Our intelligence is designed to counter our lower desires, not to serve them. However, we all have desires that can bring out the worst in us. These desires often arise due to external triggers but eventually lead to internal turmoil, as seen in the case of addictions.
Intelligence helps us recognize the consequences of indulgence and protect ourselves. Unfortunately, when these desires grow strong enough, they can corrupt intelligence itself. The Bhagavad-Gita (3.40) warns that lower desires can infiltrate not just the senses and mind but also intelligence.
For example, an alcoholic with sound intelligence might avoid situations that trigger drinking, but one whose intelligence is corrupted may use it to conceal their indulgence, such as limiting consumption to avoid detection or using substances to mask the effects of alcohol. This corruption can be exploited commercially through products designed to conceal indulgence.
When intelligence is corrupted, it stops acting as a protector and becomes an enabler for indulgence. If we notice our intelligence justifying or hiding indulgence, it’s crucial to seek intellectual cleansing. Immersion in wisdom texts like the Bhagavad-Gita can help us refocus and counter the corruption of intelligence.
Summary:
- Intelligence is meant to counter lower desires, but strong desires can corrupt it, turning it into an enabler.
- Corrupted intelligence often focuses on concealing indulgence rather than preventing it.
- Intellectual cleansing through wisdom texts can help restore intelligence to its protective role.
Think it over:
- Recall an instance when your intelligence protected you from lower desires.
- Reflect on a time when your intelligence was focused on concealing signs of indulgence.
- Identify sources of intellectual cleansing, such as specific books or practices, that you can keep accessible for yourself.
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03.40 The senses, the mind and the intelligence are the sitting places of this lust. Through them lust covers the real knowledge of the living entity and bewilders him.
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