TEXT 23.22|| SB 11.29.22 ||
esa buddhimatam buddhir manisa ca manisinam yat satyam anrteneha martyenapnoti mamrtam
This process is the supreme intelligence of the intelligent and the cleverness of the cleverest, because by following it, one can make use of that which is temporary and illusory to achieve Me, the eternal reality.
COMMENTARY
Why do people often execute devotional service in the hopes of gaining fame, and other personal advantages? The reason is that they are not actually intelligent. This is the purport of this verse. One who poses as a great devotee to enjoy immense prestige is not actually intelligent. Simply to imagine oneself to be a great preacher of devotional service, or a great relisher of transcendental rasas, simply for enjoying fame and reputation, is also not the sign of good intelligence.
One who has taken birth in Bharatavarsa should try to attain the eternal Supreme Lord with the help of his temporary material body. One can obtain the eternal with the help of the temporary. Conditioned souls can utilize their abominable material bodies to achieve a sublime eternal form like that of the Supreme Lord. According to the material conception, one who can earn thousands of coins by investing just a few coins is considered intelligent. Especially in this age, those who possess the most wealth are considered to be the cleverest persons in society. However, if one could somehow possess a touchstone or a wish-fulfilling cow, he would certainly be considered even more clever and intelligent. Still, it must be understood that all such possessions are temporary and thus ultimately useless.
If those who have been born in Bharatavarsa engage their temporary material bodies, which are composed of disgusting substances, prone to dwindle, full of disease, and ultimately destroyed, in the service of the Supreme Lord, they can come to relish the best of all possessions, love of God. The Lord gives His very self to those who are devoted to Him without personal motivation. How wonderful such an attainment is! How intelligent are the inhabitants of Bharatavarsa who engage in unmotivated devotional service by hearing about the Lord, chanting His glories, and rendering all sorts of service to Him. The tongue should always be engaged in chanting the holy name of the Lord, the ears should be continuously engaged in hearing the Lord’s glories, and the hands should be employed in rendering menial service to Him. Even by fully engaging in only one of the nine processes of devotional service, one can achieve the perfection of life. Considering this, what actually intelligent and clever person will fail to do so?
PURPORT
Those who are the most clever and intelligent will engage themselves in the devotional service of the Lord. It is only due to good fortune that a conditioned soul, who is bewildered on account of material attachment, decides to utilize whatever may be in his possession for the service of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. By such dovetailing of one’s material body and possessions in the service of the Lord, one comes to the platform of eternality.
