Q. It is a common observation that most people are guided by their intelligence. It is stated in Bhagavad-Gita that Soul is higher than intelligence. So, can a person be guided by his/her Soul? If so how do we know that we are being guided by the Soul?
Answer by Romapada Swami: The spirit soul belongs to para-prakriti, the superior energy of the Lord. Although he is trying to exploit the inferior material nature, nonetheless the soul belongs to the category of prakriti (energy) of the Lord and thus controlled by Him, either directly or indirectly. In the conditioned state, we are conducted by material intelligence. But when the soul is directly connected to or engaged in his relation with the Supreme, then he is guided by superior spiritual intelligence coming directly from Krishna.
Material intelligence implies that the intelligence is subservient to the mind. Although intelligence is supposed to be superior to the mind, it is busy catering to the mind’s demands for sense-gratification. It is seen practically that most people employ their intelligence for the singular purpose of maximizing sense-gratification, either individual or collective – this is the function of material intelligence! The soul is compared to an almost helpless passenger seated on a chariot, and the intelligence which is compared to the driver is simply pulled in different directions by the senses which are likened to wild horses. But when the spirit soul makes the right free-will choice to act in his original relationship of service to the Supreme, then with the help of superior, spiritual intelligence the soul can then steady and direct the mind & senses.
As Krishna says in BG 10.10, dadami buddhi yogam tam yena mam upayanti te – “To those who are constantly devoted to serving Me with love, I give the intelligence by which they can come to Me.” This spiritual intelligence is quite different than the mundane intelligence that helps us manipulate material energy in different ways. This superior intelligence comes in the form of directions from scriptures & saintly persons and in mature stages of self-realization, through direct inspiration by the Supersoul from within.
Krishna therefore concludes — right after describing the hierarchy of the senses, mind, intelligence and spirit soul – that one should steady the mind by “deliberate spiritual intelligence [Krishna consciousness]” (BG 3.43). He then proceeds to explain in the following chapter, Chapter 4, how this superior, transcendental knowledge is attained by approaching a bona fide spiritual master in disciplic succession. Thus the test of one who is acting from the platform of the pure soul rather than being conducted by material intelligence is that one is acting under superior spiritual guidance in the form of instructions from scriptures and spiritual master.
