SCHIZOPHRENIA is a mental disorder characterized by a disconnection between one’s thoughts, feelings and actions. ‘Skhizo’, in Greek, means split and ‘phren’ means mind – the mind is split between discordant thoughts, emotions and activities. Victims ofschizophrenia show some common traits – mistrust, suspicion, lack of reasoning power and selfish tendencies!
Once, the proud and evil-minded Kamsa willingly undertook to escort his newly wedded sister , Devaki, to her husband’s home after her auspicious marriage ceremony; she was weeping, feeling the pangs of separation while leaving home. Kamsa condescended to act, not just as a charioteer but also as a chaperon. This means that he was bound, by the codes of moral conduct, to ensure both Devaki and Vasudeva’s safe journey home.
All was well till Kamsa heard the mysterious celestial voice proclaim that the eight male child of Devaki would kill him. Victims of schizophrenia show one common trait – mistrust! Kamsa lost his sanity and reasoning powers. His chivalrous mood was instantaneously discarded for revenge. An elder brother is duty bound to protect his younger sister, even if there is a threat to his own life. Everything was thrown to the winds; within an instant, Kamsa changed into a cold-blooded murderer; he was selfish and cared nothing for religious principles. Grabbing his sister by the hair, he lifted his scimitar to sever her head.
Vasudeva was rather distressed to see his brother-in-law in this deranged condition. He tried to reason with Kamsa that it would be nearly a decade before the eighth child was born; till then, there was absolutely no need for anxiety. Because Vasudeva was reputed to be a man of his word, he gave Kamsa his whole-hearted assurance that every single child, born of Devaki and himself, would be personally handed over to Kamsa. But mistrust had stifled the voice of reason in the tyrant. "Anyone could be my killer - why just the eighth child!" Suspicion got the better of him. He put Devaki and Vasudeva behind bars and personally massacred each of their six sons, immediately after their birth. A schizophrenic is more than often prone to violent mood swings, which make him dangerous and unreliable. After Devaki’s eighth child, Krishna, was born, Vasudeva secretly carried Him off to Gokula, in the middle of the night, and exchanged Him with the new born female child of Nanda and Yashoda. When Kamsa heard that the eighth child of his sister was a female (and not a male, as the celestial voice had predicted), he nevertheless wrenched the helpless enfant from Devaki’s arms and tried to smash her against the prison wall, without the least trace of any feelings or guilt. Miraculously, the little baby slipped out of his grip and assumed an astonishing eight handed form in the sky – it was goddess Durga!
Durgadevi ridiculed Kamsa and taunted him with the bad news, “O evil minded King! The eighth child of Devaki is a male! He is very safe at a distant place – He will certainly kill you in the future!” Hearing this, Kamsa immediately became repentant. He approached Devaki and Vasudeva and fell at their feet, weeping and pleading for forgiveness for all his atrocious deeds. He personally unfettered their shackles, requesting them to return home and forget everything that had taken place, shamelessly attributing it all to irrevocable Destiny.
One would imagine it was now all over. Not so! In a silent underground meeting, Kamsa instructed all his commanders to massacre every single male child, born in the last 10 days, in his kingdom. Egregious motives never change! It is not uncommon for schizophrenics to indulge in a deceptive show of feelings and touching words that can manipulate others into believing them; but their nefarious deeds, ultimately, speak louder than words!
Kamsa’s mental disease intensified, moment after moment. He could neither sit nor lie down in peace. Apparitions of Devaki’s eighth child began to haunt him day and night. He was paranoid of the number 8. While climbing a flight of stairs, he would either jump over the eighth step or scream with hysteria.
Each time he drank water, he could see the beautiful face of Krishna in that water and would violently throw the glass away with disgust. Fear of death stalked him like an invisible ghost! Hallucinations are not uncommon in schizophrenia. In Kamsa's case, suppressed guilt was a significant factor.
A terse vedic analysis of Kamsa’s mental ailment. Mistrust, born of fear, is caused by the delusion of bodily identification, both gross and subtle. Kamsa was mistrustful, even of his own sister, because he was afflicted by greed which sprouts from the seed of lust. Lust, abetted by selfish motives, stops at nothing and pays no heed to the voices of reason and good counsel due to the obsession of wanting to possess everything in God’s creation.
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