Less intelligent class of men (Conv and Letters)

Expressions researched:
"less intelligent class men" |"less intelligent class of men"

1974 Conversations and Morning Walks

Sometimes these Māyāvādīs rascals say that the bhakti is meant for the less intelligent class of men. Kṛṣṇa personally gives you intelligence. So how He can be less intelligent?

Morning Walk -- April 3, 1974, Bombay:

Dr. Patel:

teṣāṁ satata-yuktānāṁ

bhajatāṁ prīti-pūrvakam

dadāmi buddhi-yogaṁ taṁ

yena mām upayānti te

(BG 10.10)

Prabhupāda: Yes. So therefore one who has taken to this... Sometimes these Māyāvādīs rascals say that the bhakti is meant for the less intelligent class of men. So how he can be less intelligent? Kṛṣṇa says, teṣāṁ satata-yuktānāṁ bhajatāṁ prīti-pūrvakam. So Kṛṣṇa personally gives you intelligence. So how He can be less intelligent?

Dr. Patel: He gives intelligence that, dadami buddhi-yogam.

Prabhupāda: Ah. And what kind of buddhi-yoga?

Dr. Patel: "By which you can reach Me."

Prabhupāda: Yes. By which he can go back to home, back to Godhead. That kind of buddhi-yoga. Not this buddhi-yoga, how to exploit the whole world and become Hiranyakasipu.

This less intelligent class of men, because they cannot see the form. Because they cannot see, they say it is nirākāra. No, it is not nirākāra. It is there.

Morning Walk -- April 11, 1974, Bombay:

Prabhupāda: Try to understand, that what is the nature... That is called spiritual body. So we have got also similar body, but very small, very small. That is covered by this material body. And because in the spiritual body I am person, I have got form, therefore the material elements have taken a form. Just like when your coat is made, it is made according to your body. Because you have got hands, so the coat has got a hand. But the hand of the coat is not real. The real hand is within the coat. Dehino 'smin yathā dehe (BG 2.13). Within. These foolish people, they do not understand. They take, "This is hand. This is hand." He does not know that this hand is artificial, outward. Real hand is within. This is their misconception. Hare Kṛṣṇa. Try to understand. These are very important question. Hare Kṛṣṇa. Because within the coat the real man is there, therefore the dress has assumed two hands, two legs, one collar, like that. But this is false, like dress. Real... Therefore every living entity has got form. He is not formless. This less intelligent class of men, because they cannot see the form... It is so small... It is so small that if you divide the top portion of your hair into ten thousand parts,...

Italian Man (1): Your one hair into ten thousand parts.

Prabhupāda: The top portion, tip of the hair, the point, you divide into ten thousand parts, and that one part is the form of the soul. It is such minute, small... Because they cannot see, they say it is nirākāra. No, it is not nirākāra. It is there.

It's clearly stated there that the Absolute Truth is impersonal, but when He comes here, He appears as a person. So this conclusion is for the abuddhayaḥ, less intelligent class of men, poor fund of knowledge.

Morning Walk -- June 14, 1974, Paris:

Puṣṭa-kṛṣṇa: "But they also come to Me." So what does this "come to Me" mean? They use this to mean that the same result is there, whether you worship...

Prabhupāda: They come to Me after much trouble. That's all. So a foolish man will take much trouble. And intelligent man will take the short-cut, harer nāma harer nāma harer nāma eva kevalam (CC Adi 17.21). Much trouble means he's a foolish man. And this is also stated, avyaktaṁ vyaktim āpannaṁ manyante mām abuddhayaḥ (BG 7.24). It's clearly stated there that the Absolute Truth is impersonal, but when He comes here, He appears as a person. So this conclusion is for the abuddhayaḥ, less intelligent class of men, poor fund of knowledge. Avyaktaṁ vyaktim āpannaṁ manyante mām abuddhayaḥ (BG 7.24).

1975 Conversations and Morning Walks

"The result of material profit is for a short duration of time, and these things are desired by less intelligent class of men."

Morning Walk -- October 12, 1975, Durban:

Prabhupāda: Bhagavad-gītā it is said, (sic:) alpavat tu phalaṁ teṣām: "The result of material profit is for a short duration of time," tad bhavaty alpa-medhasām, "and these things are desired by less intelligent class of men." His real need is how to gain his spiritual life. That is his real need. But he does not want that. He wants some material profit for the time being. This is less intelligent. Suppose if somebody gives you some money and he says, "Tomorrow I shall take it away," will you... (laughs) So tad bhavaty alpa-medhasā. (break) ...kāmais tais tair hṛta-jñānāḥ yajanty anya-devatāḥ: (BG 7.20) "They worship demigods, bewildered by lusty desires." And so long we have got lusty desires, we have to change our body, and that we do not know, what kind of body we are going to get next birth. Therefore, without knowing this, if we become mad after material profit, then less intelligent.

The intelligent class men, brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya, vaiśya, they left villages for earning more money in the cities, and only the śūdras, less intelligent class of men, less than śūdras, they remained. So what they will do? So village became deserted.

Morning Walk -- Durban, October 13, 1975 :

Prabhupāda: Due to industrialization, all intelligent men, they came in the city. In the village it was deserted. So there was no improvement in the village, and people preferred to come to the city, means industry, business. So India's basic principle was village life. Now that is lost. The intelligent class men, brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya, vaiśya, they left villages for earning more money in the cities, and only the śūdras, less intelligent class of men, less than śūdras, they remained. So what they will do? So village became deserted. Still you’ll go and see in Indian villages, especially in Bengal, so many big, big palatial buildings, they are lying vacant.

Mahābhārata is meant for less intelligent class of men: stri, woman; śūdra; and dvija-bandhu.

Morning Walk -- November 7, 1975, Bombay:

Dr. Patel: Sir, I have one point to ask you, that Vyāsa Bhagavān was not satisfied, doing all these things, and he finally composed the Bhāgavatam. But even Mahābhārata can be called equal to any of them. Mahābhārata, with the Bhagavad-gītā in... With the Vidura-nīti, with the Viṣṇu-sahasra-nāma and all these things can be equal to any other...

Prabhupāda: Stri-śūdra-dvija-bandhūnām (SB 1.4.25). It is meant for less intelligent class of men: stri, woman; śūdra; and dvija-bandhu. Dvija-bandhu means persons who are born in high family but they have no education. Just like a man born in brāhmaṇa family...

Dr. Patel: Brahma-bandhu.

Prabhupāda: ...but without education, without qualification, he wants to become a brāhmaṇa. They are called brahma-bandhu or dvija-bandhu. So Mahābhārata is meant for the, these persons: stri-śūdra-dvija-bandhunam. They cannot understand directly the Vedic injunctions; therefore it is simplified in a history. Mahābhārata is the history. History and stories, ordinary people, they can read with interest. But those who are advanced, they want higher philosophical thoughts. That is Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam.

1976 Conversations and Morning Walks

Aparā-vidyā is meant for the less intelligent class of men.

Morning Walk -- April 17, 1976, Bombay:

Prabhupāda: This aparā-vidyā.... Parā-vidyā means Kṛṣṇa. Parā-vidyā means Kṛṣṇa. So one who.... Unless one comes to the point of Kṛṣṇa, he is in the aparā-vidyā. And aparā-vidyā is meant for the less intelligent class of men. Tad bhavaty alpa-medhasām.

That is good for the less intelligent class of men. Because they cannot understand what is bhakti, so Buddha therefore says, "First of all make this zero, rascal. Then your real life begins."

Morning Walk -- April 26, 1976, Melbourne:

Prabhupāda: He is suffering from disease. He thinks, "Again eating? Make it zero. Make it zero." This is Māyāvādī. He has no taste what is the other eating. He wants to make it zero because here the eating is so botheration, "Oh, let me commit suicide. Make it zero." So that is Buddha philosophy.

Guru-kṛpā: Sour grapes.

Prabhupāda: So that is good for the less intelligent class of men. Because they cannot understand what is bhakti, so Buddha therefore says, "First of all make this zero, rascal. Then your real life begins." But what is that real life he did not say, because the rascals will not understand. Simply advised, "You make this zero, śūnyavādī." Then, when time will come, he will understand what is positive.

Only the rascals and less intelligent class of men think that God is formless and when He incarnates, He takes a particular form.

Letter to Sai Baba -- September 13, 1976, Vrndavana:

Prabhupāda: (dictating:) Only the rascals and less intelligent class of men think that God is formless and when He incarnates, He takes a particular form. In this connection, a verse from Yāmunācārya may be quoted as follows. You have quoted the Bhagavad-gītā? That quote?

Pradyumna: Well, it doesn't mention the Sanskrit here of that Yāmunācārya verse.

Prabhupāda: No, no. "In the Bhagavad-gītā it is said"—what you have written?

Pradyumna: Oh. We can put the Sanskrit, avyaktaṁ vyaktim āpannam.

Prabhupāda: No, what you have written here?

Pradyumna: "Such unauthorized claim of one's becoming... Then you have claimed to take a form of the formless God, but we see in the Bhagavad-gītā..."

Prabhupāda: That you have to quote.

1967 Correspondence

Because the less intelligent class of men, like women, mercantile people, and laborers, want to hear stories, for them the Vedic idea or concept was explained in 18 Puranas and the Mahabharata.

Letter to Janardana -- New York 22 July, 1967:

I have read with great interest the copy of your letter, and I am so glad to learn that you are feeling more and more Krishna Conscious. So far the stories are concerned, the Vedic literatures are full of instructive stories for the spiritual advancement of the human society. Because the less intelligent class of men, like women, mercantile people, and laborers, want to hear stories, for them the Vedic idea or concept was explained in 18 Puranas and the Mahabharata. If I get good assistance I can overflood your country with stories so nice and instructive.

1968 Correspondence

The less intelligent class of men give more stress on the Brahman realization and they take it as final, so this conclusion is a catastrophe.

Letter to Unknown -- Montreal August 23, 1968:

Brahman realization is considered catastrophic in the sense if one does not make further progress to Krishna Consciousness. The less intelligent class of men give more stress on the Brahman realization and they take it as final, so this conclusion is a catastrophe. Because one has to make further progress for Paramatma realization, and further progress for God realization. If one finalizes everything by Brahman realization, certainly that is a catastrophe.

1970 Correspondence

In this way the whole Vedic knowledge developed into four Vedas, 108 Upanisads, 18 Puranas, then summarized in Vedanta Sutra, and then again to benefit the less intelligent class of men like women, workers, and the degraded descendants of the higher class.

Letter to Unknown -- Los Angeles 12 April, 1970:

This Vedic knowledge was stated in the Atharva Veda. Later on, just on the beginning of this millenium, the Kali yuga, Vyasadeva, who is the supreme authority of Vedic knowledge, considering the degraded condition of men in this age, divided the whole Veda into departmental knowledge and some of his disciples were entrusted with a particular type of departmental knowledge. In this way the whole Vedic knowledge developed into four Vedas, 108 Upanisads, 18 Puranas, then summarized in Vedanta Sutra, and then again to benefit the less intelligent class of men like women, workers, and the degraded descendants of the higher class he made another fifth Veda known as Mahabharata or the great history of India.

1971 Correspondence

Independent of Krsna consciousness, the cultivation of knowledge, work, meditation and renunciation are of no value or the proud achievements of the atheist or less intelligent class of men.

Letter to Jayadvaita -- Bombay 17 March, 1971:

The ultimate point is to come to the stage of loving Krsna and all other indirect processes are subsidiary. We are concerned here with approaching Krsna by the direct process of devotional service. Independent of Krsna consciousness, the cultivation of knowledge, work, meditation and renunciation are of no value or the proud achievements of the atheist or less intelligent class of men. In this connection, the term "knowledge" is mental speculative theorizing up to the stage of brahmajnana or impersonal conception of the Absolute Truth. Especially such knowledge as it is concerned with various views of the causal and effective material phenomena is of no importance in the matter of spiritual realization or God-consciousness which is transcendental to the realm of sensual, mental and intellectual activities. So the order of supercession of these various indirect processes for approaching the Absolute Truth is not as much important as fixed understanding of the exalted position of devotional service rendered directly to Krsna.

1976 Correspondence

Janmady asya yatah. The first chapter of Srimad-Bhagavatam begins with this verse. Accept this, all other philosophies are simply jugglery of words to mislead the less intelligent class of men.

Letter to Sri Tikandas J. Batra -- Mayapur 26 January, 1976:

How a rascal can become a professor? That is the defect of modern day education. It is said in the Srimad-Bhagavatam: Na te vidhuh svartha gatim hi visnu. Philosophy means to find out the actual source of everything. Our Vedanta philosophy begins athāto brahma jijñāsā, to enquire about Brahma, that is real philosophy. And the Supreme Brahma is described as the original source of everything: Janmady asya yato (SB 1.1.1), etc. Srimad-Bhagavatam is the real philosophy because it describes the original soruce of everything—Janmady asya yatah. The first chapter of Srimad-Bhagavatam begins with this verse. Accept this, all other philosophies are simply jugglery of words to mislead the less intelligent class of men. You are benedicted by Lord Krishna that you are doubting the philosophical speculation of the mudhas. Please try to read real philosophy—Vedanta Sutra and its right commentary by Vyasadeva, Srimad-Bhagavatam. And the preliminary study, Bhagavad-gita.

1977 Correspondence

To benefit the less intelligent class of men like women, workers, and the degraded descendants of the higher class, Vyasadeva made a fifth Veda, known as Mahabharata, or the great history of India.

Letter to Inquirer -- Boston Unknown Date:

This Vedic knowledge was stated in the Atharva-veda. Later on, just at the beginning of this millennium, the Kali-yuga, Vyasadeva, who is the supreme authority on Vedic knowledge, considering the degraded condition of men in this age, divided the whole Veda into departmental knowledge, and some of his disciples were entrusted with the particular departments. In this way the entire Vedic knowledge was developed into four Vedas, then 108 Upanisads, 18 Puranas, and then summarized in Vedanta-sutra. And then again, to benefit the less intelligent class of men like women, workers, and the degraded descendants of the higher class, Vyasadeva made a fifth Veda, known as Mahabharata, or the great history of India.