45. Due to Prarabdha if a person is to suffer from a disease or if he has to die young, will the repetition of the Maha Mrityunjaya Mantra help him to overcome them?

Prarabdha can be overcome by the grace of the Lord. The Lord's grace descends when there is sincere devotion and when man does Purushartha. Purushartha is possible when the mind is pure. The mind becomes pure when one does acts of kindness and charity. The laws of nature do not operate when there is the grace of the Lord. His grace is all-powerful. We have the instance of Markandeya who conquered death by his Purushartha, by sincere devotion to the Lord. He was destined to die young, but when the Lord's grace descended, Lord Yama had no power to carry out his wish. So it is possible to overcome Prarabdha by Teevra Purushartha.

46. Some philosophers lay great emphasis on reason and rational living. What have you to say?

How can reason and logic be given the highest place'? The mind, intellect and reason fail when you are under the power of an intoxicant. When anesthesia is given, where is the logical mind? Does the logical mind function when you have fasted fully for a fortnight? It disappears in sleep and swoon. There are some herbs that incapacitate the mind the moment you take them. Thus, there are many occasions when the logical mind of man becomes impotent and stops its function. How can this logical mind or rational living be given the highest status? Intuition is the highest faculty and the evolution of man is complete when he develops this intuition to the greatest degree and realizes his Atman. The knowledge gained in Samadhi is the highest knowledge. It is Samyag-drishti or Tattva-jnana.

47. Of all systems of medicine, which system is the most effective and harmless? Please give reasons.

Every system of medicine has got its own advantages and disadvantages. Each has its own supremacy over the others. Each has its own deficiencies. As regards my view, Ayurveda holds the foremost place in my heart. It has been expounded by Lord Dhanvantari who is the Ayurveda Pita. Ayurveda is the foremost amongst the medical sciences now extant. The effect of its treatment is lasting and unhampered. It is the origin and source of most of the other systems of medicine. As regards immediate cure with the least delay, Allopathy occupies first place in the front rank. Homeopathy is the most harmless system of medicine and the cheapest in view of cost.

48. I have been trying to do some Sadhana—Japa, meditation, etc.— , but my mind is not concentrated and it gets distracted. I try to control it, but I am not succeeding to a degree of satisfaction. The progress I make is not as good as it ought to be.

You ought to have put forth more efforts if you wanted quick progress! Do more of Japa, concentration and meditation. Increase your Vairagya and Abhyasa. At night have Satsang and Kirtan. Do not feel depressed; in due course of time you will make substantial progress. Go on doing little by little.