Two kinds of diseases

Expressions researched:
"two kinds of diseases"

CC Adi-lila

Everyone should know that there are two kinds of diseases in human society. One disease, which is called adhyātmika, or material disease, pertains to the body, but the main disease is spiritual.

CC Adi 10.51, Translation and Purport:

As Murāri Gupta treated his patients, by his mercy both their bodily and spiritual diseases subsided.

Murāri Gupta could treat both bodily and spiritual disease because he was a physician by profession and a great devotee of the Lord in terms of spiritual advancement. This is an example of service to humanity. Everyone should know that there are two kinds of diseases in human society. One disease, which is called adhyātmika, or material disease, pertains to the body, but the main disease is spiritual. The living entity is eternal, but somehow or other, when in contact with the material energy, he is subjected to the repetition of birth, death, old age and disease. The physicians of the modern day should learn from Murāri Gupta. Although modern philanthropic physicians open gigantic hospitals, there are no hospitals to cure the material disease of the spirit soul. The Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement has taken up the mission of curing this disease, but people are not very appreciative because they do not know what this disease is. A diseased person needs both proper medicine and a proper diet, and therefore the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement supplies materially stricken people with the medicine of the chanting of the holy name, or the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra, and the diet of prasādam. There are many hospitals and medical clinics to cure bodily diseases, but there are no such hospitals to cure the material disease of the spirit soul. The centers of the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement are the only established hospitals that can cure man of birth, death, old age and disease.

Bhagavad-gita As It Is Lectures

There are two kinds of diseases. The voracious eaters, they are attacked with diabetes and those who cannot eat sufficiently, they are tuberculists (?). So you cannot eat more or you cannot eat less. You just eat what you require. If you eat more then you must be diseased. And if you eat less, you must be diseased.

Lecture on BG 6.13-15 -- Los Angeles, February 16, 1969:

Generally this yoga practice goes on in the name of improving health. Somebody goes to reduce fat. You see? Reduce fat. Because you are rich nation, you eat more and become fatty and again pay yoga practice fees and reduce your fat. That is going on. I have seen some advertisement the other day, "Reduce your fat." Why you increase your fat? The nonsense they will not understand. That if I have to reduce it, why I increase it? Why not be satisfied with simple foodstuff? If you eat grains and vegetables and light foodstuffs, you'll never get fatty. You see? You'll never get fatty. Reduce eating as much as possible. Don't eat at night. Practice yoga like this. If you become voracious eater, you'll be—there are two kinds of diseases. The voracious eaters, they are attacked with diabetes and those who cannot eat sufficiently, they are tuberculists (?). So you cannot eat more or you cannot eat less. You just eat what you require. If you eat more then you must be diseased. And if you eat less, you must be diseased. That will be explained. Yuktāhāra-vihārasya yogo bhavati siddhi.... You are not to starve, but don't eat more. Our program, kṛṣṇa-prasāda, is that you eat kṛṣṇa-prasāda. Eating is required, you have to keep your body fit for any practice. So eating is required. But don't eat more. Don't eat less also. We don't say that you eat less. If you can eat ten pounds, eat. But if you cannot eat ten pounds, out of avarice, out of greediness you eat pounds, then you will suffer. You see? So here is the, what is that? No material facilities.

Srimad-Bhagavatam Lectures

Because you have got material attachment, therefore something material lost we lament and something material we do not possess, we hanker. The two kinds of diseases.

Lecture on SB 7.6.1 -- Madras, January 2, 1976:

Everyone is engaged in this bodily engagement, so-called, so many isms, all the activities of the world, because on account of this bodily conception of life. So when one becomes freed from the bodily conception of life he comes to the understanding of Brahman identification, and that is the beginning of mukti. That is not mukti.

Therefore in the Bhagavad-gītā it is said that brahma-bhūtaḥ prasannātmā (BG 18.54). As soon as one realizes that "I am not this body, so why I should be interested in so-called social life or political life or this life, that life, because they are all due to this bodily conception of life?" So when one understands that "I am not this body, so what business I have got, this bodily conception of activities?" Prasannātmā, "I have no responsibility. I have no more responsibility with this bodily platform," prasannātmā, he gets relieved of so many engagements on account of this body: "I am Indian. I am a Hindu. I am brāhmaṇa. I am chief of this family. I have to take care of the so many persons," and so on, so many responsibilities. And so he feels relieved: "No, I have no responsibility." Brahma-bhūtaḥ prasannātmā na śocati na kāṅkṣati (BG 18.54). If he does not identify himself with this matter, then if the matter is lost or gained what he has got to do with it? Na śocati na kāṅkṣati. Because you have got material attachment, therefore something material lost we lament and something material we do not possess, we hanker. The two kinds of diseases. So brahma-bhūtaḥ means these things are the symptom: he is joyful, prasannātmā, na śocati na kāṅkṣati, and samaḥ sarveṣu bhūteṣu. Then he can see.

These two kinds of diseases makes us always full of anxieties. Why you are anxious? For these two things, Śocati and kāṅkṣati. Lamentation for the loss and hankering after which we do not possess.

Lecture on SB 7.9.8 -- Montreal, July 1, 1968:

There are so many yoga systems simply to come to the platform of this knowledge that "I am not this body." And as soon as one comes to this platform that "I am not this body," then what happens to him? Brahma-bhūtaḥ, self-realization. And what is that self-realization? What is the symptom? How I can understand that one is self-realized? Prasannātmā. He's jolly. (laughter) The... So long we do not come to that platform of knowledge, we are full of anxieties. And as soon as we come to the platform of knowledge that "I am not this body," the immediate symptom is joyfulness, prasannātmā.

How that prasannātmā is manifested? Everything is there. Na śocati na kāṅkṣati. Śocati means lamentation, and kāṅkṣati means hankering. These two things will disappear. Śocati, if we lose something, then we lament, "Oh, I have lost so much money. I have lost my son. I have lost my service," and so many things. And kāṅkṣati, kāṅkṣati means, "I haven't got this; I want this; I haven't got this." These two kinds of diseases makes us always full of anxieties. Why you are anxious? For these two things, Śocati and kāṅkṣati. Lamentation for the loss and hankering after which we do not possess.