The Nature Of True Intelligence
A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
Chapters
Spiritual intelligence and the soul
You are under mercy to rectify us. It is a place correct. That rectification means to stop this repeated birth. Chance, again chance, again chance. Why does it take us so long to learn? Why does it take us so long to learn?
That is your intelligence. You have worded good in telling them. But the intelligence is awarded from intelligence, according to the individual, is awarded according to his activities. Yes. Intelligence is developed.
Don't you see the big, big leaders, Gandhi and others? They have no intelligence. They are misinterpreted.
Although their position is very big and intelligent, and if you say to them that "you are not intelligent, you are wrongly interpreting the whole people."
So intelligence is dull even to such big persons, so to speak. Even big, big demigods, their intelligence is also lacking. That's what Caitanya Mahāprabhu said: "Kona..." somebody very fortunate, you can understand.
«Ei rūpe brahmāṇḍa bhramite kona bhāgyavān jīva». And in that place, Brahmā... Brahmā-rūpa... durlabha prāya. Brahmā cannot understand. «Manuṣyāṇāṁ sahasreṣu»... these things. So this intelligence is not janma-koṭi-bhisu.
«Bahūnāṁ janmanām ante»... mantra. Very, very great intelligence. Not simply that you suffer. Huh? The fact that we suffer, that in itself does not make us intelligent. That does not make us intelligent.
Because you are eternal. So some millions of years there will be no creation and you have to lie down. No activity.
Cosmic cycles and universal creation
They say it's sleep. Suppose you are sleeping for one million years. Is it very enjoying? Sleeping for many millions of years. Again you get the light. That is chance.
Again you are created either as Brahmā or anything nonsense. But you see the light. Creation or no creation. No creation is still śānta. Just like everyone, he's working very hard.
But in, uh, Sweden, there's no... there's somebody committing suicide is a great śānti, otherwise how do they... do they come to suicide, is it that? Yeah, they have the highest suicide rate in the world.
Oh my God, I was, uh... I experienced this in Bombay, that, uh, due to some mistake I was detained for three days. Quarantine. Quarantine. Quarantine. Simply by thinking that I shall not be allowed to go out of this room.
It is not a room, it is a big house, but still I was feeling uncomfortable. That was that. I suddenly refused to go. And that three days was actually suffering, too. I cannot go out of the door. Simply by feeling this.
I do not do practice, I sit down. But if I feel, "No, I cannot go out of this room." That's a great suffering. All day I'm sitting here, there's a fear. But I have got this intelligence that I can go out as I like.
But if you say that you cannot go out, I can get suffering. Psychological. Oh, if creation and no creation, there is suffering. Rather, when there is creation it is less suffering.
Because he is mad, so he is engaged in some way. He's seeking happiness. Eating, living, sex is there. That is going on. Therefore, this creation is another mercy. Of course, that I was really like...
One creation, so many millions of years. There is calculation. One Brahmā's day: caturyuga, dvāpara, sahasra-yuga-paryantam... one yuga, forty-three hundred thousand years. One yuga thousand times.
Forty-three hundred thousand years multiplied by one thousand. That is Brahmā's twelve hours. Then another twelve hours. night. There is also another twelve, Brahmā night. And partial water.
Not all the planets, at least half the lower planets, inundated in water, and it has to circle everything. And then it stays there until the next day. That next day means some emergence.
That is practically half annihilation. This way, short annihilation, short period is half. That description of Brahmā receiving knowledge through the heart, is that at the beginning of every day?
Or is that just at the beginning of the creation of the universe? Beginning of the, yeah. Oh. It's not every day then. Every day, I think, maybe.
Just like we have got experience, day and night: night, sleeping, at night I forget everything. When I wake, wake up, I attend to my duty. But if the top planets are still, uh, functionally, position of Brahmā...
Brahmā does not mean that he is liberated either, Brahmā and all of the other material laws. The law is that I slightly forget. When I wake up in the morning, I remember. So that is the position of Brahmā. Suptotthita-nyāya.
This is called waking up logic. Suptotthita. Supta and utthita. Suptam means sleeping. And utthita means to get up. And so, who is going to consider all this?
Limitations of modern scientific speculation
They say it is, uh, mythology. They cannot properly answer. But it dismisses your problem. They said these were the explanations that the ancient man gave before science came. Now that's called... you are giving explanation.
Do you know what are these stars? As if science explains these things. What is the science answer? You cannot explain, actually. What is the position? You are simply, uh, speculating.
There is no life, some then maybe... let us take photographs, let us go... what is your knowledge? We have got some knowledge from this. They are all full of living entities. But what knowledge they have got?
They have got some shastric evidence. Vedic shastric. It's full of life, but you have no evidence. You simply speculate. So the value of, you know...
Admitting that you are defective, I am defective, but I have also... you have nothing. You are in the darkness. You have instruments and calculations. That is also imperfect because you have prepared.
You are a rascal, your instrument is rascal. How your rascal can manifest something perfect? Anything we attempt to get knowledge, this is bad. Only perfect knowledge is when you get it through the perfect person.
The same example: you cannot make experiment, a speculation with your father. The only right information is from him. Yes. Otherwise, everything's good. How you rightly understand your father? Accept the mother's statement.
What is the next alternative? Is it any? I'm looking. You can ask everybody, every man on the street. That is imperfect. That will never be perfect.
They say that method is very good sometimes, but it's not to be used all the time. All the time. If the authority is perfect. But if it's in complete contradiction to what we experience with the senses, then it's difficult.
Daily affair. Then how we experience? What is your method of experience? With the father. Huh? Do you know the father? Yeah. There's no way. Acintyāḥ khalu ye bhāvā na tāṁs tarkeṇa yojayet.
Things which are unperceivable by you, don't argue. Take the statement of the thing imperceptible. I do not know what is this planet, but many hundred thousand millions are glittering. You do not know it.
Neither you can know it. Similarly, you cannot — you have not done it — to manufacture life. I do rest and say that it is like it is, it is like it is. It is chemical combination to it. Manufacture them in the egg.
Little chemical. But the chemical is coming from within the body of the chicken. It is being perfectly done. But you cannot be. So what is your knowledge? Hmm? Why are you so much proud of this knowledge? It's so important.
It seems also that this creation is also to allow the little entities to act as a false lord.
With all this scientific and science, it seems that this creation is also meant for those who want to act as a false lord, especially the scientists. Everyone is working, false lord. Who is working?
Therefore he is under the laws of karma. He does not know. What is the goal of life? What to do now? You have to take direction. People are taking the authority of the scientists more than the creator. What is this scientist?
The scientists are askers. Yes. These are the proof. They're trying to go to the moon planet, but they do not know what is this. So many stars are hanging on my head, what are they? They cannot give any perspective.
They do not know. Two things they do not know. What is the meaning of science? Real two things. One thing: how life comes into existence and how this planetary system is existing. They don't know.
What is the value of their science? There are so many things they do not know. Everything. Practically everything. But these two may challenge. We can challenge. They know. That is, they want to bluff.
They know that it is not possible for them to know. They know it perfectly well. Yeah. It's not possible for the so-called science to understand what is the situation of this planetary system and what is the origin of life.
They don't know, they admit. Two things unknown. Everything is unknown. But especially these two things. Simply speculate and bluff. I think. Mūḍha. And we consider them as less.
By taking information from Krishna, we understand these things. Na māṁ duṣkṛtino mūḍhāḥ prapadyante narādhamāḥ māyayāpahṛta-jñānā.
Therefore, we say that—we say they are rascals, and they say these are rascals, brainwashing. This is the problem. The demons and the demigods. I say this rascal scientist is brainwashing.
And they say this rascal is doing their brainwashing. This is important. But as you say, but so for us, we have got some support and we have got authorities, and these rascals have no authority. They simply speculate.
So even we are rascals, among these two rascals, uh, we are better rascals. They are better. Therefore they need their brain washed. Yeah. But we are convinced that we have got authorities. Krishna is the supreme person.
He cannot cheat me. He is perfect. So whatever knowledge he gives, that is our position. Krishna consciousness. That's a fact. But they do not take Krishna's authority, but another rascal. Bhagavad-gītā is that is Krishna,
mattaḥ parataraṁ nānyat, nobody is better authority than me. And we see our gurus, they accept, we are on the safe side. But on the safe side. So we are on the safe side. They are not on the safe side. They're hovering.
Speculation. Speculation is no knowledge. They remain in ignorance. There is no knowledge. It is simply gymnastics of the mind. It is not only a little bit of, a lot of things.
Material progress and human dependency
Usually they argue that, "You see, we have made so many big machines and done so many material wonders." This is wonderful, that's good. We see you are as good as a dog. The dog with his four legs is running.
He has no looseness. But your machine is now loose, you can't go. This is your progress. The dog with four legs, he will immediately, immediately go. And now you have to wait. This is your progress. Less than the dog.
When there is a dog race, we are going in the car, a dog is running after, we see something. We see the dog is running, we cannot have a car. A dog is free to run, you are not free to run, rescue.
As soon as there is a little loosening, the dog will go a hundred miles away from you. And you will sit down here and cry. This is your problem. That race, you know, tortoise? Huh? The tortoise and the hare.
Tortoise and the hare? Yeah. Rabbit. Rabbit. Rabbit. Yeah. You know the story? Yeah. Your scientific... not your car. But you are more devoted. And somebody, you have to stay, yeah. You have to some very important business.
But if you have calculated, without having this car, you would have done—you have dude. So the more material, uh, advancement means more you become dependent, more you become rascal.
That is calculation by Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura: māyāra vibhava yata, ei saba māyāra vaibhava. Jīvera karaye tumāra bhajane bādhā. Anitya saṁsāre, moha-janamayā, jīva haya gādhā.
My business is that how to leave this material conditional life and become free. Now with this so-called advanced set of science, I am becoming more and more attached. I will never get freedom. This is easy.
Because I am trying in different way how to get—yes, wait millions of years, we shall do this. We shall do this. Gadha has.
He will die trillions of times within millions of years and he is expecting good result of scientific.
By the time he'll become an—a banyan tree and stand there by nature's law, and he is expecting good results from millions and millions. The gadha, yes. Huh? Durāśayā. This has been described as durāśayā.
He's expecting something, hoping something will never be fulfilled. They—they can be that millions of years we can get how to make life. And he's—uh, an ordinary chicken is doing this within seven days.
And these rascals will have to wait for millions of years. And wait, whether life is coming from the egg. And other rascals, they are rascals, they are accepted. He's already an ass. He becomes a more ass.
Big ass to change everything on its own. Everything non-permanent. But this illusion: "I guess we shall make it permanent." Oh, this is moha. Which he will never be able to do, he is expecting.
This is also called one of that logic: vṛṣabha-aṇḍa-nyāya. You have seen vṛṣabha-aṇḍa? Vṛṣabha-aṇḍa, one bull is going and his testicle hanging and another duck, he think it is a fish, it will drop and he'll eat it.
This is practical. You see a bull is going on and testicles hanging and another duck is going after it. From this baka, the word boka has come. Baka. Sometimes we say baka. That is vṛṣabha-laṇḍana. Baka. Crazy. Crazy, yes.
He does not know that it is his testicle. It is never to drop, but he's thinking, actually this is a piece. It's a... he thinks it is a big piece. Another nyāya, aja-gala-stana. Stana-dṛṣṭi-nyāya-āśraya.
There are many such examples. Aja-gala-stana. Sometimes in goats they have got nipples. Yeah. From the neck. And somebody is expecting some milk from that nipple. Nitya-stana.
Inevitable death and moral degradation
Knowledge is in India, there is no doubt. If you want to become perfect, you have to take knowledge from India, at least spiritual.
That's what Caitanya Mahāprabhu says, that take, assimilate the basic knowledge and distribute it to the other parts of the world. That is para-upakāra. Real welfare. Because they are in darkness.
What do they know, Western countries, about this thing, huh? They think... but there's a dog race. The dog is running with four legs, and I am running by four-wheeled car. That is bhakti-mārga. No, another illusion.
That's kind of what we'll do in this world. Or we'll have to die like the dog. What you have done for this? He was very much proud. The dog is running with four legs and I've got a Rolls-Royce car. I'm so advanced.
But as soon as the dog will die, he will also die. In spite of four wheels, he will die. What about that? What did your science say about that? Then we had millions of years. We said that.
When you put him in the corner, then the dog, poor dog will die and you have to die. What you have done for this? No, wait. Is it not? “We are trying.” “We are trying.” Yes.
When they're very happy about it, they say, “Happy, must be happy because it's full.” So he's just very young, he's got so much he's going to learn, and then because he's young to learn... He's not learning.
That is another word, uh, rascal. He's, he's new on the scene, so, uh, don't expect too much, but he'll soon know. Nobody's new. His whole history is the same. Your forefathers, his forefathers never had done that.
Why it is new? Well, they said there's been regular improvement. Medicine. What is an improvement? New medicines have done away with so many diseases. What is that? You mean that it means there is no disease?
You die by this disease or that disease. What is the improvement? Oh, they say that people used to live much longer. So what is the use of living longer? The tree is living longer, five thousand years.
Does it mean that it is important life? A tree standing was... There's a tree in, uh, San Francisco. Yeah, so, redwood forest. And, uh, from the stoutness and strongness, usually live another... Does it, is it living?
Worth living? To stand up very stout and strong in a place for fourteen thousand of years? Is that right? I have, I have spread this Kṛṣṇa consciousness within ten years and he's standing, uh, eight thousand years.
So it goes to him or to me? Better to live for ten years than to live for ten thousand years in that condition. I'm glad for that asura. They do not know what it's like.
What improvement? Your only improvement now is abortion and homosex;
that is the most popular thing. They feel that if you are not— if you are inhibited in your sex life, if you only choose women, then you are not progressive.
You must become liberated from this moral, or they call it "hang-up" feeling. This is not correct.
Now they drive their children to the homosex dance, the parents, and let the boy out and go to the homosex dance where only men are allowed. Take them there. Yeah, in Los Angeles.
They have only for boys, young men, age 17, 16, 18. The parents take them and let them out of the car. "We're going to pick them up later on," and that. And run. And here they have comments. That is for a pashu.
Less than the asses, than the dogs. Therefore, to give them Krishna is the best part of them. Yesterday, Śrīla Prabhupāda, you were speaking about a man who becomes very educated but he can't get a job.
He becomes like a dog.
Well, I was reading in the paper that this one man in Sydney, he put an ad in the newspaper saying, "I will become your house dog because I think a dog's life is better than my life because I cannot get a job. So now I want to have the job as a human dog. Anybody want to hire me?"
Legal defense of spiritual movements
These people are making against our movement. So we should not be surprised.
The parents who are giving their children, dropping their children there to have homosexual dancing— such parents' protest against our movement is not at all strange. But we should not stop for that reason.
This is apparent. So these things should be brought in the court. But this is the parent. The parent also requires this brainwash.
Why these sons and daughters, or the father and mother in the court—they also have no standard. They don't know what moral life is. At least we should take our books. Yes. Defensive.
You first of all read this, then give your verdict. Whatever it may be. Our charges are replied in these books. So you read this book. And I'll go on this. Finish this, then give judgment. Make this, make it fun.
Bring all these 84 books. That is illegal. From law point it is legal. What I have to say, you have to hear. So we have said it, everything here. Instead of spending as lawyers, let us bring your books to the book.
That is the testimony. And read them an argument. Finish this argument. Then give me the statement. Why don't you do it? Make it an experiment. We've done that. They're gonna do that. Yeah.
We did that, Śrīla Prabhupāda, just recently. I had some lawyers. They will simply take a lawyer. You must take a lawyer though, but they don't let you know.
I think in New York part of the testimony is gonna be they're gonna read the Bhagavad-gītā from cover to cover, everything. That's included in a defense. One book. Come on. At least our books will be advertised.
Just like that demon on that radio show, after all his, uh, spouting out nonsense, at the end he said, "Well, I suppose we'll just have to read the books and find out."
Their trick is to try to distract the attention from the books 'cause they know the books are very perfect. So they try to say that that's not the issue, what's in the books.
The issue is that we're not following what's in the books. That's it. We're not following... Yeah, we have to, uh, bring them back.
Just like one man on this point about the books, he came up and says, and said, "Where does it say in Hinduism that you should harass people and, uh, to sell them a book?" "It is not Hinduism, it is science."
"Where does it say in your books?" Right? Then he would say, "Where does it say in your books, in your science, that you should harass people?" Harass? What is it, harassing?
He claimed because in his... "You are harassing me." Then everything is harassing. Why you have brought me to the law court? It is harassing to me. Why you are harassing me?
Because you are disturbing people taking... you're also disturbing my books. The same I can say. What is it in my books I'm doing? You're disturbing. You are there... what does it say in your books that you should?
Yes, what it said in the... you read the books, you see that you are exactly. We're selling our book. We have every right to sell, reading this book. Yeah. And they're being accepted.
Krishna says, "Sarva-dharmān parityajya," he is saying the same thing. He says more than surrender by a book; he says surrender everything. Everything. This is in the book, I was doing that. Take this step.
More and more education there will be, our books, if we have time. Yes, we should utilize this case as a means of advertising our books because we are getting nationwide coverage. We are... our statements are...
Ah, you... that you have piled this book, yeah, one photograph. Like mountain. Remember that picture? Yeah, on the back of the BTG is a big stack of books. According to the statement, must be fair.
Are good, then the point to point. Well, we can defeat them on every point. Mm-hmm. Krishna says that, man, for it. Now the question: why he shall give up? Yes, you must give up. That argument. Go on. But three years.
Another thing will come. What is God, why He's clear His hand, what He's gonna put His hand, why He's gonna do set and there, and so on and so on and so on. Everything.
Giving us now... this is a good opportunity to use them all. That's like the judgment was given, Shylock. Yeah. When he was persistent, then I said, "Take one pound of flesh from the chest."
No, you say, "No, no, I cannot take it." Then the judgment was, "Yes, you can take only one pound. If it is one hundredth part of an ounce more, then you'll be hanged." Yeah.
Or even if it is less, it must be exactly one pound. And only flesh, no blood. Yes. Vengeance. So we have to do that. So these are terms of law. The other party is tricky, you should be also tricky. Why you should be so plain?
And this is quite legal. This is... this is our statement, these 84 books. But others also, but some of them are here. So, my lord, you read this statement, let us argue. Then you give your judgment. They have to.
They cannot say, "No, I am not taking it." That is illegal. Whatever I say, he has to take. Then there is argument. As I was stating the court procedure, I charge you with something.
Court will ask you what you have got to say against these charges. So you submit your statement. Then both the statements, the court's duty is to study and give judgment. This is the law.
So they have charged us with something. We give our statement. Now you study and argue and then give your statement. I'll do that. We should, hmm? We should introduce the books as much as possible. Yeah.
I'll write to New York, tell them to emphasize it even more. Bring all these books in the court. Sometimes in Calcutta, I recall there was a big lawyer.
In those days he was earning not less than one thousand rupees per day. Sixty, seventy years ago. That one thousand means thirty times. No, it is thirty thousand again. It was very big, like he was offered a judgeship.
He said, "I don't know, I don't care." He was earning—the judges were getting at that time four thousand per month. And he was earning one thousand daily. So his degree... So all the judges were friends.
So in one case, he brought so many books for argument. So the judges were friends, but it mainly kills that Mr. Ghose, "You brought the whole library?" "Yes, my Lord, that's to teach you law."
This was, "Yes, my Lord, just to teach you law." "Well, you do not know what is law." "I'll teach it." Good lesson. He criticized him. "Mr. Ghose, you have brought the whole library."
"Yes, sir, my Lord. Just to teach you law." This is a famous argument. They cannot deny that, "Why I brought so many books to bother?" No. You have to hear. It might take twelve years to hear, but you have to hear.
This is law. Yes, the court, before the case can decide, they must read all the books. Yeah. And line by line.
Preaching through legal and scholarly authority
Yeah, we can show them that they're actually the immediate right. Then it will be our preaching in the court, the books will be read, and we shall put our argument to support it.
Let all the scientists, philosophers come there. Make like that. We have to go there now. No. Okay. Yes. Why not? Yes. Yes. Consider yourself you had three divisions and give your opinion. This is my suggestion.
The same suggestion as Dr. Rajway Girl said. Yes, my doctor, I brought the old library to teach you that.
And they can't take any decision against the books because the scholars have already—scholars have supported. They've already supported. They've already supported. So they have to accept the authority.
Yes, Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is authorized, Bhagavad-gītā is authorized. From the Hindu religious point of view, and it is accepted by the world scholars. So they cannot do that.
It is authorized or not authorized, I can give any statement. And it is up to you to consider. But you have to consider. Whatever statement. And actually that is done. You have accused me that I've stolen your watch.
This is your charge. This is a false charge. I never did it. Now you have to prove that I did it. Naturally this is done. Whatever charges you do. I don't accept this charge. Otherwise, why is there a case?
If you charge me with something and if I immediately accept, then where is the case? My statement will be, "No, no, I never did." Now you have to prove that yes, I did. That takes time. It's not so easy.
We have to give witnesses, we have to give you so many things, and yes, I stole it. But my duty will be, as soon as you charge me, I say, "No, I didn't."
So whatever statement I give you, the judge has to accept and then scrutinize who is correct. The complainant is correct or the defendant is correct. That is his business. According to śāstra authority. Here is the evidence.
We have not manufactured anything. The evidence is here. We must leave my book. I cannot reject. Hare Kṛṣṇa, so that is their child. They'll find in every page Kṛṣṇa at least ten times. This is Hare Kṛṣṇa. All the books.
There must be a Kṛṣṇa there. This is Hare Kṛṣṇa. I think you should take defense in that way. Should depend on Kṛṣṇa. The same argument. Yes, my Lord. Just to teach you love.
Today is the day that Adi Keśava Swami is supposed to meet with this Jimmy Carter, the 27th. We'll get some report. Apart from that, you defend your position like this.
It's actually a religious issue, but they're trying to make it out something else to distract. Because they can't defeat us on a religious... it's not fair, our religion on science. Yeah. So we have got more deep things.
If we don't accept such a religion, two plus two equal to five. It is science: two plus two equals four. It cannot be three, it cannot be three?
Since most of our presentation is done by lawyer, how can this practically be brought about that he introduces the books as our main defense? How can he present the books? A lawyer, not a... he's not a preacher.
It is not the question of preacher. The lawyer can present. Then: "My client's defense statement is here in this book." Defense statement. Yeah. Don't say "the books." Defense statement.
We've already compiled our defense in eighty-four volumes. Certain sections or just say all of these? We point line to line. Yes. Line to line, and they will have to read line to line. Yeah. Line to line.
Our defense is eighty-four volumes. Yes. And they will say, "If we read it all, we'll become brainwashed too." Huh? That is my duty. You are trying to brainwash, I am trying — that is going on. That is the custom.
You are trying your best. It is a wrestling. You are trying your strength, I'm trying my stuff. That is otherwise... that is fighting. You don't agree with me? I don't agree with you. You have got right to not agree with me.
I have a right not to agree with him. Now let us accept that. One thing Rameshwar was saying was that... that bring... Yeah, we have our own psychologists. So,
you were saying in order to defeat them we have to bring in, I guess, this... my duty... this is... I don't know what about they say we attack it. Well, that I consider the authorities. Hm.
The foolish public considers them authorities of behavior and the mind. Then everyone said this, they got this, even if... and... Yeah, but how can a psychologist judge a religion? That's not his field.
They have to bring in scholars whose field is religion. No, no, then those who are supporting us, our books, and they are also... Yes, we have many witnesses. And they are also madmen.
So many big professors don't have cloaks. They have to be dismissed by the government from the post. Why are you keeping so many madmen? Those who have supported us, they are also madmen. They must be fired immediately.
We have brand names. They are brand names. Even Jimmy Carter, he gave one... "Thank you for this book." Yeah.
One man in our favor said: "If they are brainwashed, then all the people of the East, millions and millions of people, they are to be one." Stop your case to propaganda. We're doing that. Yeah.
So if you want to go for a push, yeah.