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Room Conversation With Dr. G. Ghosh of Allahabad , Vṛndāvana , 1977-10-16

Dr. Ghosh: Bowels move regularly?

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: No. Actually we were just about to give him enema.

Dr. Ghosh: Enema.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Yes. Just now we were going to do. He has not had any bowel movement in about six days.

Dr. Ghosh: So we will?

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: But he doesn't eat anything either, very much.

Dr. Ghosh: Ha, but you can give an enema of glucose and a little salt.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Oh. So we were going to do.

Dr. Ghosh: Glucose, you see? The bowel may be washed daily. That will also give him a little nourishment and as well as... You see? Keep his bowels going.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: I don't know if he wants to do it daily.

Dr. Ghosh: I will do it with my own hand. [Bengali] Quite good.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: The doctors who have been coming said that the heart was not bad and the tongue looks all right.

Dr. Ghosh: His urine should... Has it been recently examined?

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Yes.

Dr. Ghosh: I'd like to see the report.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Where is that report? No one ever gave me this report. [background discussion looking for report]

Prabhupāda: [Bengali with Dr. Ghosh]

Dr. Ghosh: [Bengali] I don't know how he... [Bengali] I don't know. He went to my son-in-law's at Lucknow, got all the informations and then, oh, I don't know how he followed, how he could find me. He went to Loreto Convent there---two of my granddaughters are there---inquired from them, "When your grandfather is coming?" And they told him. And the next day we met him at Loreto Convent. [laughs] What was...? A wonderful thing. Then he gave me the message. I at once... Within two hours, I started, you see. Oh, it was a very travel from...

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: How you came? By what means?

Dr. Ghosh: By that rocket bus. Sixteen hours it took us from Siliguri to Calcutta. Terrible, bone-breaking thing. I never did that in my life, sixteen hours by bus. In Calcutta, Calcutta the greatest thing. With Lord Kṛṣṇa's blessings He could, how could get otherwise. This is the third flight that we got. I mean to say, we couldn't get before that. This morning we got a flight without a great...

Prabhupāda: Rocket bus?

Dr. Ghosh: Ha, from Siliguri to Calcutta. It usually takes twelve hours, but the road was so bad that it took sixteen hours to come to Calcutta, from Siliguri to Calcutta. Then Calcutta we were delayed. We couldn't get the first flight, second flight... Couldn't rest. With greatest difficulty, third flight we came this morning. Otherwise we would have reached yesterday, last night.

Prabhupāda: [Bengali]

Dr. Ghosh: [Bengali] Our name was in the waiting list. They would not give..., do it. Anyway, we have reached.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Anyway, now it is good that you have come.

Dr. Ghosh: You should measure his urine.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: We do. We do that. We have kept a record for two months now of everything that he takes in and passes out.

Prabhupāda: You can show him the record? Huh? [pause]

Hari-śauri: Pomegranate juice, then this...

Dr. Ghosh: Rajule.[?] Expectorant.

Hari-śauri: This is Benadryl.

Dr. Ghosh: Benadryl. Expectorant. There are two kinds of expectorant. His urine report?

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: I have just sent for the detailed urine report. I sent for it. It'll come. It will just be coming. Just coming. But daily, you can see, this is how much he's taking in, this is how much urine is going out.

Dr. Ghosh: Yes. Yes. Go through them. So first let me have a good wash.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: All right. So Bhakti-caitanya Mahārāja, maybe you can help Dr. Ghosh to get into a nice room? [Prabhupāda and Dr. Ghosh talking in Bengali]

Dr. Ghosh: Don't worry. No.

Prabhupāda: Give him the best room. And have... Give him best wash.

Dr. Ghosh: Don't worry, don't worry. I will just...

Prabhupāda: [Bengali]

Dr. Ghosh: Don't worry, don't worry. Please, please be comfortable. [Bengali] I'll just go through them. [break]

Hari-śauri: ...he died recently.

Prabhupāda: He also died? He is the only person remaining. Otherwise, all my contemporary friends gone.

Lokanātha: Dr. Ghosh likes you very much.

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Lokanātha: And there's practical liking. Not just words, but he wants to render services unto you. That is better.

Prabhupāda: And Kṛṣṇa has made him happy in all respect.

Lokanātha: Yes. He was mentioning to me that.

Prabhupāda: From monetary point of view, from family life, position. He is the biggest medical practitioner in Allahabad. Everyone knows. Even in the street, Dr. Ghosh they know. So take care of him very carefully.

Lokanātha: Yes, we'll take care of him. I'll promise. Actually, his daughter was very much reluctant that he should not go or should not go immediately. But he did not hear her. He just decided to go. But I had to promise his daughter that I would take care of him. She was saying that he should not also become patient along with Śrīla Prabhupāda, as he is old and like that. We'll give him good room and nice accommodation.

Prabhupāda: Attendant, whatever he wants.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Yes, Prabhupāda. Right now we're arranging a good room. He'll have his bath, meals. He asked for some fruits, so we're arranging. Don't worry. We'll give him everything nicely as your dear old friend. I think you should begin now, Śrīla Prabhupāda. I think we should begin to give you this enema now.

Prabhupāda: Begin.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Okay. [break]

Prabhupāda: [Bengali]

Bhakti-caru: [Bengali with Prabhupāda about Lokanātha Mahārāja and Trivikrama Mahārāja, Śrīdhara Mahārāja]

Dr. Ghosh: [Bengali with Prabhupāda] That will be nice taste with a little sugar, chānā. And save his urine for tomorrow's examination. And just now I'll go to the doctor and speak to him about it, and I'll take the urine tomorrow myself, and I myself will also see. Yes. That is very important, you see? All this swelling must be reduced as soon as possible. [Bengali with Prabhupāda] Anorexia, what you call. [Bengali] Chānā, stir it up with a little sugar and nimbu rās. [Bengali]

Upendra: Lemon water? Doctor, we gave him some orange juice previously...

Dr. Ghosh: Very good.

Upendra: But just after the orange and sweet lemon we gave him, this is when his urine became very... Just afterwards his urine became...

Dr. Ghosh: Not due to that. We'll see to it. I'll stay on and just see what there is. He must have enough nourishment, and this swelling must be reduced. To strain the colon[?] is too weak.

Bhakti-caru: [Bengali about massage]

Dr. Ghosh: Massage is good, but gentle massage. The object of massage is to improve the circulation. To improve the circulation. So massage should be from below, upwards towards the heart. From below, upwards towards the heart. All these... There is a way, proper way of doing a thing, and wrong way of doing a thing. So the right way of doing a thing is massage... The object of massage is to improve the circulation. And the way is to squeeze the blood towards the heart. You see? This is first squeeze, squeezing motion. You see every tip of the finger is like... So that this swelling will also be reduced if you do it properly. This is called petrissage = squeezing towards the heart. Every nerve and muscle should be petrissage. And then just like twisting gently, very gently, always towards the heart. Squeeze the blood towards the heart. That will improve the flow and deportment. Petrissage first, then efflurage is like this. [demonstrates] And deportment. Chest should also be just like this. There's hardly any muscle left. And stomach, just like the hands of a clock. From right to left, like that. This is the way how peristalsis occurs in the intestine. You see? Towards the rectum always, like the hands of a clock. Not this way, anticlockwise. Just like that. Legs too. Similarly, from below, upwards. That is very important. That will reduce the swelling and improve the circulation. Gentle, should be very, very gentle. You know? Left side is more so. And you should change him from side to side. His body shouldn't be kept in one position for a long time. That is increase the hypostasis and increase the... Look at this.

Prabhupāda: Who is taking the...

Trivikrama: Chanting, you want?

Prabhupāda: No. The instruction.

Upendra: We're all watching, Śrīla Prabhupāda---Bhakti-caru, Upendra, Bhavānanda, Śatadhanya.

Dr. Ghosh: Just put the pillow. That will facilitate. Yes, like that. Always upwards.

Lokanātha: Isn't it too high?

Dr. Ghosh: Towards the heart. Gentle. Very gentle. And then you can just... Very, very gentle. If you just hold it a little, so that he has... [slapping sound] Like that. Just for two minutes, three minutes, but frequently. Yes, frequently. Both hands, both legs. Then at the back, too, you rub with a little spirit and powder. That also improves the circulation. A little powder, talcum powder, will help the hands to play freely. You see? Instead of oil, a little powder will be better in this way. Yes. And he should be changed from different position. Posture should be changed frequently.

Trivikrama: How often?

Dr. Ghosh: Can you turn to one side gentle? I would like to see his back.

Bhakti-caru: Prabhupāda? [Bengali]

Dr. Ghosh: [Bengali] Any side. Left side will be better because heart is on the left side. That will be less... Yes. Turn him on his left. That's fine. That's fine. Grape juice? Grape juice he doesn't like? Grape juice? That's more nourishing than that pomegranate juice, but pomegranate juice very good for sick feeling and all. Grape juice also. Little Horlicks. Changes, change every hour or two hours. Just a few teaspoons. And chānā and a little dahī. You see all these he must be getting. Anyway, his urine should be had the first thing he took. There are too many people in this room. Let him have more oxygen. If you don't... More oxygen. More oxygen. [window opens]

Bhavānanda: But then he's afraid of draft. Draft.

Dr. Ghosh: No, no. No draft. Fresh air. No draft.

Prabhupāda: You can open it.

Bhakti-caru: We opened it, Śrīla Prabhupāda. [Bengali]

Dr. Ghosh: [Bengali about Horlicks] Just a few teaspoons.

Prabhupāda: [Bengali] ...cough.

Bhakti-caru: Dudhkhile mucus haya. Kal ke ami...[?]

Dr. Ghosh: We'll see to that. I am here.

Bhakti-caru: Sixty cc. Only sixty cc milk he took, and he started coughing the whole night.

Dr. Ghosh: [Bengali] ...chānā, solid chānā... [Bengali] Massage upwards towards the heart. [Bengali] ...preferably on the left side, preferably on the left side, like this. This is an ideal position for him. I would like to go and see the doctor who will examine his urine tomorrow. [Bengali]

Prabhupāda: [Bengali]

Dr. Ghosh: [Bengali] Don't worry about me. He asked me whether I have brought my wife with me or not. [laughs] I have come running, leaving everything. [background discussion about arrangements] [kīrtana]

Prabhupāda: [Bengali] Gāḍi? Car?

Bhavānanda: Car. Yes, car is here for him.

Prabhupāda: So, car is reserved for his use?

Bhavānanda: He is going for the urinalysis.

Prabhupāda: No. In our car he is going or not? How he is going?

Bhavānanda: He's not going yet, Śrīla Prabhupāda.

Prabhupāda: So car must be ready.

Bhavānanda: Yes. I'll go and make the arrangements. [long pause] [kīrtana]

Bhagatjī: [Bengali]

Prabhupāda: Doctor, urine examination?

Bhagatjī: [Bengali]

Prabhupāda: I want to see doctor... [Bengali] Where is Tamāla?

Girirāja: Call Tamāla Kṛṣṇa. Call Tamāla Kṛṣṇa. The doctor said that it should help the blood to go to the heart, so it should be always towards the heart. Prabhupāda started telling him it should be towards the heart. [Hindi conversation with Rāma dāsa Shastri] [kīrtana] [end]