Prabhupada’s Divine Hospital

What do we understand by the word hospital? We see it as a huge center for medical treatment (a medical center), where all kinds of diseased patients are treated. They get admitted to a hospital to get treated, cured, and return healthy back to their homes. Presently, due to the extraordinary success of Science and Technology, modern medical treatments are developing at great speed. The success of medical science has spread delight amongst the masses. In the year 1918 Srila Prabhupada established a spiritual treatment center in Kolkata which is known as “Prabhupader Haspatala”

Nowadays various types of advanced medical treatments for different diseases are available in the hospitals, hence hospitals are now an integral part of our civilized society. Across the world, thousands of hospitals have been built and the future will see a lot more continuing to develop and grow.

Whenever we discuss hospitals, naturally the topic of health and anything related to health comes to our mind. There is a strong link between these two terms. The main purpose of the hospitals is to provide health services to treat the diseased. Health depends on the wellness of three elements- body, mind, and society. For a disease-free body, mind, and a healthy society the need of medical centers or hospitals are essential. But due to the limitation of the treatments given by the popular medical centers, it is not possible to completely cure the diseases of the body, mind, and society. Modern medical treatment can cure the disease of the body and mind to some extent, but it is impossible to treat the diseases of society. The treatment of the society is only possible through a spiritual hospital and this work is perfectly carried out in Srila Prabhupada’s hospital.

If closely observed, we will see that in civilized society, people are wasting their time on strange negative thoughts. For their self-gratification, those who are totally engrossed in violence, enviousness, etc, promoting inappropriate activities, are the ones faking to play the roles of reformers and friends of the society, mentors, constructing hospitals, etc. The new inventions of modern science are deadly weapons. Blood is being shed in battles and wars. Those who are involved in these activities are also opening hospitals for the treatment of the injured.

But the spiritual hospital is very rare to find. The aim of the Spiritual hospital of Srila Prabhupada is that the diseased people get treated here, and eventually resettle easily in society. This is authentic treatment.

What is the necessity of a spiritual hospital for curing the diseases? As there are many hospitals in the world for this purpose. The spiritual hospitals can cure only the patients suffering from hazardous diseases. These diseases are harmful to the soul which makes the soul unhealthy. If this dangerous disease can be treated, people can get peace and well-being in their personal and social life.

In the year 1918, The founder of Gaudiya Math and Gaudiya mission, Jagat Guru- Nitya LilaPravisht Om Vishnupad Ashtotar Shat, Sri Srimad Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Goswami Thakur Prabhupada, established a spiritual treatment center in Kolkata which is known as “Prabhupader Haspatala”( Srila Prabhupad’s Hospital).  The formal name of this hospital is “Gaudiya Math” or “Gaudiya Mission.” But it has many other names like “Suddhabhakti Sangharam”, “Gaudiya Haspatala”, “Adarsha Chikitsalaya”,” Bhavbyadhi Niramay Kendra” etc. Almost a hundred percent of the people in the world are suffering from a dangerous disease -Spiritual impious activities. This hospital has been dedicated to the treatment of people suffering from this disease. The doctors of this spiritual hospital are GuruVaishnavas, and the special medicine is Sri Harinam

Stereotyped thinking, perverted mentality, suffering from the desire for material enjoyment, or the belief that material knowledge is the topmost knowledge are the common symptoms of this disease. These diseased people, due to some self-prestige do not have confidence in the treatment by the spiritual hospital. No one encourages the expansion of this spiritual hospital. Rather, they may plan or take initiatives in the closure of such a hospital.

Anyways, the type of patients that are treated in the hospital of Srila Prabhupad are mentioned below-

1. Class One patient: These are the ones who support hypocrisy and actively indulge in the same. These types of patients are deceitful and encourage it. It is indeed the most shameful thing, that be it personal life or social life, they are so deceitful that it leaves a prominent mark in every deed they do. But they do not realize what complicated disease they are suffering from.
2. Class Two patients: Those who are suffering from the desire of enjoying other’s wives belong to this class. They are very much aware that enjoying other wives is an illicit act, but what is the use of the existence of this knowledge? To satisfy their lustful desires, they give up this knowledge which is like fornication. It is very difficult to give them medication because they are not willing to follow any of the treatments.
3. Class Three patients: According to them, being faithful to your wife is the only religion. Based on this ego of “I” and “My”, they feel it is better to be engrossed in the family and that it is the only essence of life. They are afraid that if they get cured of the disease after getting treated in the hospital, their selfish motives will be hampered, and they will not be able to fulfill it. So according to them, it is better not to go to the hospital. Rather, they feel that there should be no such hospitals and that this disease should spread rapidly.
4. Class Four patients: The mind of the patients in this category is always engaged in violence. It’s their strong desire that this disease aggravates. Although the patient is suffering he is not willing to go to the hospital. According to them, it is well and good if there are no such spiritual hospitals so that disease can worsen and spread contagiously.
5. Class Five patients: This type of patient is a parasite. They are affected by the disease of seeing faults in others. They never hesitate to lie. Because of this disease of fault-finding, they lose the knowledge of judging what is right and wrong, and therefore in the absence of this knowledge, they try their best to find faults even if the other person is right.
6. Class Six patients: These patients say, “I am right”. Why are we trying to give up the pleasures of life and get rid of worldly disease? In the material pleasure lies the topmost of the essence of life. They never wish to associate with the servants of Gaudiya math.
7. Class Seven patients: These patients are highly egoistic. Due to their arrogant attitude, they are always praising themselves and say that they have the best medicine for curing the disease. They do not wish to come to the hospital of Srila Prabhupada and always try to abuse Gaudiya Math—the main symptom of their disease is their ego and arrogance.
8. Class Eight patients: They say that the hospital of Prabhupada is a fool’s place of gossip, we will visit the hospital and spend our time there. But instead of curing the disease, we will encourage the aggravation of the disease and in place of good, we will stick to the non-preferable path.

From the above-mentioned discussions, a synopsis of the classification of patients can be seen. But there is no end to diseases, and there is an ongoing addition of new patients suffering from new diseases. We need to have patience as it will take time for the diagnosis of these patients and hence Srila Prabhupada’s hospital has been built. But some people have a mindset that Srila Prabhupada’s hospital will not be helpful or heal the people of the world, the servants of this hospital are using the money obtained from others for self-nourishment. In their opinion, the hospitals which are treating the body are the best hospitals, and those who are running them are the true well-wishers of society.

But if we look around the society, what can we see? We can see that there are the rich, poor, educated, and uneducated in the society yet there are visible marks of degradation of the society. Can the present splendid modern medical treatment centers protect our society from degradation?  Should we seriously not think about this?

The increase in the tendency to get material pleasures or enjoyment has led to the decline of society. The work of Kali is to make the artificial real and real artificial. So that is why the mood of anarth grasth patients (suffering from spiritual impious deeds) is totally indifferent towards Srila Prabhupada’s hospital. People totally engrossed in sensual enjoyment and material pleasures do not realize which disease they are suffering from, or how deep is the intensity of the disease. Those who have entered the hospital of Srila Prabhupada, or are eager to be there, should know that the main reason for all diseases is avidya (no knowledge of spiritual growth). This avidya takes us away from the devotion of the Supreme Lord. Devotion towards the Supreme LordKrishna is possible only through Sadhu sang (association of pure devotees of the Lord). The life of this devotion is Sri Harinam. Those who take the shelter and guidance of true medical officers (Gurus and Vaishnavas) and take this great medicine of Harinam are never confused by this avidya(ignorance). Once avidya is eliminated, the tendency of seeking material pleasure gets cleansed from our hearts and is replaced with the fire of separation from the Supreme LordKrishna, and hence the disease of anartha is fully cured. Those who desire to do Haribhajan are their duty to spend their entire life under the shelter of Shri Guru and Vaishnavas.

For the last hundred years, the hospital of Srila Prabhupada is going on with its activities in a disciplined way and helping anarth grasth jivas (souls suffering from spiritual impious deeds), by taking them out of material enjoyments and tamasik life and putting them on the path of goodness(shreypath). Leaving all hesitations or doubts, those who are sincerely coming or will come to this hospital for the treatment of bhava-rog, will surely get the benefits and services from this hospital – Needless to say.