Hare Krsna will help you only remember Krsna, but you must also make the endevour to help yourself and seek out medical care too.

Some of Prabhupada's letters are therefore meant for a particular time, place and circumstance, and are not  meant for all future time as the "humbug" letter reveals.

All doctors and psychiatrists are not demons, and certainly not humbug! There are many, many good medical Doctors who can help you.

The fact is, our medical profession has come a long way since Srila Prabhupada was here and in most cases, you cannot apply his teachings to all time, place and circumstance. 

Even some information in Prabhupada's 8th Canto purport in Srimad Bhagavatam need more clarification and explanation instead of just following blindly because the comments by Prabhupada do not seem to be clear. 

For example, Prabhupada's claim the moon is further away from earth then the Sun, not even Sadaputa dasa, ISKCON's PhD Cosmologist agrees with.

After Sadaputa read Surya Siddhanta by Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura, Srila Prabhupada’s spiritual master, he concluded the Moon is about 258 thousand miles away from earth and NOT 96 million miles away Srila Prabhupada has claimed.

Just a humble request by not only me, but of many others that this should be correctly explained. 

After all, it is claimed Prabhupada’s Books are directions for society for the next 10,000 years.

However, in all fairness, Srila Prabhupada’s main point in all his preaching and writings is we are not the material bodily vessel we are trapped in, and should now finish up our selfish existence in this material world and return back home back to Godhead. 

So yes, we are not these troublesome material bodily decaying vessels but an eternal spiritual bodily form meant to be in our real home of Goloka Vrindavana in the perpetual spiritual world. 

Over the years many ignorant ISKCON Temple leaders would often demand when you are sick-

“Snap out of it prabhu!! Your in Maya, get off the mental platform and just chant Hare Kṛṣṇa, nothing else can help you! These meat eating demon doctors and their medicines will never help you because they are made by karmi meat eaters!"

Such narrow minded ignorant instructions will NEVER help anyone with mental illness! 

In fact, because of such fanaticism some devotees have even committed suicide because they were told in ISKCON not to take their "karmi" medication because it's made by meat eating karmi demons!

It will take ISKCON many more generations to mature and properly guide the people of this world into mature spiritual life.

Mental illness is caused by brain damage or some childhood trauma that is often difficult to understand. 

In most cases, it is something you cannot get over unless you take medication, just like you cannot heal a badly broken arm unless you put it in a cast.

Similarly attempting to heal the brain substance also requires medical help.

One must always practice Krsna Consciousness in a practical way, therefore the example of the chanting Hare Krsna alone thinking it will heal your broken arm or leg is nonsense.

Such chanting of Hare Kṛṣṇa will NOT heal a broken leg or arm, you MUST see a doctor.

This means to chant Hare Krsna and believe it will heal your material body and ignore medical help for mental illness is also absurd, in fact it is an offence to chant Hare Krsna for material gain, including healing your material body.

The fact is yes, one should always chant Hare Krsna enthusiastically under all conditions however, one should also seek medical help to keep the material body healthy. 

Of course doctors are not going to help us on our death bed because the material body will eventually grow old, break down and wear out, in that case only the chanting of Hare Krsna will help you remember Krsna.

Here are some interesting quotes about understanding Srila Prabhupada’s instructions according to time, place and circumstance-

Jayadvaita Swami – “What Prabhupada said sometimes differed. Sometimes he spoke for the benefit of an individual, sometimes for the world. Sometimes what he said was for the moment, sometimes forever. So as well as we can we need to recognize, in what Prabhupada said, not only the content but the intent." (quotes from vedabase)

Jayadvaita Swami – “Srila Prabhupada responds to the questions of specific individuals. Though again the philosophy is always the same, we cannot assume that how he speaks it to one person is how he would speak it to all. With one inquirer he might be stern, with another sympathetic, with one subtle, with another deliberately simple. We’d be rash to cite one instance as evidence of how he would respond in all instances." (quotes from vedabase)

Jayadvaita Swami – “What Prabhupada said sometimes differed. Sometimes he spoke for the benefit of an individual, sometimes for the world. Sometimes what he said was for the moment, sometimes forever. So as well as we can we need to recognize, in what Prabhupada said, not only the content but the intent." (quotes from vedabase)

Jayadvaita Swami – “Srila Prabhupada is again addressing a particular person, in a particular time and circumstance. And this time his words are sent in a sealed envelope, not spoken in a public assembly. His words, therefore, may be intended for many people or only for one. They may give instructions meant to apply always and to everyone or only to a special circumstance and one recipient." (quotes from vedabase)

The following are very interesting comments by the late Dr. Pusta Krsna dasa who was Srila Prabhupada’s personal servant in the mid 1970s

Dr. Pusta Krsna dasa - “I must be one of those demons that a recent devotee speaks of when he talks about hospitals and modern medicine (saying they are all demons!) In my opinion, you have to be clear about physical health and the use of healers. If you subscribe to homeopathy or Ayurvedic treatments, that is a choice you personally make. 

Surely, you must know that Srila Prabhupad and so many others used medicines and treatments of those fields. His Divine Grace also would use western medicine, even surgery, when necessary, to sustain his life and his service. Prabhu, you do not know everything.

As a practicing physician and surgeon for over 30 years, you cannot imagine how much suffering I have encountered, and have been able to help. In my field, trauma to the limbs and the spine, injuries to soft tissues (skin, tendons, nerves), and infections (life and limb threatening, of which I have two patients in the hospital now), are all worthy pursuits.

It is so easy for those who are healthy and currently free from severe pain, to say “humbug” to the science and people who work to alleviate pain for others, and place the well-being of their patients above their own. Most such people who cry “humbug” are themselves enjoyers of the illusory energy. Psychiatry is a field of medicine. It involves psychology when dealing with neurotic behaviour, but it can involve medications when serious depression and psychosis occur. 

While not everyone is fully versed in that field, including myself, my eyes are not closed to the reality of mental illness. Is it simply bad karma? Sure, but do you have enough compassion to help others, both physically and spiritually. If you have the capacity and expertise, then you must help. If you don’t have the capacity or expertise, then please do not denigrate the sincere efforts of others to alleviate suffering. Prahlad was paradukhadhuki, he felt suffering for the suffering of others. 

While the chanting of the Holy Names is the ultimate path back to Home, if you try to make light of the physical and mental suffering of others, then you might one day find yourself the recipient of such unconcerned people when you your self are suffering. It will come back to you, as it must. 

Even the Bible says that those who show compassion for others, will receive compassion. It is safer, if you have the heart, to err on the side of being compassionate and caring toward those who are less fortunate. 

After all, fortune is in the hands of the Supreme Lord.  Let us therefore become more aware of the needs of devotees, being the servant of the servant, and try to bring affectionate care in our dealings with devotees.

Srila Prabhupada has said, to engage in our devotional service we need a healthy body and that means we may need the help of medical professionals, be them doctors or modern psychiatrists (obviously not the Freudian camp of psychiatrists that Srila Prabhupada said are all nonsense)

There are other psychiatrists however, who promote anti-depressants and anti-psychotics medication which have already been proven to help devotees and aspiring devotees. If they can help you then they are certainly not humbug.

Srila Prabhupada’s ultimate mission is to free us all from the entanglement of repeated birth and death and return back home back to Godhead, if we need some medical help in pursuing this goal, then get the help you need, do not ignore mental illness." (The late Dr. Pusta Krsna dasa Prabhupada’s servant)

The final comment is from Srila Prabhupada

Srila Prabhupada - "First of all, there is not question of a devotee becoming ostracized because he has become ill, nor do I think this is being widely practiced. Who has been ostracized? One of the symptoms of a devotee is that he is kind, so if our Godbrother becomes ill it is our duty to help him get the proper medicine and treatment so that he can recover." (Letter to Sukadeva on April 5, 1974) 

God helps those who help themselves.