God Gives Intelligence - The Supreme Source of Knowledge and Forgetfulness
The pride of mundane scientists and philosophers rests on the false assumption that their intelligence is independently their own. Śrīla Prabhupāda explains that the Vedic literatures consistently dismantle this illusion, revealing that the Supreme Personality of Godhead is the absolute source of all cognitive power, supplying memory, knowledge, and forgetfulness according to the desires of the living entity.
The Source of All Intelligence
Intelligence is not a biological accident; it is an energetic expansion of the Absolute Truth. Śrīla Prabhupāda emphasizes that the mind, the ego, and the intellect all emanate from the Supreme Lord, who sits in the heart of every living being as the Paramātmā, directing their consciousness.
- All intelligence emanates from the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the Supersoul within the heart of everyone.
- In the Bhagavad-gita it is clearly said that all intelligence comes from the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is situated in everyone's heart as the Paramatma.
- As the sparks of a fire or the shining rays of the sun emanate from their source and merge into it again and again, the mind, the intelligence, the senses, the gross and subtle material bodies all emanate from the Lord and again merge into Him.
- My dear Lord, by Your own potencies You are the original cause of the material elements, as well as the performing instruments (the senses), the workers of the senses (the controlling demigods), the intelligence and the ego, as well as everything else.
Facilitating Material Desires
The Supreme Lord is entirely neutral and acts to fulfill the specific desires of the conditioned souls. Śrīla Prabhupāda explains that if a person wants to improve their material position or completely forget God, the Lord supplies the exact intelligence and arguments required to facilitate that illusion.
- God gives the living entity the intelligence with which to improve his position so that he may return home, back to Godhead, or if he does not want to go back to Godhead, the Lord gives him the intelligence with which to improve his material position.
- The Lord enters the hearts of all living entities as the Supersoul and He gives them intelligence and fulfills their material desires. This is also confirmed in Bhagavad-gita. Sarvasya caham hrdi sannivistah. "I am sitting in everyone's heart."
- According to the desires of the living entity, the Lord makes him remember or forget. If the living entity is demoniac and wants to forget the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the Lord gives him the intelligence to be able to forget the Supreme Lord forever.
- If you want to forget God, challenge God, "There is no God. God is dead," then He'll give you such intelligence that you'll always think that there is no God, that God is dead, like that. He'll give some arguments.
Guiding the Sincere Devotee
For those who are weary of material suffering, the Lord provides the ultimate solution. Śrīla Prabhupāda notes that when a soul sincerely desires liberation and engages in devotional service, the Lord gives them transcendental intelligence, leading them out of darkness and back to the spiritual world.
- When He (the Supersoul) sees that a conditioned soul is very serious about getting out of the clutches of the material influence, the Supreme Lord gives intelligence internally as Supersoul and externally as the spiritual master.
- In the Bhagavad-gita the Lord says that to those who are constantly engaged in devotional service with love and affection, the Supreme Personality of Godhead gives intelligence from within, and thus they may make further progress.
- The Personality of Godhead says that He always favors His devotees by endowing them with the intelligence to perform devotional activities, so that at the end His devotees may attain to Him.
- In Bhagavad-gita (10.11) it is said: For a devotee who has taken the lotus feet of the Lord within his heart, the Lord gives spiritual enlightenment, known as jnana-dipa, by special mercy from within.
The Misuse and Proper Use of Intelligence
The human form of life is an exceptional opportunity that should not be squandered on animalistic pursuits. Śrīla Prabhupāda concludes that while materialists misuse their intelligence simply to hoard wealth, the true purpose of our God-given intelligence is to understand our eternal relationship with the Supreme Lord.
- Materialists who have neither faith in the plan of God nor any aspiration for higher spiritual development misuse their God-given intelligence only to augment their material possessions.
- What is the difference between the dog's mentality and your mentality? God has given you intelligence to understand that you are nothing, God is everything.
- You have to use your intelligence. God has given you intelligence, mind, senses, and you have to utilize them.
- If one sincerely prays to God for material possessions in exchange for devotional service, the Lord, who is not foolish like such an unintelligent devotee gradually gives him the intelligence to be satisfied only by rendering service to His lotus feet.
Conclusion
In conclusion, Śrīla Prabhupāda profoundly demystifies the origin and function of human intellect. The Vedic literatures overwhelmingly confirm that no living entity possesses independent cognitive power; all intelligence, memory, and forgetfulness emanate directly from the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is situated in the core of everyone's heart as the Supersoul. The Lord perfectly reciprocates with the desires of the conditioned souls. If a person stubbornly wishes to enjoy the material world or foolishly desires to forget God, the Lord supplies the exact intelligence and arguments required to plunge them deeper into the darkness of atheism and illusion. Conversely, when the Supersoul observes that a living entity is sincerely frustrated with material existence, He mercifully provides the spiritual intelligence needed to seek out a bona fide spiritual master. For those actively engaged in devotional service, the Lord bestows a special illumination (jñāna-dīpa), giving them the precise direction to ultimately attain His eternal association. Therefore, the highest perfection of human life is to stop misusing our God-given intelligence for temporary material accumulation and instead utilize it fully in understanding that God is everything, thereby securing our safe return back home, back to Godhead.
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