III: 32

Chapter 3, Verse 32

"But those who scorn my teaching
And do not follow it
Are lost.
They lack spiritual discernment
And are blind to wisdom."

Paramahansa Yogananda:

"Intelligence is a complex force of consciousness by which experiences of the phenomenal world can be seen in a larger framework. Intelligence was not gifted to humanity just for its own sake, but for the purpose of discerning thought and the nurturing of wisdom. The powerful force of intelligence is wondrously good, provided it is not misused. In tracing the evolution of intelligence in humanity, we note that it has often been misused to satisfy the pride and sense of accomplishment of the ego. Only the wise have discovered and consciously nurtured the wisdom-producing intuition which lies hidden in the intelligent depths of the psyche. When by meditation and a devotional attitude towards all of life the soul's intuition begins to guide the workings of the intelligence, it is then that the false identification with the lower mind becomes doomed to destruction."

[From a note to a friend:

"I'm trying to get a tutoring job through the local school system and recently went down to the police station to get fingerprinted as part of the process. The policeman who fingerprinted me said an interesting thing during the course of our time together: 'There is always an emotional component to any life-changing experience.' Scriptural study, ceremonial ritual, and regular Sadhana become dry and largely ineffective without the juicy element of devotion to feed the sacred fire."

From the friend's reply:

"You found a policeman who was interested in soulprints as well as fingerprints. We each have a unique relationship with the Lord. For me, how pleasing it is to plod along the trail of his footprints in hopes of one fine day meeting him and bowing down at his lotus feet and crying out a confession of love."]