How do the modes affect our intelligence’s capacity to choose our emotions?
Transcript
Disclaimer: This transcript was generated using AI and may contain occasional errors or inaccuracies.
The question is that we are supposed to choose the right emotions using our intelligence so that our emotions take us towards dharma and not away from dharma. Do the modes of intelligence or the modes of nature affect our intelligence? Yes, definitely. Krishna talks about intelligence in the three modes in the 18th chapter of the Bhagavad Gita.
From 18.31 to 30, 18.30 then 30 to 33, then 34, 35, 36. From 30 to 32 he talks about intelligence, then 33 to 35 he talks about determination. So intelligence is more in terms of perception and determination is in terms of action.
So we can perceive things in goodness, passion, ignorance and then we can act in goodness, passion, ignorance. So intelligence in goodness, Krishna says that, that intelligence which helps us understand what is right, what is wrong. That is, which expresses dharma, this is adharma, this is bandham, this is moksha.
This is, that is intelligence in the mode of goodness. And then intelligence in the mode of passion is that which gets confused. Adharma and then intelligence in the back, is this dharma or is that adharma? Is this right, is that right? We get confused in passion.
And in ignorance he says, अधर्मं धर्ममितिया मन्यते तमसावृता सर्वार्थानिपरितामशि बुद्धी सपार्थामशि We start thinking right to be wrong and wrong to be right. That is intelligence in the mode of ignorance. So, see when we say that some people are unintelligent.
Actually no one is unintelligent. It is just that their intelligence is misdirected. So, we need to study scripture and especially major decisions that we make in our life.
We should not make them on the rush. Because during the course of the day inevitably we will go into passion. Because our lives are fast paced, our environments are passionate.
And we will be in the action mode. And passion in and of itself is not bad. When passion becomes the prominent or only mode by which we make decisions, then it is problematic.
So, if we have to make major decisions in life, we can't make them on the mood. We have to sit down, calm ourselves, deliberate deeply and take decisions. So, yes, especially if we are living in a passionate environment, then our intelligence also gets blurred.
And when the intelligence gets blurred, although we may think I have considered this factor. But there will be much that we will have missed out. And we may end up making wrong decisions.
That's why many times, generally speaking, there are some situations when what is right and what is wrong is clear. But usually speaking, the mind doesn't directly make us do the wrong thing. The mind rationalizes the wrong.
If you look at the Ramayana, Kaikeyi is getting Ram exiled. Ram had never even once offended Kaikeyi. Ram respected her as more like his own mother.
And yet for Kaikeyi to do that was horrendous. Now how did Kaikeyi do that? You know, she created based on… We can say that it was just a badass mantra. Yes, that mantra poisoned her mind.
But Kaikeyi also had her intelligence. What happened to her intelligence? Because of the influence of mantra, Kaikeyi, based on that, her intelligence created an imaginary Bharata who applauded her actions. She was thinking that everybody is thinking I am so selfish, I am so power hungry.
But actually I am doing all this out of my love for my son. I am protecting him and nobody is understanding my great maternal love by which I am protecting him. That's how she rationalized the whole thing.
And because she had rationalized in that way, nobody's arguments made sense to her. Neither Dasyat's pleading, nor Sumantra was the minister. His request, nor even Vasishtha Rishi was a royal sage.
Nor even his instruction, nothing made sense to her. So the only time her rationalization exploded was when Bharata himself came. And she told Bharata, there was this great danger to your kingdom and I protected you.
Bharata was shocked. He says, what did you do? He said, I cannot accept that you are my mother. He says, you are the goddess of destruction descended into our dynasty to destroy our dynasty.
So the point which I am making is that Kaikeyi, she used her intelligence to come up with the plan of how to get the kingdom. But her intelligence was sabotaged. So usually it's not in the mind directly makes us do wrong things.
Sometimes it is clear, we know this is a temptation, as you can imagine, but we indulge it. But quite often the mind sabotages our intelligence. And we think we are doing the right thing.
That's why major decisions should not be taken without consulting. Going back to Kaikeyi's example, her mistake was twofold. First was she heard mantra very submissively.
We should not hear only materialistic people so submissive first of all. But even if she heard, she could not avoid it. Then the important thing is she should at least have consulted someone else.
Or to take such a drastic decision based on just one person's input. It's terrible. Sometimes we may be practicing bhakti and suddenly we go on some site and we read something terrible about Krishna consciousness, about devotees.
We think, hey, what am I doing associating such people? What am I doing? Let me just give it up. Yes, there may be some truth in it. There are a lot of lies in it.
A lot of half-truths in it. But just don't take a decision based on one perception. Take a look at that.
Get fix and clarification from somebody. Understand things and then make a decision. So generally major decisions we should not take on the rush.
Okay, whatever our thoughts, we take it, calm down. Get an alternative perspective. Deliberate on both things.
And then take a decision. Then we will be able to regulate our emotions effectively. Thank you.