“He feels compelled to take more responsibility than he is physically able to handle, resting only when his body gives out.”

— MARIO MARTINEZ, Psy
     Clinical Psychologist

CHAKRA (USA) - August 21, 1999: 

A. Letter from Varsana Swami

August 01, 1999 Dear Disciples, Friends, and Well-wishers, Please accept my humble obeisances.

All glories to Srila Prabhupada.

I would like to thank all the devotees who have expressed concern regarding my health problems. Throughout my healing treatments, I have become acquainted with wonderful devotees whom I would not have met otherwise. I can definitely see Lord Krsna's merciful hand in this. I would like to thank HH Romapada Swami for informing me of Dr. Nitai Gaurasundar Prabhu and his colleague Dr. Martinez. I would also like to thank Malati Prabhu for coordinating things.

In my last letter I had stated that I had become addicted to the alcohol contained in tinctures used for pain management and insomnia. I would like to add at this time that I was requested and directed to write that letter. The purpose was supposed to clarify my health situation, but because my original seven-page letter was edited (not by me) down to two and a half or so pages, the holistic overview was diminished. I feel it didn't clarify things sufficiently as there are more details left unsaid. Perhaps these accompanying doctor reports will help bring to light some of the points left out. After visiting the doctors recommended by HH Romapada Swami, it was confirmed that my problem was not one of addiction.  There has been much confusion on this issue - even I myself was unsure - but after several examinations, it was obvious to the two doctors that my health issues were not due to an addiction problem, but rather due to an imbalance of stress loads complicated with existing injuries which in turn caused the pain, insomnia, and convulsive muscle spasms to get out of control. I have enclosed both doctors' letters for the devotees to review.

Currently I have been living in a very rural farm in tune with nature, organic vegetables and herbs, fresh rivers, and minimal dependence on electricity. This is a lifestyle I am familiar with and it is extremely conducive to my health. I have been receiving neuro-muscular therapy on a daily basis from a licensed therapist. This natural healing treatment has nullified the muscular convulsions, reduced my neck and back pain considerably, and has allowed me to start sleeping at night. I have not had the need for pain or sleep medicines(tinctures or pills) since I have come here in June. I have also gained a little more weight and muscle mass. I would like to clarify that I have never taken alcohol as an escape from stress, pain, or insomnia. It was only when the insomnia, nerve pain, and most recently and more severe - muscle convulsions - started to get out of control, that I took the tinctures to suppress the central nervous system. At that time I feared that the seizures were progressing rapidly towards becoming a permanent disability. My condition seemed to be approaching a point of no return. This was not an irrational concern, because this (permanent seizure state) actually did happen to one of my Godbrothers.

With both doctors in agreement, I will continue my healing treatment in this fashion and my priority for now will remain health oriented.

Thank you very much.

Your servant,

Varsana Swami 

B. Relevant excerpts from psychological and psychiatric assessments.

Note from Madhusudani Radha devi dasi: It is often difficult to strike an appropriate balance between what is truly personal information and "the public's right to know". His two doctors and myself selected the current excerpts from the psychological and psychiatric evaluations of Varsana Maharaja jointly. All statements regarding the history, findings and prognosis relating to Varsana Maharaja's chronic pain, alcohol and substance use have been included below. Only statements irrelevant to the current controversy that are of a personal nature have been omitted. Maharaja was not involved in any of these decisions, but rather stated that he was willing to disclose any parts of his life that we deemed necessary to clarify his diagnosis and prognosis to the community of Vaisnavas.

Your servant, Madhusudani dasi

From report #1, by Dr. Ravi Singh (Nitai Gaurasundara dasa):

July 18, 1999

Dear Disciples, Friends, and Well-wishers of HH Varsana Swami,

Mr. John Mowen (Varsana Swami) was referred for evaluation and treatment to me in June 1999. Since then, I have also referred him for Dr. Martinez for psychological evaluation and intensive individual therapy. I have observed Varsana Swami for more than four weeks and have had an extensive clinical review with him.

Varsana Swami has a long history of physical problems, which were brought by his extensive involvement in farming, and construction work in New Vrndavan. Since 1972, he has suffered multiple injuries - especially concerning the back and neck. It will be pertinent to note that he has also suffered from a gunshot around the right temporal area when a gang attacked the New Vrndavan community.

As a process for getting help from his intensive chronic pain, he was prescribed numerous pain medications, which had codeine and other substances to which his body developed a tolerance. Varsana Swami also used herbal tinctures, which were prepared as muscle relaxants. Unfortunately, while he was getting this treatment, he did not receive a comprehensive diagnostic evaluation; he received the above-mentioned medication and tincture on a needed basis.

Because of his chronic intense pain, Varsana Swami has developed marked difficulty in falling asleep and whenever he sleeps, it does not last long. Hence he has initial insomnia, which is compounded with sleep disturbance. Both could be a result of his chronic pain and different medications prescribed by his physician friends.

Diagnostic Impression

In light of above history and interview, my diagnostic impression is that Varsana Swami suffers from major depression, which is at this time severe. I can emphatically say that Varsana Swami does not suffer from any addiction.

Dr. Ravi Singh (Nitai Gaurasundara dasa) MD, MPH Psychiatry Certified in addiction medicine by American Society for Addiction Medicine

From report #2 by Mario E. Martinez, Psy. D.:

FINDINGS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

Mr. Mowen (Varsana Swami) shows a long history of a dysthymic style along with multiple physical problems from job-related accidents. He tends to over-commit to the point of exhaustion exacerbating his physical problems and compelling him to self-medicate with analgesics and tincture alcohol. He does not however, meet criteria for an addiction disorder justifying inpatient treatment.

Rather than an addictive personality, he has deep psycho-spiritual conflicts stemming from his authoritarian upbringing and his calling to the priesthood from a faith diametrically different from his roots.

He feels compelled to take more responsibility than he is physically able to handle, resting only when his body gives out.

His improvement will be contingent on staying away from stressful work that requires administrative or business responsibilities. Conventional psychiatric intervention alone will not suffice due to the psycho-spiritual nature of his conflicts. Instead, he will gain much from mind/body related modalities that include the spiritual component in the healing process. The therapeutic community where he is presently living appears to be an excellent milieu if he can refrain from taking on too many responsibilities.

Mario E. Martinez, Psy. D. Clinical Psychologist

C. Letter from Garuda dasa, neuromuscular therapist:

August 01, 1999

Dear Assembled Devotees,

Please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada.

My name is Garuda dasa. I have been a licensed neuro-muscular therapist for twelve years and a practicing devotee for eleven years by the mercy of Srila Prabhupada. I had rendered my healing services to such devotees as HH Radhanath Swami, Malati Prabhu, Lohitaksha Prabhu, HH Nityodita Swami, HH Candramali Swami, HH Danavir Swami, HH Lokanath Swami, and many other kind devotees.

I first encountered HH Varsana Swami some nine years ago at which time I started tuning in to his health problems. Because I lived in a tepee for a year, and he spends much of his time in the forest, by his grace we have become good friends. To my good fortune, I have worked closer with him than anyone else.

When I entered this recent situation, at New Vrndavana, Maharaja's health was in a very fragile state. I immediately started to work with the situation, which included insomnia, convulsions, muscle seizures, pain from fused vertebrae in neck and also lower back pain from a slipped disc. One day, he accidentally locked himself in the cabin and because there was no phone, he could not reach me next door. He was in a seizure on the bathroom floor all day long before I could break in through a window to get in to help him. At that point, he hadn't eaten in three days or slept in a week and a half.

Two months have come to pass and as a service, Maharaja has been being treated at a healing foundation located in rural Kentucky next to a National Forest on private land. With organic vegetables and nice offerings to Krsna, my wife has been taking care of his nutritional needs. Our intention is to meet his needs by sticking close with him and his doctors. With one or two massage treatments a day (as pain warrants), I have been monitoring and helping to bring to balance his fragile health. All devotees should be glad to know that he is gaining weight and sleeping more regularly week by week (due to a decrease in back pain and stress).

Personal note: Consider that much of our reality is symbolic, how do we preach? We preach with allegories to enlighten others. I am hoping that devotees who read my statements concerning Maharaja somehow realize that we need to take care of each other in a more personal way. Now that there are doctors' statements and a clearer light shedding on this topic through Varsana Swami's letter, we all hope to move on to a better way of treating each other. This will symbolize our patience, compassion, and maturity - some things we all sometimes feel have been lacking in the past.

If there are any questions or assistance for Varsana Swami, please contact us at garudadasa@yahoo.com

Your servant,

Garuda dasa

© CHAKRA 29-Nov-2003

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