Question

Who cured Krishna's diseases?

Answer 1

In this Kali-yuga, if we try to remember Sri Krishna by meditation, which is prescribed for Satya-yuga, the golden age, we will not be able to remember.  Our minds are very restless, dwelling on the non-eternal things of the world.  Impressions of lakhs (100,000) and lakhs of births are stored in the mind.  There are four kinds of piety: tapah, saucam, daya, and satyam (austerity, cleanliness, mercy and truthfulness).


 In Treta-yuga, when one of these four (tapah) had become diminished, it was not possible to practice meditation.  Then sacrifice to Lord Vishnu was prescribed.  If you have attachment for worldly things, you should give those worldly things for the service of Bhagavan Sré Krishna.  In this way, you can concentrate on the ultimate target of worship.  This could be accomplished in Satya-yuga by meditation, and in Treta-yuga by sacrifice.


In Dvapara-yuga, two kinds of piety had become diminished, tapah and 


saucam.  People became more influenced by the senses and became incapable of uttering mantras correctly.  Thus, they could not perform sacrifice.  So the people of this era were told, “You should worship the Deity and engage all the senses and the objects of the senses in this way.”  All indriyas, all gross and subtle senses, including the mind, should be engaged in the service of Sri Krishna.  If you serve the Deity, you have dedicated all the sense organs and all the objects of the sense organs.  The purpose of this is to develop concentration on the object of devotion.


But in Kali-yuga we cannot perform Deity worship because we are diseased.  A diseased person is prohibited from Deity worship.  We are incapable of rising early in the morning.  We cannot sit in the temple for a long time.  Two or three hours are required for worship.  After half an hour, we become distracted.


  We are diseased, so how can we worship?  There is one sloka:

 

krite yad dhyayato vishnum

tretayam yajato makhaih

dvapara paricaryayam

kalau tad dhari-kirtanat



“Whatever benefit human beings received in Satya-yuga by meditation, in Treta-yuga by sacrifice and in Dvapara-yuga by Deity worship, they can receive in Kali-yuga by the chanting of the Holy Name.”


Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu appeared to teach us:


harer nama harer nama harer namaiva kevalam

kalau nasty eva nasty eva nasty eva gatir anyatha    
 

“Harer nama harer nama harer nama.”  Thrice it is said to give emphasis.  This means, “Yes!  You should do it!  You should do it!  You should do it!”  Harinama!  If anybody says you should perform meditation, the reply is, “No!  Harinama!”  By practicing pranayama, etc.


, “No!  Harinama!”  By oblations, “No!  Harinama!”  This verse says “No!  Harinama!” thrice and “only Harinama, nothing else.”  “Kalau nasty eva nasty eva nasty eva.”  There is no other way, no other way, no other way—thrice—in this Kali-yuga.