What are the roles of mind and intelligence in the spiritual path?

O Learned and Devoted Servants of God

[Prof JSR Prasad asked:- Sāṣṭāṅga namaskāram Swami.]

Swami replied:- Mind is related to emotion (Bhakti Yoga), whereas intelligence is related to logical analysis (Jnaana Yoga). You can find the truth only by intelligence and you can stick to the truth by emotional mind. You cannot transform the true spiritual knowledge into practice with the help of intelligence because for that, inspiration (emotion) is required. You also cannot find the truth with the help of an emotional mind. Any amount of spiritual knowledge will not spoil your health, but, emotion beyond a certain limit will spoil your health. You must entertain emotion to that extent only by which you can transform your spiritual knowledge into practice (Karma Yoga). If all the energy supplied by your food is completely consumed in emotion only, there will be no energy for the work of the brain or intelligence. This can be understood by you through the first law of thermodynamics, which is Q = ΔE + W. Here, Q is the amount of energy supplied to you by food, ΔE is rise in internal energy or rise in  emotion and W is the work done by the brain. If Q = ΔE, then W = 0 and the brain cannot work. Control of emotional devotion is required, but the control of spiritual knowledge is not required. Shri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa told that when you write the list of groceries on a white paper slip, the slip (spiritual knowledge) is very important till the groceries are purchased in the shop. Once the groceries are purchased (Karma Yoga is finished), the slip (Jnaana Yoga) is no more needed. Here, the little inspiration you develop to go to shop after the slip is written, is theoretical devotion (Bhakti Yoga). You need not get endless emotion to go to the shop because such excessive emotion may stop your heart so that both the slip and shop are forgotten!

You may ask that the Gita says that God is obtained by emotional devotion or Bhakti Yoga (Bhaktyā tvananyayā śakyaḥ…) and hence,  devotion cannot be limited by any boundary. Here,  devotion is in two steps:- i) Theoretical or emotional devotion and ii) Practical devotion called Karma Yoga. The devotion referred in the Gita means both theoretical and practical steps. Ramanuja stressed on theoretical devotion, whereas Madhva stressed on practical devotion (practical service). By this, we have only two steps:- i) Jnana Yoga or true spiritual knowledge and ii) Bhakti Yoga, which is both theoretical and practical devotion. In such classification of two stages, devotion (second stage) is very very important. But, if you take three stage classification (Jnana Yoga, Bhakti Yoga and Karma Yoga), the second stage devotion or Bhakti Yoga or theoretical devotion is not very significant and has limitation. Karma Yoga or practical devotion is again sub-divided into physical service (Karma Samnyaasa) and sacrifice of fruit of work (Karma Phala Tyaaga).

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