Before and After — a study of drugs v/s Krsna Prasadam;
Srila Prabhupada explains the “drug” philosophy
Srila Prabhupada explains why people take drugs and other
forms of intoxication — very nice explanation and easy to understand.
TAKING DRUGS – IS NOT SPIRITUAL
Srila Prabhupada clearly explains why people take to intoxication. Many times people will say, taking drugs is spiritual- below he explains why this is total madness. Some of us have had to deal with these crazy type of people who mistake intoxication for spirituality. They will say– “Oh it says right there in Bhagavad gita – Krsna says “I am the healing herb”…… Srila Prabhupada explains it all-very clearly– for those who can “hear”. Please forward to someone who might be in these situations, who NEED Krsna Prasadam !
Before honouring the Prasadam we say the following prayer:
mahā-prasāde govinde / nāma-brahmaṇi vaiṣṇave
svalpa-puṇya-vatāṁ rājan / viśvāso naiva jāyate
For those who have amassed very few pious activities, their faith in maha-prasad, in Sri Govinda, in the Holy Name and in the Vaishnavas is never born.
śarīra avidyā jāl joḍendriya tāhe kāl
jīve phele viṣaya sāgore
tā’ra madhye jihvā ati lobhamoy sudurmati
tā’ke jetā kaṭhina saṁsāre
O Lord, this material body is a place of ignorance, and the senses are a network of paths leading to death. Somehow, we have fallen into this ocean of material sense enjoyment, and of all the senses the tongue is most voracious and uncontrollable. It is very difficult to conquer the tongue in this world.
kṛṣṇa baro doyāmoy koribāre jihvā jay
swa-prasād-anna dilo bhāi
sei prasādānna pāo rādhā-kṛṣṇa-guṇa gāo
preme ḍāko caitanya-nitāi
But You, dear Krishna, are very kind to us and have given us such nice prasadam, just to control the tongue. Now we take this prasadam to our full satisfaction and glorify Their Lordships Sri Sri Radha Krishna, and in love call for the help of Lord Chaitanya and Lord Nityananda.
750508rc.per Conversations 379856/530501
Kim: One more question. What do you think of the use of drugs as an aid?
Prabhupada: Drugs? That is another side of madness. Just like, human being, after the evolution of 8 million forms of bodies, he comes to human body to understand philosophy, these Vedas. So instead of utilizing life for that purpose, he wants to become again like the cats and dogs, and therefore he takes drugs. He is already cat and dog. He’s no better than cats and dogs, because he has no interest in this knowledge. He was meant for this knowledge but he remains like cats and dogs, therefore he is not satisfied, therefore he takes drugs to forget himself. This is the philosophy of drugs.
He was meant for becoming satisfied by taking this knowledge. He does not get the chance. Nobody leads him to this knowledge. He remains like cats and dogs, but as a human being if he lives like cats and dogs, he’ll never be happy. Because there is no happiness, therefore he takes drugs, to forget. This is the drug philosophy. Drug philosophy means to forget one’s present suffering. He must suffer, because his consciousness is developed. He must take this Vedic knowledge, but he does not take. Therefore he is dissatisfied, and to counteract the dissatisfaction he takes drugs. This is drug philosophy.
Kim: Perhaps often it is that, but…
Prabhupada: Not perhaps. There is no question of perhaps. We want to speak factually.
Kim: But Patanjali says that siddhis, powers, can be produced by drugs, so perhaps…
Prabhupada: Drugs are meant for medicinal purposes, not for drinking or taking generally. Every herb, every vegetable, is a drug meant for curing a particular disease. This is nature’s gift. Just like if you cut your finger, you take little grass and take a little juice and apply it. It will act as tincturizing, immediately. They are meant for this purpose. These vegetable, drugs, are meant for when you are sick or disturbed, you can utilize. Not for intoxication. Just like opium. If you have severe type of dysentery, diarrhoea, a little opium it will immediately cure. But opium is not meant for using as an intoxication. There is use of opium. Morphia, opium, they have got use at a certain time, not for using it for intoxication. That is foolish.
Amogha: Srila Prabhupada, can drugs sometimes be used to help us for spiritual realization?
Prabhupada: No. That is nonsense. Spiritual realization means knowledge. Not to become intoxicated.
The spiritual… Just like this is spiritual knowledge. So what the intoxicated person will understand? Even a sane man cannot understand. Then how he will understand in intoxication? It is foolishness. They are suffering material pangs. By taking drugs the suffering is forgotten, and he is thinking that is the solution. Spiritual means negation of material distress. So he is always suffering from material distress. By taking drug, temporarily he forgets it. Therefore he misunderstands “This is spiritual.” That’s not spiritual. Then committing suicide is also spiritual? One man is suffering, and the suffering is so great he cannot tolerate, therefore he sometimes commits suicide. Is that comitting suicide spiritual? Spiritual means negation of material distresses, that’s a fact. But that is a different thing. When you come to the spiritual platform, not by artificially forgetting your material suffering. That is not spiritual.
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