This morning I’m going to read something from Śrīla Prabhupāda; it’s a letter that he had written to Mahendra. He said, "You have expressed the desire to become an Āyurvedic physician, but I do not think that this proposal is very good. This science is not so important to us now, because in your country there is ample facility for receiving medicines. Besides, many of the herbs which are needed for Āyurvedic treatment would have to be sent here from India, and this is not very practical. This homeopathic medicine you have mentioned is not genuine, and therefore it is a bluff. So the first medicine which you should be concerned with is to chant Hare Kṛṣṇa and to become increasingly steady in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Study Bhagavad-gītā As It Is and Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam and continue to help your godbrothers in developing Kṛṣṇa consciousness. So develop your preaching abilities in this way, and this will be the most successful and appreciated endeavor." So the first medicine which you should be concerned with is to chant Hare Kṛṣṇa, and become increasingly steady in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. In Māyāpur, Devakīnandana Prabhu from Singapore was giving a class, and someone asked, "Why do devotees involve themselves with astrology if it has to do with the material modes of nature?" And Devakīnandana said, "Actually, devotees don't put much stock in astrology, but because the material world is so miserable, they can't help but peek and see, like, 'Why am I suffering so much?' They want to see some trend, try to get some understanding of how they might relieve themselves of the suffering in the material world because it's relentless." Same reason people watch the news: there's some idea that "If I watch the news, maybe I can quell the waves of suffering in my mind," but it only increases them. “Duḥkhauṣadhaṁ tad api duḥkham atad-dhiyāham”—Prahlāda Mahārāja says that the cure is worse than the disease itself. But there is one medicine that's infallible, and it's chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa—and as Prabhupāda mentioned, also reading from and hearing from Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam and Bhagavad-gītā. So this is the main purpose of the human form of life: to develop this steadiness in chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa, hearing and chanting. And for us, it's all available. We have the parameters; we have the facility. So I'm thanking you all for taking advantage of Japa Jolt this morning, and make sure that you supplement your day by hearing from Bhagavad-gītā and Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. If you put all those three together, you'll find relief from the onslaught of miseries that come as a course of being in the material world. (01:09) ------------------------------------------------------------ To connect with His Grace Vaiśeṣika Dāsa, please visit https://www.fanthespark.com/next-steps/ask-vaisesika-dasa/?
