Medhasah means

Expressions researched:
"Medhas means" |"medhasah means"

Srimad-Bhagavatam Lectures

Su means very good, and medhasaḥ means brain, brain substance.

Lecture on SB 1.2.6 -- Montreal, August 3, 1968:

When Lord Caitanya was present, whenever He would go, wherever He would go and..., His attitude was dancing: "Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa..." And He was so beautiful and attractive that people would follow. Thousands and thousands people will follow, chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa. Even Lord..., Nawab Hussein Shah... And when He started this movement in Bengal He was a boy of twenty years old. So so many people were following. So Nawab Hussein Shah inquired his minister, "Who is this person, that He is chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa and so many people are following Him?" So the minister was Hindu. He thought that "He is Muhammadan king, so he may not like this movement." Therefore he wanted to hide it: "My Lord, you have misinformed. He is not very important. Some, I mean to say, people are crazy fellows. They are following. Not... A few only, not many." The Nawab replied, "No, I know it certainly, but you don't try to hide the facts. He must be a great personality. Otherwise so many people are following Him?" That was his remark.

Similarly, Lord Caitanya, wherever He went, that was... Sāṅgopāṅgāstra-pārṣadam: "always followed by many associates." These are the symptoms. And how to worship that Supreme Personality of Godhead, Kṛṣṇa, in this age? Yajñaiḥ saṅkīrtana-prāyair yajanti hi su-medhasaḥ: (SB 11.5.32) "This form of the Personality of Godhead is worshiped by the intelligent class of men." Su-medhasaḥ. Su means very good, and medhasaḥ means brain, brain substance. One who has got very good brain substance, they will understand this saṅkīrtana movement nicely. Just like in our India, especially in Bengal, sometimes they say a dull-brained man, "Oh, you have got cow dung within your brain. You have no brain substance." Actually a man becomes intelligent by the greater amount of brain substance. It is a psychological fact.

Su-medhasaḥ means one who has got good brain substance.

Lecture on SB 1.2.6 -- Montreal, August 3, 1968:

Anyway, the word su-medhasaḥ... Su-medhasaḥ means one who has got good brain substance. But one thing I must explain here. So far spiritual life is concerned, it does not depend on the material brain substance. It is different thing. It is spiritual platform. It has nothing to do with this bodily construction. You must remember. We don't make any distinction that a man can be better Kṛṣṇa consciousness than woman. No. A woman can be better Kṛṣṇa consciousness because they are very simple. They can accept any religious system. Generally the women, they accept it because they are very simple. They have no crooked mind. Sometimes they are exploited therefore. So in the spiritual platform there is no such distinction, although in the material... Just like the bodily construction of man is different from woman, similarly, the brain substance may be also different, but that does not disqualify any woman for spiritual advancement in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. That is clearly defined in the Bhagavad-gītā.

So su-medhasaḥ means one should be little intelligent.

Lecture on SB 1.2.6 -- Montreal, August 3, 1968:

So su-medhasaḥ means for executing religious life, for achieving the highest perfection of life, one must be very intelligent. A fool cannot achieve the highest perfection of life. Just like a fool cannot be very prosperous even in this material world, similarly, a fool also cannot make any progress in the spiritual world. So su-medhasaḥ means one should be little intelligent. What is that intelligence? Now, if I have got the easiest path to achieve the highest perfection of life, why shall I take a path which is not very sure? This intelligence required.

Su-medhasaḥ means good brain, and alpa-medhas means rascal, less brain substance.

Lecture on SB 1.3.1 -- Vrndavana, November 14, 1972:

So if I remain the same servant, then why shall I vote to you? You cannot make me master. But my desire is that I shall become master. That is called illusion. Because I'm not master. I cannot become master. I have to remain servant. I am flattering some men: "Please make me master. Please make me master." That is my position. This political party, that political party. Therefore the sane man, one who has got good brain, su-medhas... Su-medhas and alpa-medhas. Medhas means brain substance. Su-medhasaḥ. Su-medhasaḥ. There is a word, the su-medhasaḥ. They... Yes. Saṅkīrtana-prāyair yajanti hi su-medhasaḥ (SB 11.5.32). Su-medhasaḥ. And there is another word: alpa-medhasaḥ. Antavat tu phalaṁ teṣāṁ tad bhavaty alpa-medhasām (BG 7.23). Su-medhasaḥ means good brain, and alpa-medhas means rascal, less brain substance. Sometimes we say, chastise, that "Your brain, your, this skull, filled up with cow dung. There is no brain substance." So those whose brains are filled up with cow dung, they want to exploit this material world. It is impossible. It is not possible. Under certain pleas only, that "This political party will give you better chance for exploiting." But you cannot do that. It is not possible. This is called māyā. In illusion, I'm thinking, "If I make certain more progress..." We see, in America, they're increasing the number of motorcars and the problem is road. One flyway above another flyway, another another. The flyway construction is going on perpetually. Is it not? And this is called advancement.

Su-medhasaḥ means with good brain substance.

Lecture on SB 5.5.2 -- Hyderabad, April 13, 1975:

Just like our Śrīman Pittieji was searching after a brāhmaṇa to recite the Rāmāyaṇa, Sundarakanda. He's not getting a proper brāhmaṇa. That is the difficulty. How you can perform yajña? There is no yajnic brāhmaṇa at the present moment. Therefore the yajña to be performed at this moment in this Kali-yuga is yajñaiḥ saṅkīrtana-prāyaiḥ yajanti hi su-medhasaḥ. Su-medhasaḥ means with good brain substance. Those who have no brain substance, they are called alpa-medhasaḥ. That is also stated in the Bhagavad-gītā, tad bhavati alpa-medhasaḥ. Alpa-medhasaḥ means there is no brain substance—filled up with cow dung. So one should be su-medhasaḥ. Su-medhasaḥ, nice brain substance. So those who are su-medhasaḥ means with good brain substance, they perform yajñair saṅkīrtanair by saṅkīrtana yajña, Hare Kṛṣṇa. Just see the effect of Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra. This yajña being performed all over the world. How quickly they are capturing Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Just see the effect practically. Therefore those who are intelligent, having good brain substance, they should perform yajña saṅkīrtana, yajñaiḥ..., and worship Lord Caitanya.

Sri Caitanya-caritamrta Lectures

Su-medhasaḥ means those persons who are, who have got good brain substance.

Lecture on CC Madhya-lila 20.353-354 -- New York, December 26, 1966:

Just like Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu, He never said that "I am avatāra." But from His symptoms, from His characteristics, later on great sages, great philosophers, they decided that He's avatāra. Just like here. Sanātana Gosvāmī's stressed Him, testing, and he's trying to confirm it by Lord Caitanya. Because Lord Caitanya described here that in this Kali-yuga the avatāra, His symptoms are like this: kṛṣṇa-varṇaṁ tviṣākṛṣṇaṁ sāṅgopāṅgāstra pārṣadam (SB 11.5.32). He is in the category of Kṛṣṇa; by His complexion, He's non-black. Akṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa-varṇaṁ tviṣākṛṣṇam. And He's always followed by confidential associates. And people who are intelligent, they worship Him by the process of saṅkīrtana. Saṅkīrtanair yajñaiḥ kalau yajanti hi su-medhasaḥ. Su-medhasaḥ means those persons who are, who have got good brain substance. Not foolish persons. Su-medhasaḥ, a man of great brain substance, they can understand, "Oh, here is..." That is stated in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, in Mahābhārata, in Upaniṣad, in Purāṇas, about Lord Caitanya's appearance. There are many symptomatic explanation. But still there are many fools, they do not accept.

General Lectures

Medhas means brain substance, one who has got very good brain substance.

Lecture at Harvard University -- Boston, December 24, 1969:

Su-medhasaḥ, this Sanskrit word, means intelligent persons. Medhas. Medhas means brain substance, one who has got very good brain substance. The brain substance... According to psychology, there is difference of brain substance. Not the brain substance equally, of equal weight, in every man's brain. You know, you are all educated students, psychology students. In our boyhood when we were a student in psychology class, Dr. Urquhart explained this brain substance. The man has got the highest brain substance—not all—up to sixty-four ounce. And woman has got the highest up to thirty-six or thirty-four. Of course, we are not discussing that point. Our movement is a spiritual movement, Kṛṣṇa consciousness. That is beyond brain. Indriyāṇi parāṇy āhur indriyebhyaḥ paraṁ manaḥ, manasas tu parā buddhir (BG 3.42). So there are different platforms and status of consciousness. Bodily consciousness means sensual consciousness. Above that, there is mental consciousness, speculative, philosophical, poetic. Above that, intellectual consciousness. And Kṛṣṇa consciousness—above intellectual consciousness.

CC Madhya-lila

The word su-medhasaḥ means "sharply intelligent."

CC Madhya 11.102, Purport:

The saṅkīrtana movement can be spread by a person who is especially favored by Lord Kṛṣṇa (kṛṣṇa-śakti vinā nahe tāra pravartana). Without first obtaining the mercy of the Lord, one cannot spread the holy name of the Lord. One who can spread the Lord's name is called labdha-caitanya in the words of Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī. The labdha-caitanya is one who has actually awakened his original consciousness, Kṛṣṇa consciousness. The influence of the pure devotees in Kṛṣṇa consciousness is such that it can awaken others to become immediately Kṛṣṇa conscious and engage themselves in the transcendental loving service of Kṛṣṇa. In this way the descendants of pure devotees increase, and Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu takes much pleasure in seeing the increase of His devotees. The word su-medhasaḥ means "sharply intelligent." When one's intelligence is sharp, he can increase the interests of common men in loving Caitanya Mahāprabhu and through Him in loving Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa. Those not interested in understanding Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu are simply material in their attempts at professional chanting and dancing for money, despite their supposed artistry. If one does not have full faith in Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, he cannot properly chant and dance in the saṅkīrtana movement. Artificial chanting and dancing may be due to sentiments or sentimental agitation, but this cannot help one advance in Kṛṣṇa consciousness.