Go to Vanipedia | Go to Vanisource | Go to Vanimedia


Vaniquotes - the compiled essence of Vedic knowledge


However intelligent we may be

Expressions researched:
"however intelligent we may be" |"however intelligent he may be"

Bhagavad-gita As It Is

BG Chapters 13 - 18

Unless one comes to this position of understanding Kṛṣṇa and engages in devotional service, however intelligent he may be in the estimation of some common man, he is not perfectly intelligent.
BG 15.20, Purport: Everyone must take to this consciousness of Kṛṣṇa and engage in devotional service to become intelligent and purified. Unless one comes to this position of understanding Kṛṣṇa and engages in devotional service, however intelligent he may be in the estimation of some common man, he is not perfectly intelligent.

Lectures

Bhagavad-gita As It Is Lectures

However intelligent we may be, however proud we may be for our possession, but the death is sure.
Lecture on BG 3.27 -- Madras, January 1, 1976: Kṛṣṇa has described Himself that "I am death. I am death, and I take away all your possession, that's all, as death." It will be taken away. However intelligent we may be, however proud we may be for our possession, but the death is sure. "As sure as death." And when death comes—the death is also another form of Kṛṣṇa—then He will take everything.

Srimad-Bhagavatam Lectures

However intelligent we may be, however advanced we may be in material civilization, the real point is sense gratification.
Lecture on SB 5.5.1-2 -- London (Tittenhurst), September 13, 1969: However busy we may be, however intelligent we may be, however advanced we may be in material civilization, the real point is sense gratification. I have seen in the Times Square in New York, there are so many advertisements for sense gratification. Advertising, "Here you'll have nice girls. Come on," like that. Freely written, and some naked picture. And so many theaters. The whole idea is sense gratification. That's all. Ṛṣabhadeva... It is not new. This is very old fashioned. This sense gratificatory process is current in all other planets, even which we call the demigods' planet, heavenly planet, the moon planet, the sun planet, everywhere. From the highest planet, Brahmaloka, down to the, what is called, Pātālaloka... There are different Sanskrit names of different planets. Everywhere in this material world is, the ultimate point is sense gratification. That's all.

So Ṛṣabhadeva is pointing out that this sense gratification problem or desire or propensity is there even in the hogs and dogs. Therefore He says, distinguishing the human form of life from the life of lowest class of animals, that He says ayaṁ deha, "this body." Na ayaṁ deho deha-bhājāṁ nṛloke. Nṛloke means in the human society. Everyone has got body. The dog has body, the cat has body, the tiger has body, the bird has body. Everyone has got body. Similarly we have also got body. Therefore He is warning, "My dear sons, in this body the aim of life should not be sense gratification after so much trouble." If the point is sense gratification, then why so much, I mean to say, manifestation of economic development? Do you think that those who are not fortunate to have these flyways or motorcars or a skyscraper building... Take for example the most aborigines, the most uncivilized nation somewhere in Africa or any other part of the world. Are they not sense gratifying? The dogs and hogs, they are not sense gratifying? So if the ultimate aim of life is simply sense gratification, then why should we take so much trouble?

There is a very nice story—these are very instructive story from Bhāgavata. There was a very nice prostitute. Her fee was, if anyone wants to visit that prostitute, she was charging one hundred thousands of, what is called, diamond pieces. Diamonds you can understand. One diamond piece is at least five hundred dollars. So she used to charge, "If somebody wants to visit my house, then he must pay one hundred thousand pieces of diamond." So there were rich men. For sense gratification she was being paid. But one poor man and diseased man, so he had his very faithful wife. Although he was very poor and diseased, his wife was serving him very nicely. The husband could not work because he was diseased, and the wife was working, and, I mean to say, maintaining her husband, herself. Fortunately she had no children. But the husband was always morose. Now the wife is asking, "My dear husband, I am trying to satisfy you in so many ways, working myself and cooking for you, giving you foodstuff, and I am getting you bathed and everything. Why you are so morose?"

So he was hesitating to disclose his mind. When she insisted that "You disclose. Why you are so sorry? Then I shall try to satisfy you..." (aside:) Come on. ...so he disclosed his mind. What is that? "I want to visit that prostitute." Just see. He is poor man and (chuckling) he is diseased. Just see how much this lust and sense gratification is strong. He was thinking of going to that prostitute, and he disclosed his mind to his wife. Wife was very faithful. She wanted to satisfy her husband. So she promised, "My dear husband, I shall try my best to take you to that prostitute." "Oh, where you'll get one hundred thousand pieces of diamond?" "All right. I shall see to it." Then she went to the prostitute's house, and without her permission she was washing her dishes, her clothes, and, I mean to say, sweeping the rooms and everything. The prostitute asked, "Who are you? You are coming. You are not charging anything. You are not asking anything. What do you want?" "I shall tell you." So in this way, when she was daily asking that "What is your mind. You tell me. You are very nice woman. You are, for nothing you are working for me. I must something do for you." Then she disclosed her mind: "My dear lady, I am very poor woman, but my husband, he is diseased and he has no money, but he wants to visit you." So the woman could understand. She said, "Yes. You can bring your husband on such and such date." So she was very glad and told her husband that "I have fixed up, appointed a date. You shall be able to go." Oh, he was very glad.

Now when the man visited the prostitute's house, she received the man. In India it is system that when you receive a gentleman or lady you must give him sumptuously to eat. So there was many palatable dishes served to the man, and each vegetable and each preparation was put in two pots—one in iron pots and one in golden pots. So he was eating. Now this man asked the prostitute, "Well, you have given me the same preparation in two pots: one in gold pot and one in iron pot. Why? What is the idea?" So she said that "First of all taste it. Then I shall disclose what is the idea." So he was tasting, eating. Then the prostitute asked him, "How do you like?" "Oh, it is very nice." "Then, is there any different taste in the golden pot?" "No. Same taste." "And the iron pot?" "Oh, the same taste." So she replied at that time that "You are so rascal that you want to gratify your senses, but you do not know that sense gratification in poor wife or rich wife is the same. There is no difference of taste, so why you are after a woman by paying this one hundred thousands of jewels?" The idea is... This story is very instructive, and it is mentioned in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. The idea is the same thing... [break] ...sense gratification is the ultimate aim of life, then why so much hard trouble for decorating the process of sense gratification? Why wasting so much time for decorating?
Page Title:However intelligent we may be
Compiler:Madhavananda
Created:06 of Dec, 2008
Totals by Section:BG=1, SB=0, CC=0, OB=0, Lec=2, Con=0, Let=0
No. of Quotes:3