How do we ensure that we don’t just enjoy KC intellectually and not advance spiritually?

From Shyam P

Transcript

This is an AI-generated transcript and may contain some errors.
Hare Krishna question from Shyam Prabhu sometimes when we study the philosophy we start enjoying the philosophy at an intellectual level but then there is a danger of being stuck at that level itself and not going deeper so how can we deal with that? there is definitely a policy, recently I wrote a Gita that’s a danger, that’s a possibility recently I wrote an article about how let research reinforce, not replace search so essentially we understand that spiritual life is meant for redirecting our love from material things to Krishna that is the essential transformation now for making this transformation we do need our intelligence because without intelligence we will not understand why I should transform myself and how I should transform myself so both, the reason to go along the journey and the path to go along the journey both are provided by the philosophy but going along the journey is not just philosophical it is transformation it is the matter of redirecting our heart towards Krishna so if we are doing devotional activities consistently that means we are chanting rounds, we are associating with devotees we are doing some services if those who are more intellectually oriented naturally they will gravitate towards intellectual engagements in Krishna consciousness that means studying philosophy understanding the philosophy, that is something you should naturally do but along with that you can also try to do some non-intellectual activities that means joining in kirtans, worshipping the deity participating in festivals so activities, our intellectual activities may give us more nourishment but when you do other activities also that makes sure that our connection with Krishna is all round and it is not just unidimensional or unilateral and then along with that also one very important criteria for checking our spiritual advancement is our mental attachments bhakti pareeshaanubhava viraktiranjatrachal so if genuine devotion is developing then that will lead to viraktiranjatra that will lead to detachment from worldly things so if we are only on the intellectual platform there is a sensual platform, there is a spiritual platform in between is the intellectual platform so the intellectual platform if it is not connected with the spiritual platform then we will not be able to stay on that for a very long time we will be dragged down but if the intellectual platform is taking us towards the spiritual platform then we will not be dragged down so we will see that often there are many great scholars and writers and scientists as far as intellect they have tremendous penetration but still often they fall to sensuality they fall to immorality because the intellectual platform in and of itself can’t protect a person from the sensual platform so if we are only on the intellectual platform and we are not really going closer to Krishna we are not realizing the philosophy we are not moving forward in our spiritual life using our intellect then we will be dragged down to the sensual platform sooner or later but if we find that we are actually able to resist the temptations and go on steadily in our spiritual life doing our devotional commitments also well then we should not be afraid Jiva Goswami says in the Sandarbhas that at the at the Siddha level when we are perfected it is priti it is love that will keep us on the spiritual platform but before that when we are in the sadhaka stage when we are in the journey stage moving upwards at that time it is buddhi that will keep us on the spiritual platform so the buddhi is very important and Krishna also says in 3.43 in the Bhagavad Gita evam buddhe param buddha samsthabhyatmanam atmanah jahe shatrum mahabhaho kamarupam durasadam he says therefore with intelligence situate yourself on the spiritual platform and conquer this enemy of lust so the buddhi is not as important but the error is when we make it all important so we use buddhi as the as the basis as the impetus for transforming our priti for redirecting our priti from worldly things to Krishna so as long as we are doing devotional activities consistently and we are protecting ourselves from sensuality then we can be secure that our buddhi is we are not just staying on the intellectual platform but we are using the intellect to move towards Krishna and advance in devotional life thank you