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Someone Has Poisoned Me - BY: NITYANANDA DAS
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The Facts About Srila Prabhupada's Poisoning by Arsenic
"So as Krishna was attempted to be killed... And Lord Jesus Christ was killed.
So they may kill me also." (Srila Prabhupada, May 3, l976, Honolulu)
"my only request is , that at the last stage don't torture me, and put me to death"
(from SPC Vol. 36, November 3, 1977 tape recorded Room Conversation)
[PLEASE NOTE: ADDRESSES, EMAILS, PHONE NUMBERS ETC. MIGHT NO LONGER BE CORRECT!]
According to Prakruti: Your Ayurvedic Constitution, by Dr. R.E. Svoboda, "Anyone who wants to use mercury for rejuvenation must be exceptionally careful about its source, and must be sure that it has been properly prepared... The quantity of mercury in any one pill is very small thanks to the processing procedure known as Bhavana... Makharadhvaja benefits all sorts of acute disease states, including especially respiratory ailments like cold, influenza, and pneumonia, and all sorts of chronic conditions, such as low blood pressure, general exhaustion, and nervous or mental debility... It is usually best to take Makharadhvaja during the coldest season of the year so that their powerful innate fire does not increase pitta."
The questionable source of Chandra Swami's makharadhvaja and the kaviraja's disclaimer letter that was never shown to Srila Prabhupada are two reasons to characterize Srila Prabhupada's caretakers as irresponsible. However, the real issue is not negligence or bungling in the care of Srila Prabhupada, but it is the arsenic poisoning.
Bhakticharu said: "Soon after that Srila Prabhupada started to speak about poison. Therefore it seemed to me that he was speaking about the adverse effect of makaradhvaja." This is expected to be a central explanation from ISKCON apologetics, that on November 10 Srila Prabhupada was talking about the makharadhvaja effects, and not talking about being poisoned by someone. They will also refer to Tamal's late October statement about the medicine, "it had turned to poison." Since, as they explain, Srila Prabhupada could not have possibly been poisoned maliciously by any of His own loving disciples, therefore any talk of poison must be about medicines which had adverse effects and were "like poison."
Thus the idea is floated that makharadhvaja was a possible source of poisoning, as it contains mercury, responsible for debilitating Srila Prabhupada's health and perhaps even having a lethal effect. Some have suggested this may have been due to His taking makharadhvaja for an extended period, thought by some to begin early in 1977. However, the makharadhvaja was taken only 2 times by Srila Prabhupada, once on October 25, and once the next day, a total of ONE DAY. But these deflections by minimizing Srila Prabhupada's statement of being poisoned is irresponsible and does not make any sense when the details of chronological history are examined.
After taking makharadhvaja, Srila Prabhupada discontinued its use, noting that "it is not acting," and that there were "adverse reactions," namely loose bowels, passing 5 times in a day. But Srila Prabhupada did not become extremely ill, or even slightly ill, from taking the makharadhvaja; He did not experience the pain, fever, vomiting, etc that one might expect with serious "poisonous" effects. Unnecessarily, Tamal introduced the poison word. Why are Tamal, Bhavananda, Bhakticharu talking about poison in October, weeks before Srila Prabhupada used the word? To confuse us about the real poison?
Srila Prabhupada discontinued the makharadhvaja even in the face of continued pressure to continue taking it. Apparently Srila Prabhupada was suspicious of the makharadhvaja, as He questioned its source, the uncanny "coincidence" of finding it ready made, the fact that it was free, and finally He inspected it Himself visually. But then He said nothing further about it, and Sastriji came from Calcutta to begin a new treatment.
Fourteen days later, the makharadhvaja issue was distant history; the loose bowels were gone before November began, and Sastriji's program had been underway for two weeks. The time between the taking of the makharadhvaja and the time at which Srila Prabhupada said He was being poisoned are too far apart for the two incidents to have any relation. On November 9, Srila Prabhupada did not say that the medicine was poisonous; He said that He heard others speaking of how He was being poisoned. Perhaps He had heard devotees whispering about poison, just as today we are hearing devotees whispering in the tape's background about poison.
By study of Srila Prabhupada's health history of late 1977, no longer does the "medicine is like poison" explanation make sense. It may sound impressive to one who has not studied the chronology and events. There is, however, some concern that the makharadhvaja obtained through Chandra Swami was spiced with poison, namely arsenic. Even if it was, there was no visible effect. Makharadhvaja is made with gold, sulfur, and mercury, and sometimes with other ingredients such as musk, pearls, mica. However, arsenic is not an ingredient of makharadhvaja. Arsenic is not known nor expected to have been an ingredient in any of Srila Prabhupada's medicines.
Anything Srila Prabhupada ate or drank as food or medicine could have been arsenic-tainted. To taint the makharadhvaja would seem much more unlikely than poisoning the milk, for example. Even if the makharadhvaja was arsenic-tainted by an outside party, it is very difficult to see how this could result in the 3 ppm in Balavanta's one month hair sample, during which the makharadhvaja was taken for 1 day. Blood clears itself of arsenic within 5 days at most. Any arsenic in the makharadhvaja would thus have been deposited decreasingly in the hair for only about 6 days out of 30. For 30 days of hair to contain an average of 3 ppm due to 6 days of arsenic-tainted blood, the levels during the first day would need to be about 25 ppm, a level which would cause acute arsenic poisoning symptoms not seen in Srila Prabhupada at that time. (see the case histories for comparisons of arsenic levels and resulting symptoms) Thus, logically, the 3 ppm was not due to 1 day worth of tainted makharadhvaja, but due to poisoning spread out over much more than 1 day. The arsenic came from elsewhere, not the makharadhvaja.
For example: if the makharadhvaja was arsenic-tainted and is thought to produce an average of 3 ppm in the hair over 30 days, the amounts would need to be: 25 for 1 day, 18 for 1 day, 10 for 1 day, 5 for 1 day, 3 for 1 day, 2 for 1 day, and about 1 ppm for the last 24 days of that month. This averages out at 3 ppm with arsenic ingested for only one day. Serious effects would ensue from 25 ppm arsenic; but only diarrhea was the result. The conclusion, again, is that 3 ppm was not due to tainted makharadhvaja.
When Srila Prabhupada spoke of being poisoned on November 9 and 10, He was not talking about makharadhvaja. The entire conversation on the 10th was of rakshasas, who could possibly do such a thing, the Guha and Sankaracharya murders, who has poisoned you, etc. The kaviraja said there must be truth to it. The discussion was obviously about intentional poisoning, not of negative medicinal effects. Yet, no one took it seriously. Why? Why now obscure the issue with a "makharadhvaja was poison" explanation? The medicine was not poisonous. And if the medicine had too much mercury, then why did Balavanta's hair test not show high levels of mercury, but only of arsenic, which is not a makharadhvaja component?
SUMMARY:
1. Makharadhvaja does not have arsenic as an ingredient.
2. Balavanta's hair analysis shows poisoning by arsenic, not by mercury.
3. Srila Prabhupada was not talking about makharadhvaja on Nov. 9 & 10.
4. The makharadhvaja was not "poisonous" enough to notice any effects
5. Makharadhvaja doesn't explain Prabhupada's poisoning statements.
6. The 3 ppm arsenic level is not due to possibly tainted makharadhvaja.
7. The 3 ppm arsenic level is due to poisoning over much more than 1 day
Srila Prabhupada left this mortal world on November 14, 1977.
But He lives forever in His instructions, and His followers will always live with Him.
"He reasons ill who tells that Vaishnavas die
While thou art living still in sound!
The Vaishnavas die to live, and living try
To spread the Holy Name around"
(Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Thākura)
HARE KṚṢṆA HARE KṚṢṆA KṚṢṆA KṚṢṆA HARE HARE
HARE RĀMA HARE RĀMA RĀMA RĀMA HARE HARE