Intellect Vs Cleverness

The human mind has two distinct capabilities. One is to acquire worldly skills and another is to do spiritual discrimination. These two faculties are called Medha Sakthi (cleverness) and Buddhi (intellect) respectively. The objective of this thread is to analyze the difference between the two as often people misunderstand the two faculties.

In the hierarchy of the human, the highest position is held by the divine consciousness which is called with so many names and let us assume it here as “Atma”. Buddhi is like a pipeline that connects Atma with the rest of the tools that are gifted by the Lord to the human beings. After Buddhi, the manas (Mind) plays a prominent role with respect to our memory, worldly knowledge, analytical skills, emotions, etc. Our experiences create a profound impact in this part of our body setting guidelines with respect to our day to day life. It is our past encryption that create thoughts and depending on the energy assigned by our mind, we perform actions. The divine consciousness that resides in us is gift wrapped to be used by the human mind. Below the mind, we have five senses and body.

Medha Sakthi is how we convert the reactions of our senses into worldly knowledge whereas Buddhi is how we make decisions in our life using our discrimination power. Let us analyze the components of Buddhi to understand more about how it functions. There are three elements that are important for the Buddhi not to get clogged leaving mind to function without consulting the Buddhi. They are known as Shradda (earnestness), the product of yearning and steadfastness. It is the earnestness that set goals for the well-being and improvement of true knowledge in a human being. The next is called Sathyam (Truth) which provides the ability or the human being to recommend right actions. Sometimes, this is called inner voice and this is very feeble if the mind is dominant and powerful if the mind is subservient. More the mind reaches out to Atma through the pipeline of Buddhi, our actions become right and invaluable. It is about empowering the Buddhi to carry the messages to the divine consciousness. Lastly, there is Yoga (power of control) which has the ability to guide the mind how to control the senses and the body. All of them together, i.e. Shradda, Sathyam and Yoga when reach their full capacity become Mahat Sakthi (Divine Power).

Being exclusively related to the phenomenal world, Medha Sakthi would help a person to be shrewd in worldly matters and achieve success in society. However, it is Buddhi that helps a person eliminate encryption to liberate the divine consciousness. When the body and senses listen to the mind and when the mind listens to the intellect, the human thoughts, words and actions are sanctified by the Mahat Sakthi. A clever man is restless, does not enjoy peace, and often goes through mental conflicts based on rules defined by the analytical mind. He becomes a slave to his ego, which casts a veil over the Self and renders Buddhi ineffective.

In Mahabharatha, when Arjuna was ready for the war, despite the Medha Sakthi he possessed to fight any warrior, it didn’t come to his rescue at a time when he faced all his relatives in front of him in a battlefield. It is the Lord Krishna who taught him Bhagavad Gita to make him understand the difference between Medha Sakthi and Mahat Sakthi. When he asked Lord Krishna, “Are you saying Krishna that Medha Sakthi is irrelevant?”, the Lord responded, “No. It is very important. One needs to know everything about the environment one lives. In fact, we need the body and mind in order to execute the divine command that comes from Buddhi. But all I am saying is to consult Buddhi to reach the divine consciousness so that it will be filled with Shradda, Truth and Yoga and becomes Mahat Sakthi.”

“Manomoolam Idam Jagath” is the saying meaning, “the world we see is what the mind projects us it to be”. Therefore, if we aspire to learn the true knowledge, practice truth and control the senses and the mind by the constant use of the intellect, the pipe that brings the divinity to the human, the world we see will be different than what we see from our Medha Sakthi alone. We also need Medha Sakthi to understand the environment but eventually, it is Mahat Sakthi that provides the peace we aspire. Medha Sakthi gives us the free will and Mahat Sakthi gives us the divine energy.

 

Dear. Vijiakka,

Thank you for your first response. As always, I believe you bring luck to any thread to get many responses if you give the first response. You taking time to respond despite your jewel making mission is a great honor. If we connect the transformer with the house full of lights through wires, the whole house is illuminated. Intellect is that wire conducting the energy. The energy that is conducted is divine power.

Viswa

 

Dear Satchi,

I did write a thread in February. Because of too much time spent in IL on FP section E & PG, I never get to write frequently here as I did before. I eagerly wait for your response, as always. Imagine the arteries getting clogged preventing pure blood circulating to the organs. If heart is Atma, the arteries can be considered as buddhi. The organs and their independent functions can be considered as mind, senses and Medha Sakthi.

Viswa

 

Dear Gauri,

Thank you for your excellent response. You are right on the money about Medha Sakthi as ability to acquire and retain knowledge. This happens at the mind level which has two functions namely memory and analytical. But this is restricted to information and experience one gained in life. The Sanatana Dharma philosophy states that there is a power residing in every human being which is all knowing but can be accessed only by practising earnestness, truth and sense control. This opens up a pipe called Buddhi that has direct access to all knowing. In other words our true Self is all knowing and full of wisdom minus our encryption caused by our past and present actions.

While Medha Sakthi is gained by reaching out to the world to acquire knowledge, Mahat Sakthi is gained by practising virtues to reach inside the encryption that is all knowing and full of wisdom. In fact, by becoming virtuous, we can erase our encryption and become all knowing.