Traditional Hinduism & ISKCON

I agree with you Spook. Things today are very different. The late 60's - early 70's were strange times - times when a lot of changes were going on in society and people's attitudes in general. Young people today have grown up in a world that was changed by those times on many levels.
For today's generation, there are a whole new set of circumstances and challenges.

 

That insanity (or appearance of) can also be brought on by contemplation on the Divine as well, bringing with it a type of God madness or intoxication that appears outwardly as insaniety to the common people.
This has occured in saints and practioners of various religions. Ramakrishna was an example and of course Sri Chaitanya. St. Teresa of Avila, St. Francis and various Sufi saints showed theses symtoms as well. If someone is displaying sattvika bhavas he certainly does not appear as sane.

See: Madness of the Saints, Ecstatic Religion in Bengal
by June McDaniel - Univ Of Chicago Press

 

It's often been said that only a thin line separates the genius or the inspired seer or mystic from the madman.
But still, people do become unbalanced - madness is real enough - and it's quite well known that kundalini yoga if not practiced under expert supervision can lead to imbalance.

 

It is only a fool who would equate the blissful state of spontaneous samadhi experienced by Ramakrishna or Chaitanya with the raving of a deranged maniac.

 

The world is full of such fools.

 

Well no kiddin hey..?!?

Please note that the sattvika Bhavas Sri Chaitanya manifested were far beyond any type of external indications of mental madness.

namaskar