Lord Ganesha with wives Buddhi and Siddhi
Intellect – is a huge topic to discuss and understand. So I am breaking it into various parts.
PART 1
This mind (manas ) that we think is not 1 but has 3 more elements in it. They are Ego (Ahamkar), Memory (chitra), and Intellect (Buddhi).
Mind (Manas) – Full of feelings, seat of emotions and may be called a computer collecting various data from the 5 senses and adding emotions and perceptions. Note: Senses are sight, hearing, touch, smell and taste.
Ego ( Ahamkar) – the sense of myself, only me, just to make me happy.
Memory (Chitra) – All the previous data are recollected and given at the right time.
Intellect (Buddhi) – Always gives us the right answer.
I went inside my kitchen and in the cupboard I saw a chocolate or a sweet – my mind (computer) will give me a data saying there is a chocolate or a sweet. My ego will tell me – you love sweets eat it. My buddhi will warn me that it is not good for my health so do not eat it. But if I am habitual not to listen to the buddhi and my mind and ego are dominant then I will eat it. If I have the habit of listening to the buddhi then, I will not eat it. I will also understand that it is the duty of my mind to give the data and ego will always tell me to do things to make me happy.
If by chance I don’t listen to the buddhi and I finished the chocolate or the sweet. The mind might give another data saying there is a second chocolate or a sweet. The ego will tell me to eat it as I have a weakness for sweet. The memory will give me a data that last time when I saw 2 sweets I had finished both. The buddhi will again warn me not to eat. If my mind and ego are dominating then I will eat it. If the buddhi is dominating then I will not eat it.
I went for a party say alumni get together of my classmates. Suddenly my parents or my in laws appear there. Then I get confused to react. I am conditioned to react in a special way with my friends and different with my parents and in laws. I have also limited them to a certain role. I am able to relate to them as friends or parents but not as human beings.
I have made various conditioning to my mind and I have certain belonging to which I identify myself. But these conditioning and belonging change every minute. Say your mind conditioning will change from the time you have started to read this article and when you have finished it.
Conditioning of my mind was different before marriage and after marriage – this made my husband think that I have changed. But actually I am the same but my conditioning of the mind has changed.
Throughout our life we learn from teachers and educational institutions as to how to gain knowledge and get the intelligence. If we qualify from any of the educational institution then we are intelligent and we can earn for our living. In that process we have all forgotten to develop our intellect, which only can help us to live the life.
The most intelligent person will fall a pray to the temptations, get angry at the fall of the hat, worry even for the slightest mistake or loss. Which will make their life chaos? Even though they are intelligent and successful in their career they do no know to make clear decisions always confusions.
This intellect which is the most superior than the intelligence is completely ignored in today’s life style. This intellect will help us to think with clarity and without confusion.
What is this intellect? (In detail)
How to measure our intellect?
How to develop the intellect?
How life style influences intellect?
I will answer all these and much more in my upcoming articles. In the mean while, all of you try to analyse your thoughts as to who is talking? Is it your mind or ego or memory or buddhi? This exercise will help you to understand your conditioning of your mind better and to build an intellect.
See part 2
umasvedantam 