Last night I read an article about a young second-generation Hare Krishna devotee who had committed suicide some years ago. I hadn't known him personally, but I could sympathize with his feelings of desperation, or loneliness, or anxiety, or whatever drove him to take his life.
I thought, "Someone who is suicidal, someone who is suffering from anxiety or depression, doesn't always feel like talking." So this is my attempt to reach out to you if you are suffering from anxiety or depression or feeling suicidal.
Increase Your Chanting
One thing I remember from long ago when my Guru, my Spiritual Master Srila Prabhupada was here on earth, is that when his disciples would write letters to him revealing their troubled hearts, Srila Prabhupada would write back advising them to increase their chanting of the Hare Krsna (Krishna) maha-mantra, Hare Krsna Hare Krsna Krsna Krsna Hare Hare / Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare. This is an easy but magical piece of advice to consider putting into practice. If we are not chanting Hare Krsna at all, then when we start chanting, we feel immediate relief from all kinds of negative emotions and thought processes. If we are already doing some chanting of the maha-mantra in our daily life, but we find that our mind is still troubled, when we increase our chanting, our spirits are uplifted, because we are showing Krsna (God) that we sincerely want to become happy. The reason we feel happiness when we chant God's name is this: when we chant His name, we are associating directly with the source of all happiness, Krsna and Rama, the reservoir of all pleasure.
Sanatana's Story
Another idea how to help yourself if you are feeling down is to read the passage in the Caitanya-caritamrta, Antya-lila, about how Lord Caitanya intervened after reading Sanatana Goswami's mind and understanding that he was contemplating suicide.
He explained to Sanatana that our body does not belong to us. It belongs to Krsna. We have no right to take the life of our body. It belongs to Krsna and it is for serving Krsna, so instead of destroying it, we should take good care of it and use it in Krsna's service.
“My dear Sanätana,” Lord Caitanya said, “if I could attain Krsna by committing suicide, I would certainly give up millions of bodies without a moment’s hesitation. You should know that one cannot attain Krsna simply by giving up the body. Krsna is attainable [only] by devotional service. There is no other means for attaining Him. Acts such as suicide are influenced by the mode of ignorance, and in ignorance and passion one cannot understand who Krsna is. Unless one discharges devotional service, one cannot awaken one’s dormant love for Krsna, and there is no means for attaining Him other than awakening that dormant love...Measures like suicide are causes for sin. A devotee never achieves shelter at Krsna’s lotus feet by such actions.
Because of feelings of separation from Krsna, an exalted devotee sometimes wants to give up his life. By such ecstatic love, however, one attains the audience of Krsna, and at that time he cannot give up his body. One who is deeply in love with Krsna cannot tolerate separation from the Lord. Therefore such a devotee always desires his own death..."
Caitanya Mahäprabhu told Sanätana Gosvämi, “Give up all your nonsensical desires, for they are unfavorable for getting shelter at the lotus feet of Krsna. Engage yourself in chanting and hearing. Then you will soon achieve the shelter of Krsna without a doubt..."
After hearing this, Sanätana Gosvämi was exceedingly astonished. He could understand, “My decision to commit suicide has not been greatly appreciated by Sri Caitanya Mahäprabhu.” Sanätana Gosvämi concluded, “Lord Sri Caitanya Mahäprabhu, who knows everything—past, present and future—has forbidden me to commit suicide.” He then fell down, touching the lotus feet of the Lord...
Lord Sri Caitanya Mahäprabhu said, “Your body is My property. You have already surrendered unto Me. Therefore you no longer have any claim to your body. Why should you want to destroy another’s property? Can’t you consider what is right and wrong?"
Lord Caitanya then delineated to Sanatana all the responsibilities He had planned to entrust to him in the future. “I have to do all this work through your body, but you want to give it up. How can I tolerate this?” Lord Caitanya then turned to Haridasa, and said, “My dear Haridäsa...this gentleman wants to destroy another’s property. One who is entrusted with another’s property does not distribute it or use it for his own purposes. Therefore, tell him not to do such an unlawful thing.” (CC Antya-lila, 55-88)
This Body Belongs to Krsna
We should always remember that our body does not belong to us. It belongs to Krsna. Everything belongs to Krsna, and Krsna has plans for how He will use our body now and in the future to serve Him in this world. That may include saving other innocent souls who are looking for a way out of this miserable place. He may even plan to use us to help console other souls who are suffering mentally, emotionally or physically, by befriending them and helping them find alternatives to suicide. We don't yet know how He plans to use us, but it is our responsibility to keep our bodies in good condition so that when the time comes for us to serve Krsna according to His desire--which could mean that we help someone else find new hope in their life--we will be ready.
Peaceful Mind
Srila Prabhupada told us that the mind becomes peaceful by thinking of the welfare of others. He also taught us that if we are unhappy, depressed or hopeless, we can pray to Lord Nityananda, "My Dear Lord Nityananda, I'm so unhappy. Please make me happy!" It's such a simple prayer, but if we pray with feeling, Lord Nityananda will hear us and He will help us.
The Book in the Water
Once there was a young man who was feeling deeply depressed and had gone to a cliff at the edge of the ocean to jump off and drown himself. As he sat on the rock overlooking the sea, he looked down at a cluster of rocks far below. He noticed something in the water, caught between two rocks. He was curious to find out what it was. He climbed down, and was surprised to find a book. Not only was it a book, but it was one of Srila Prabhupada's books about Krsna consciousness! The ink was somehow still intact, and the pages had not been ruined by the water. He read the book, and turned his life around. He gave up the idea of suicide and dedicated his life to becoming Krsna conscious. By surrendering to Krsna, he became happy and mentally healthy, and he discovered a positive way to help others find happiness.
Self-Care Kit
There is a website called The Mighty (https://themighty.com) where a person can go to find helpful articles and ideas if they are feeling lonely, depressed, suicidal or in some way mentally disturbed. A friend sent me the link to help me find consolation after my brother committed suicide. I was very angry and upset after my brother committed suicide, and reading through the articles gave me some solace, some comfort. In one article, it is recommended that one keep a self-care kit handy for when one is in crisis. Some of the ingredients suggested for a self-care kit are: (1) a stuffed animal (for a Hare Krsna devotee, this could mean a Krsna doll or a Rama doll or a Nrsimha doll or a Hanuman doll) (2) a journal and some pens, (3) headphones to block out noise or to listen to music (Hare Krsna kirtan is awesome) (4) essential oils, (5) a favorite book, (6) herbal teas (7) a favorite snack (8) snuggly socks, and (9) a blanket. There are more items listed in the article, but I will just add a suggestion of my own to this list: homeopathic remedies. Believe it or not, there are homeopathic remedies that can help calm our mind and lift our spirits. Some of the remedies I would suggest are Ignatia, Chamomilla, Lac Humanum and Lycopodium. They can be ordered online, purchased from a homeopathic outlet or a homeopathic doctor, or purchased in health food stores. You can consult a homeopathic doctor if you have questions about what potency to take or how often to take them. They come in teeny bottles so they are easy to travel with and keep handy. Make sure you keep them out of sunlight, and avoid touching the pills with your hands. Make sure your mouth is clean before you take homeopathic meds, and administer them to yourself by the cap of the bottle. A lot of companies sell their homeo remedies in little bottles that make it easy to dispense just the right number of pills. Dissolve the pills under your tongue, and don't eat or drink anything for at least fifteen minutes before and after taking the pills.
Talk to a Friend
When you're feeling down, talk to a friend. If there's no one to talk to, or you feel that you don't want to burden anyone else with your troubles, then you can talk to Krsna. He can handle it. He won't get weighed down by your depression. He will listen and He will help you by lifting your spirits and giving you a purpose in your life. He will turn everything around for you, but you have to want mental health enough to reach out to Him. He's there. He's just waiting for you to call out to Him. One really good way to call out to Krsna is by chanting His holy names: Hare Krsna Hare Krsna Krsna Krsna Hare Hare / Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare. This chant is called the maha-mantra. Maha means great, and mantra means a sound vibration that delivers the mind from suffering. You can either sing this mantra, or speak it, or whisper it, or just chant it silently in your mind. However you choose to do it, it is healing to the mind. It is a way to call out to the Lord, and He always hears us when we call Him. Krsna is the most compassionate and capable person to save us from doing something stupid like committing suicide.
Lord Rama's Promise
When Vibhishana came to surrender to Lord Rama, many objected to admitting a Rakshasa into their camp. But Rama said, "If one surrenders to Me just once, saying, 'My Lord, from this day I am Yours,' from that day I will always give him courage and protection." (Valmiki Ramayana, Yuddha-kanda, 18.21)
I Know How You Feel
And remember, when we go through hell, we can always relate to other people's hell. We can say, "I know how you feel" and really mean it. That in itself is reason to keep living because it can help someone else pull out of their depression.
Recall Positive Experiences
Remember and think about the positive spiritual experiences you've had. Dreams that made you feel connected to God, incidents in which you felt protected by Lord Nrsimhadeva, times when you've tasted the holy names of God in kirtan (singing God's names) or bhajan (singing hymns). Dwell on the sweet feelings you experienced during those times.
* You can learn more about starting therapy here, since pretty much everyone can benefit from talking to a professional.
* You can learn more about anxiety disorders here
* And if you need to talk to someone immediately, the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline can be reached at 1-800-273-TALK (8255) and the Crisis Text Line can be reached by texting HOME to 741741. Suicide helplines outside the US can be found here.
I thought, "Someone who is suicidal, someone who is suffering from anxiety or depression, doesn't always feel like talking." So this is my attempt to reach out to you if you are suffering from anxiety or depression or feeling suicidal.
Increase Your Chanting
One thing I remember from long ago when my Guru, my Spiritual Master Srila Prabhupada was here on earth, is that when his disciples would write letters to him revealing their troubled hearts, Srila Prabhupada would write back advising them to increase their chanting of the Hare Krsna (Krishna) maha-mantra, Hare Krsna Hare Krsna Krsna Krsna Hare Hare / Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare. This is an easy but magical piece of advice to consider putting into practice. If we are not chanting Hare Krsna at all, then when we start chanting, we feel immediate relief from all kinds of negative emotions and thought processes. If we are already doing some chanting of the maha-mantra in our daily life, but we find that our mind is still troubled, when we increase our chanting, our spirits are uplifted, because we are showing Krsna (God) that we sincerely want to become happy. The reason we feel happiness when we chant God's name is this: when we chant His name, we are associating directly with the source of all happiness, Krsna and Rama, the reservoir of all pleasure.
Sanatana's Story
Another idea how to help yourself if you are feeling down is to read the passage in the Caitanya-caritamrta, Antya-lila, about how Lord Caitanya intervened after reading Sanatana Goswami's mind and understanding that he was contemplating suicide.
He explained to Sanatana that our body does not belong to us. It belongs to Krsna. We have no right to take the life of our body. It belongs to Krsna and it is for serving Krsna, so instead of destroying it, we should take good care of it and use it in Krsna's service.
“My dear Sanätana,” Lord Caitanya said, “if I could attain Krsna by committing suicide, I would certainly give up millions of bodies without a moment’s hesitation. You should know that one cannot attain Krsna simply by giving up the body. Krsna is attainable [only] by devotional service. There is no other means for attaining Him. Acts such as suicide are influenced by the mode of ignorance, and in ignorance and passion one cannot understand who Krsna is. Unless one discharges devotional service, one cannot awaken one’s dormant love for Krsna, and there is no means for attaining Him other than awakening that dormant love...Measures like suicide are causes for sin. A devotee never achieves shelter at Krsna’s lotus feet by such actions.
Because of feelings of separation from Krsna, an exalted devotee sometimes wants to give up his life. By such ecstatic love, however, one attains the audience of Krsna, and at that time he cannot give up his body. One who is deeply in love with Krsna cannot tolerate separation from the Lord. Therefore such a devotee always desires his own death..."
Caitanya Mahäprabhu told Sanätana Gosvämi, “Give up all your nonsensical desires, for they are unfavorable for getting shelter at the lotus feet of Krsna. Engage yourself in chanting and hearing. Then you will soon achieve the shelter of Krsna without a doubt..."
After hearing this, Sanätana Gosvämi was exceedingly astonished. He could understand, “My decision to commit suicide has not been greatly appreciated by Sri Caitanya Mahäprabhu.” Sanätana Gosvämi concluded, “Lord Sri Caitanya Mahäprabhu, who knows everything—past, present and future—has forbidden me to commit suicide.” He then fell down, touching the lotus feet of the Lord...
Lord Sri Caitanya Mahäprabhu said, “Your body is My property. You have already surrendered unto Me. Therefore you no longer have any claim to your body. Why should you want to destroy another’s property? Can’t you consider what is right and wrong?"
Lord Caitanya then delineated to Sanatana all the responsibilities He had planned to entrust to him in the future. “I have to do all this work through your body, but you want to give it up. How can I tolerate this?” Lord Caitanya then turned to Haridasa, and said, “My dear Haridäsa...this gentleman wants to destroy another’s property. One who is entrusted with another’s property does not distribute it or use it for his own purposes. Therefore, tell him not to do such an unlawful thing.” (CC Antya-lila, 55-88)
This Body Belongs to Krsna
We should always remember that our body does not belong to us. It belongs to Krsna. Everything belongs to Krsna, and Krsna has plans for how He will use our body now and in the future to serve Him in this world. That may include saving other innocent souls who are looking for a way out of this miserable place. He may even plan to use us to help console other souls who are suffering mentally, emotionally or physically, by befriending them and helping them find alternatives to suicide. We don't yet know how He plans to use us, but it is our responsibility to keep our bodies in good condition so that when the time comes for us to serve Krsna according to His desire--which could mean that we help someone else find new hope in their life--we will be ready.
Peaceful Mind
Srila Prabhupada told us that the mind becomes peaceful by thinking of the welfare of others. He also taught us that if we are unhappy, depressed or hopeless, we can pray to Lord Nityananda, "My Dear Lord Nityananda, I'm so unhappy. Please make me happy!" It's such a simple prayer, but if we pray with feeling, Lord Nityananda will hear us and He will help us.
The Book in the Water
Once there was a young man who was feeling deeply depressed and had gone to a cliff at the edge of the ocean to jump off and drown himself. As he sat on the rock overlooking the sea, he looked down at a cluster of rocks far below. He noticed something in the water, caught between two rocks. He was curious to find out what it was. He climbed down, and was surprised to find a book. Not only was it a book, but it was one of Srila Prabhupada's books about Krsna consciousness! The ink was somehow still intact, and the pages had not been ruined by the water. He read the book, and turned his life around. He gave up the idea of suicide and dedicated his life to becoming Krsna conscious. By surrendering to Krsna, he became happy and mentally healthy, and he discovered a positive way to help others find happiness.
Self-Care Kit
There is a website called The Mighty (https://themighty.com) where a person can go to find helpful articles and ideas if they are feeling lonely, depressed, suicidal or in some way mentally disturbed. A friend sent me the link to help me find consolation after my brother committed suicide. I was very angry and upset after my brother committed suicide, and reading through the articles gave me some solace, some comfort. In one article, it is recommended that one keep a self-care kit handy for when one is in crisis. Some of the ingredients suggested for a self-care kit are: (1) a stuffed animal (for a Hare Krsna devotee, this could mean a Krsna doll or a Rama doll or a Nrsimha doll or a Hanuman doll) (2) a journal and some pens, (3) headphones to block out noise or to listen to music (Hare Krsna kirtan is awesome) (4) essential oils, (5) a favorite book, (6) herbal teas (7) a favorite snack (8) snuggly socks, and (9) a blanket. There are more items listed in the article, but I will just add a suggestion of my own to this list: homeopathic remedies. Believe it or not, there are homeopathic remedies that can help calm our mind and lift our spirits. Some of the remedies I would suggest are Ignatia, Chamomilla, Lac Humanum and Lycopodium. They can be ordered online, purchased from a homeopathic outlet or a homeopathic doctor, or purchased in health food stores. You can consult a homeopathic doctor if you have questions about what potency to take or how often to take them. They come in teeny bottles so they are easy to travel with and keep handy. Make sure you keep them out of sunlight, and avoid touching the pills with your hands. Make sure your mouth is clean before you take homeopathic meds, and administer them to yourself by the cap of the bottle. A lot of companies sell their homeo remedies in little bottles that make it easy to dispense just the right number of pills. Dissolve the pills under your tongue, and don't eat or drink anything for at least fifteen minutes before and after taking the pills.
Talk to a Friend
When you're feeling down, talk to a friend. If there's no one to talk to, or you feel that you don't want to burden anyone else with your troubles, then you can talk to Krsna. He can handle it. He won't get weighed down by your depression. He will listen and He will help you by lifting your spirits and giving you a purpose in your life. He will turn everything around for you, but you have to want mental health enough to reach out to Him. He's there. He's just waiting for you to call out to Him. One really good way to call out to Krsna is by chanting His holy names: Hare Krsna Hare Krsna Krsna Krsna Hare Hare / Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare. This chant is called the maha-mantra. Maha means great, and mantra means a sound vibration that delivers the mind from suffering. You can either sing this mantra, or speak it, or whisper it, or just chant it silently in your mind. However you choose to do it, it is healing to the mind. It is a way to call out to the Lord, and He always hears us when we call Him. Krsna is the most compassionate and capable person to save us from doing something stupid like committing suicide.
Lord Rama's Promise
When Vibhishana came to surrender to Lord Rama, many objected to admitting a Rakshasa into their camp. But Rama said, "If one surrenders to Me just once, saying, 'My Lord, from this day I am Yours,' from that day I will always give him courage and protection." (Valmiki Ramayana, Yuddha-kanda, 18.21)
I Know How You Feel
And remember, when we go through hell, we can always relate to other people's hell. We can say, "I know how you feel" and really mean it. That in itself is reason to keep living because it can help someone else pull out of their depression.
Recall Positive Experiences
Remember and think about the positive spiritual experiences you've had. Dreams that made you feel connected to God, incidents in which you felt protected by Lord Nrsimhadeva, times when you've tasted the holy names of God in kirtan (singing God's names) or bhajan (singing hymns). Dwell on the sweet feelings you experienced during those times.
* You can learn more about starting therapy here, since pretty much everyone can benefit from talking to a professional.
* You can learn more about anxiety disorders here
* And if you need to talk to someone immediately, the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline can be reached at 1-800-273-TALK (8255) and the Crisis Text Line can be reached by texting HOME to 741741. Suicide helplines outside the US can be found here.
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