<p>Being endowed with a good intellect is truly a gift from the supreme Lord, accepted by all faiths. This blessing is what enables man to not only ‘just survive’, but to reach ever greater heights of achievements in life.<br /><br /></p>.<p>Normally, just taken for granted, the real significance and importance of a well-endowed intellect will become apparent when we see the sheer sweep and reach of the achievements of the great intellects down the ages.<br /><br />Indian spiritual wisdom regards this gift of a powerful intellect as a manifestation of the grace of the divine. It is for this reason that the ‘Yajurveda’ speaks thus! “ May the Goddess of Intellect come to us with love. May she, who comprehends everything, who is auspicious, be favourably disposed towards us and shower her grace”. <br /><br />This text proceeds to tell what this grace does to men. “It makes us shun lowly talk, it makes us utter words of wisdom, words that elevate us further to greater heights of knowledge and achievement. It makes us men of vision, takes us towards the divine presence, it grants us material wealth”.<br /><br />Do we not say that great minds do not indulge in frivolous talk, that their words are lessons for ordinary people, that they are indeed visionaries? This is the exact purport of these statements.<br /><br />The Yajurveda goes on to speak about the other qualities of a good intellect. When it asks “may immortality be with us”, it is not to be interpreted literally as freedom from death.<br /><br />It means that by the grace of the Goddess of Intellect, ‘True Knowledge’ of what is to be shunned (material greed and possessiveness) and what is to be acquired ( knowledge of the right way of life, ethics and conduct) dawns on the seeker and he acquires the emotional stability and maturity to live in the practical world with all its pulls, pressures and conflicts.<br /><br />When this sort of knowledge takes root in the intellect, “sins fall away like dry leaves” says the Yajurveda. At this stage, the intellect understands that all the gifts of the human faculties are for leading a life of righteousness, for acquiring true knowledge. The lives of all great intellects bear testimony to this eternal truth.</p>
<p>Being endowed with a good intellect is truly a gift from the supreme Lord, accepted by all faiths. This blessing is what enables man to not only ‘just survive’, but to reach ever greater heights of achievements in life.<br /><br /></p>.<p>Normally, just taken for granted, the real significance and importance of a well-endowed intellect will become apparent when we see the sheer sweep and reach of the achievements of the great intellects down the ages.<br /><br />Indian spiritual wisdom regards this gift of a powerful intellect as a manifestation of the grace of the divine. It is for this reason that the ‘Yajurveda’ speaks thus! “ May the Goddess of Intellect come to us with love. May she, who comprehends everything, who is auspicious, be favourably disposed towards us and shower her grace”. <br /><br />This text proceeds to tell what this grace does to men. “It makes us shun lowly talk, it makes us utter words of wisdom, words that elevate us further to greater heights of knowledge and achievement. It makes us men of vision, takes us towards the divine presence, it grants us material wealth”.<br /><br />Do we not say that great minds do not indulge in frivolous talk, that their words are lessons for ordinary people, that they are indeed visionaries? This is the exact purport of these statements.<br /><br />The Yajurveda goes on to speak about the other qualities of a good intellect. When it asks “may immortality be with us”, it is not to be interpreted literally as freedom from death.<br /><br />It means that by the grace of the Goddess of Intellect, ‘True Knowledge’ of what is to be shunned (material greed and possessiveness) and what is to be acquired ( knowledge of the right way of life, ethics and conduct) dawns on the seeker and he acquires the emotional stability and maturity to live in the practical world with all its pulls, pressures and conflicts.<br /><br />When this sort of knowledge takes root in the intellect, “sins fall away like dry leaves” says the Yajurveda. At this stage, the intellect understands that all the gifts of the human faculties are for leading a life of righteousness, for acquiring true knowledge. The lives of all great intellects bear testimony to this eternal truth.</p>
