When One Actually Becomes Wise He Surrenders Unto Kṛṣṇa
Śrīla Prabhupāda teaches that mundane intelligence and academic scholarship are insufficient for understanding the absolute truth. To be truly wise in the spiritual sense, one must transcend the bodily concept of life and realize their eternal relationship with the Supreme Personality of Godhead. By studying his profound instructions, we learn that the ultimate perfection of all knowledge and the true symptom of a wise person is unalloyed surrender to Kṛṣṇa.
The Rarity of True Wisdom
In this material world, millions of people claim to be intelligent or philosophically advanced. However, Śrīla Prabhupāda points out that a truly wise person, or jñānavān, is one who fully comprehends that Kṛṣṇa is everything. Such a self-realized great soul, who completely surrenders to the Lord without reservation, is exceedingly rare.
- Actually a person is wise when he surrenders unto the lotus feet of Krsna, but such a mahatma, great soul, is very rare.
- If he actually becomes wise, jnanavan, then he understands that only Krsna is everything. Vasudevah sarvam iti sa mahatma sudurlabhah (BG 7.19). That is real understanding.
- Understanding the subordinate position of the living entity takes millions of births, but when one is actually wise he surrenders unto the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
- Unless one is very wise and intelligent, he cannot become a devotee of Krsna. The first-class intelligent class of men surrenders to Krsna.
The Process of Knowledge Across Many Births
The journey to spiritual perfection is rarely completed in a single lifetime. Śrīla Prabhupāda explains that conditioned souls must often undergo a lengthy evolutionary process of mental speculation and austerity across many, many births. Only at the mature stage of this prolonged search does a person actually become wise and reach the ultimate conclusion of surrendering to the Supreme Lord.
- After many, many births of this mental evolutionary process, when actually he becomes wise he becomes God conscious and surrenders to God.
- As stated in Bhagavad-gita, after many, many births of executing severe austerities in search of knowledge, one comes to the point of real knowledge and becomes wise when one surrenders unto the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
- By knowing all the Vedas, the ultimate conclusion should be Krsna. This conclusion comes after many, many births. After culturing knowledge for many, many births, when one actually becomes wise, then he surrenders unto Krsna.
- Dear Lord, (the Vedas) prayed, "after many, many births, those who have actually become wise take to the worship of Your lotus feet in complete knowledge."
Knowing Kṛṣṇa as the Source
True wisdom is not merely theoretical; it naturally awakens loving devotion. Śrīla Prabhupāda emphasizes Kṛṣṇa's direct statement in the Bhagavad-gītā that He is the origin of all spiritual and material worlds. When a person becomes wise enough to perfectly understand this fundamental truth, they spontaneously engage all their energy in worshipping Kṛṣṇa with their entire heart.
- I (Krsna) am the original source of everything. Everything emanates from Me. The wise who perfectly know this engage in My service with love and devotion.
- I am the source of all spiritual and material worlds. Everything emanates from Me. The wise who know this perfectly engage in My devotional service and worship Me with all their hearts.
- Krsna mentions this bhava stage in the Bhagavad-gita (10.8): I am the source of all spiritual and material worlds. Everything emanates from Me. The wise who know this perfectly engage in My devotional service and worship Me with all their hearts.
- In Bhagavad-gita (10.8) Krsna tells Arjuna: I am the source of everything; from Me the entire creation flows. Knowing this, the wise worship Me with all their hearts.
The Wise Surpass Mental Speculation
Many philosophers attempt to understand the Absolute Truth through their own intellectual power. Śrīla Prabhupāda notes that such speculative paths are immensely troublesome. Even if a philosopher becomes wise enough to reach the impersonal Brahman effulgence, this is only a partial realization. The highest destination, achieved effortlessly through pure devotion, surpasses all mental speculation.
- After speculating in the impersonal philosophical way, when one is mature, bahunam janmanam ante jnanavan, when he's actually wise . . . so long he cannot understand that the Supreme.
- After many, many years of much trouble, a yogi or wise philosopher may come to Him (God), but his path is very troublesome, whereas the path of devotional service is easy for everyone.
- One can achieve the result of wise philosophical speculation by discharging devotional service and unless one reaches the point of understanding the Personality of Godhead by his mental speculation, all his research work is said to be simply a labor of love.
- The personified Vedas continued, "In other words, both the yogis and the great, wise philosophical speculators ultimately attain the impersonal Brahman effulgence, which is automatically attained by the demons who are regular enemies of the Lord."
The Definition of Real Wisdom
To be deemed intelligent by spiritual standards requires practical realization, not just book learning. Śrīla Prabhupāda defines real wisdom as knowing three essential facts: Kṛṣṇa is the supreme proprietor, the ultimate enjoyer, and the dearest friend of all. Once a living entity comprehensively grasps this and understands their own constitutional position as an eternal servant, they are truly wise.
- Knowledge means to know only that Krsna is the Proprietor of everything, that Krsna is the Friend of everyone, and that Krishna is the Enjoyer of everything. These three things: Proprietor, Friend, and Enjoyer. If somebody knows this, he is actually wise.
- If one actually becomes wise, jnanavan, he understands this simple truth, that jivera svarupa haya krsnera nitya dasa, this simple truth, that every living entity is eternally the servant of Krsna.
- Jnanam, must be profoundly wise; vijnanam, practical application in life; jnanam vijnanam astikyam, full faith in scriptures and in God, or Krsna, astikyam. Brahma-karma svabhava-jam: These are natural duties, or work, of a Brahmin.
- So jnanavan means the first-class intelligent class. So after many, many births, when one becomes actually wise, what is the symptom? Mam prapadyate, he immediately surrenders to Krsna.
The Wise Lament Neither for the Living nor the Dead
When one's consciousness is fixed on the eternal soul, the temporary changes of the material body lose their agonizing grip. Śrīla Prabhupāda highlights Kṛṣṇa's foundational instruction to Arjuna, establishing that those who are genuinely wise do not mourn for the body. Because they see with equal vision, they are unperturbed by material honor, dishonor, or the inevitable cycle of physical death.
- In Bhagavad-gita (BG 2.11) Krsna rebuked Arjuna by saying: "While speaking learned words, you are mourning for what is not worthy of grief. Those who are wise lament neither for the living nor the dead."
- The Blessed Lord said: While speaking learned words, you are mourning for what is not worthy of grief. Those who are wise lament neither for the living nor the dead.
- While speaking learned words, you are mourning for what is not worthy of grief. Those who are wise lament neither for the living nor for the dead.
- He who is wise and holds praise and blame to be the same; who is unchanged in honor and dishonor, who treats friend and foe alike, who has abandoned all fruitive undertakings-such a man is said to have transcended the modes of nature.
Conclusion
Śrīla Prabhupāda strips away the material illusions surrounding the concept of intelligence. Real wisdom is not the ability to speculate, accumulate wealth, or navigate the complex modes of material nature. It is the profound, realized knowledge that Kṛṣṇa is the source of everything and the supreme enjoyer. It may take countless lifetimes of seeking, but when a conditioned soul finally matures into this divine wisdom, the only natural and logical response is to immediately surrender to Kṛṣṇa in pure devotion, transcending all material laminations.
Dive Deeper into Śrīla Prabhupāda's Vani
Śrīla Prabhupāda lives within his instructions. This article is a summary of the profound truths found in the Vaniquotes category Wise. We invite you to visit this link to study the complete compilation and experience Śrīla Prabhupāda's teachings in their direct, verbatim form.