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When there is something wrong in the physical body, there is mental disease. That we accept also. But the mental disease is there, basically, that he is thinking that he is body

Expressions researched:
"When there is something wrong in the physical body, there is mental disease. That we accept also. But the . . . that mental disease is there, basically, that he is thinking that he is body"

Conversations and Morning Walks

1975 Conversations and Morning Walks

Psychiatrist: (Spanish)

Hṛdayānanda: (translating) He said to some extent they see that when there's something wrong with the physical body, it causes a manifestation of a mental disease.

Prabhupāda: When there is something wrong in the physical body, there is mental disease. That we accept also. But the . . . that mental disease is there, basically, that he is thinking that he is body.

Hṛdayānanda: (translating) He said that he came here . . . he wants to know, more or less, our views on psychiatry.

Prabhupāda: Of course, I am not a psychiatrist, but what is the subject matter of psychiatrist? May I know? So far I know, that when a man becomes mad, he requires consultation of a psychiatrist. Is that all right? (Hṛdayānanda talks with other man in Spanish)

Psychiatrist: (Spanish)

Hṛdayānanda: (translating) He says that nowadays psychiatry is not so much concerned just with crazy people, but it's just concerned with the human problems.

Prabhupāda: Yes. That is very good. So what is the human problem in their understanding?

Psychiatrist: (Spanish)

Hṛdayānanda: (translating) He said to some extent they see that when there's something wrong with the physical body, it causes a manifestation of a mental disease.

Prabhupāda: When there is something wrong in the physical body, there is mental disease. That we accept also. But the . . . that mental disease is there, basically, that he is thinking that he is body.

Psychiatrist: (Spanish)

Hṛdayānanda: (translating) He says that he was speaking about an organic . . . for example, if someone has a tumor in their brain, it causes irritability, anxiety, suffering and so many things. They are seeing more there's some physical defect.

Prabhupāda: The physical defect . . . just like a driver of the car, and when his car is damaged, the driver becomes very sorry, that "My car is now broken, damaged." But is the driver is the carriage?

Hṛdayānanda: Is the driver . . .?

Prabhupāda: Is the carriage. Sometimes a valuable car is damaged, and the proprietor or the driver, he becomes very sorry, almost half-dead, "Oh, my car is lost." So this is due to his too much attraction for the car. When the machine, car, stops does not mean the driver is damaged. But he thinks, "Now I am finished. My car is damaged." But although he is not the car, he thinks that he is damaged. So that is mental disease. He is different from the car, but he thinks that he is damaged by the damage of the car. And if he knows correctly that, "What is that? I will get another new car," what is the cause of suffering? The driver is not the car, but on account of his too much absorption, identifying the car with him, he suffers. So if the psychiatrist informs him that "Why you are sorry? You are not the car," then he's cured.

So the modern civilization defect is that he is not this body, but he does not know it. Therefore, in the Vedic literature it is said, yasyātma-buddhiḥ kuṇape tri-dhātuke (SB 10.84.13): "Anyone is identifying himself with this body, which is made of material element," yasyātma-buddhiḥ kuṇape tri-dhātuke sva-dhīḥ kalatrādiṣu, "and in bodily relationship he is thinking his family is protector, his nation is protector—in this way, one who lives, he is no better than the animal." Therefore in the Bhagavad-gītā. . . (aside) Find out this verse, aśocyān anvaśocas tvaṁ prajñā-vādāṁś ca bhāṣase.

Hṛdayānanda:

śrī bhagavān uvāca
aśocyān anvaśocas tvaṁ
prajñā-vādāṁś ca bhāṣase
gatāsūn agatāsūṁś ca
nānuśocanti paṇḍitāḥ
(BG 2.11)

(reads translation in Spanish)

Prabhupāda: So this verse says that, "You are speaking like a learned man, Arjuna," He addressed Arjuna, "but you are not very learned man, because you are considering of the body." Just like the proprietor of the car, the driver, while the car is going on nicely or car is stopped, no more working, he is disinterested that he knows very well that, "I am not this car." Therefore it is said, gatāsūn agatāsūṁś ca nānuśocanti paṇḍitāḥ: "Anyone who is actually learned, he does not consider very seriously about the body, either it is dead or alive." So basically we are, all, every one of us, we are spirit soul. The body is just like a machine. We have got it. But we are taking of the machine very much, not for ourself. Whole world is taking care of the body but not of the driver of the body, the spirit soul. Everyone is thinking, "I am this body, and because this body is born in America, I am American, and because the body is white, therefore I am white, or black." In this way everyone is identifying with the body. Nobody is identifying with the spirit soul. That is the basic disease of the human society.

Page Title:When there is something wrong in the physical body, there is mental disease. That we accept also. But the mental disease is there, basically, that he is thinking that he is body
Compiler:BhavesvariRadhika
Created:2022-09-21, 10:56:20
Totals by Section:BG=0, SB=0, CC=0, OB=0, Lec=0, Con=1, Let=0
No. of Quotes:1