Take the example of a dead man. The senses, the hands, the nose, the sense organs, and everything is there, but now he cannot enjoy. The dead body, it cannot enjoy. Why? This requires intelligence

Expressions researched:
"take the example of a dead man. The senses, the hands, the nose, the sense organs and everything is there, but now he cannot enjoy. The dead body, it cannot enjoy. Why? This requires intelligence"

Bhagavad-gita As It Is Lectures

Take the example of a dead man. The senses, the hands, the nose, the sense organs, and everything is there, but now he cannot enjoy. The dead body, it cannot enjoy. Why? This requires intelligence. Why the dead body cannot enjoy? What is the difference? The body is lying there. The hands and the nose and the legs and the eyes and all other sense organs are there. But why the dead body cannot enjoy? That requires intelligence. That means that the enjoying energy, the spiritual spark, that has gone away.

Lecture on BG 6.21-27 -- New York, September 9, 1966:

Now, every one of us is searching after happiness, but we do not know what is real happiness. The real happiness is, hint of real happiness, what is real happiness, that is being described by Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa to Arjuna. What is that real happiness? Happiness we feel through our senses. Because material, dead stone, has no sense—therefore dead stone cannot feel happiness or distress. Now, this consciousness, the developed consciousness, feels happiness and distress more than undeveloped consciousness.

Just like the trees. The trees, they have got also consciousness, but it is not developed consciousness. Therefore the trees are standing on the road or anywhere, but they have no sense of feeling the misery. Now, suppose a human being is asked to stand like the tree, at least for three days. Oh, it will be impossible for him, because he cannot tolerate such kind of misery.

So therefore conclusion is that every living entity feels the pleasure and happiness according to the developed consciousness of his being. Similarly, the happiness which we are feeling now in the material mixture, that is not real happiness. That is not real happiness. If you ask the tree, "Are you feeling happy?" the tree will say: "Yes. I am feeling happy standing here the whole year, and the wind and snowfall I am enjoying very much." Oh. You see? So that sort of happiness the tree may enjoy. But you are human being. You will say, "Oh, this is the standard of his enjoyment."

So, similarly, there are different kinds and different grades of living entities. Their standard of feeling happiness and miseries are also different grades. Animal. In the animal kingdom, they have no sense. One animal is being slaughtered; the other animal is seeing. Because he has no knowledge, the next turn is he is being turned . . . being slaughtered, but he is chewing some grass. He is happy. He is thinking that, "I am happy." Next moment it will be slaughtered, but he does not know. So these are all different grades of happiness.

But the highest standard of happiness is described here, sukham ātyantikaṁ yat tad buddhi-grāhyam atīndriyam. Buddhi-grāhyam atīndriyam. Buddhi means intelligence. One has to be intelligent. If you want to enjoy life, then you must be intelligent also. Just like the animals, they are not intelligent enough; therefore they cannot enjoy life as a human being can, standard.

So here, in the Bhagavad-gītā also, it is said that buddhi-grāhyam atīndriyam. Atīndriyam. Now, just take the example of a dead man. The senses, the hands, the nose, the sense organs and everything is there, but now he cannot enjoy. The dead body, it cannot enjoy. Why? This requires intelligence. Why the dead body cannot enjoy? What is the difference? The body is lying there. The hands and the nose and the legs and the eyes and all other sense organs are there. But why the dead body cannot enjoy? That requires intelligence. That means that the enjoying energy, the spiritual spark, that has gone away. Therefore it has no power to enjoy.

Then, if you make advance further with intelligence, then you will understand that actually the body was not enjoying, but that little spark, spiritual spark, that was enjoying, not this body. This requires little intelligence. I am thinking that, "I am enjoying with my sense organs," but you are not enjoying. The real . . . real enjoyer is that small spiritual spark within you. That spiritual spark has got the potency of enjoyment, but that is not being manifested on account of being covered by this material tabernacle, and therefore this enjoyment is not perfect.