(Kadamba Kanana Swami, 18 October 2017, Melbourne, Australia, Srimad Bhagavatam 4.3.17)
We are currently living in an age where everyone is over-educated and has a degree that is not going to bring them much benefit in life. In fact, it is going to take them away from Krsna. We become proud and start to think that, “Oh, I have a master’s degree, so now I am a master!” At that point, one can no longer put their faith in anything else because as an academic, they try to cut everything to pieces and begin to question Krsna consciousness. Well, where is the benefit in that if one is trying to develop faith in Krsna?
It is not that we should have blind faith, where there is no logic or argument. But at one point, such questioning has to stop! This is because it is not by intellect that we will determine whether Krsna consciousness is true or not. We can dice, spice, philosophise and analyse to try to figure out the whole package to support Krsna consciousness, but Krsna is not understood through intellect, he is attained through mercy when he is pleased.
Krsna stated in the Bhagavad-gita at 10.10, dadāmi buddhi-yogaṁ taṁ. Krsna says that he provides us with the intelligence by which we can come to him. So, intelligence is certainly a factor. Krsna also said in the Bhagavad-gita at 10.8 that one who is truly intelligent worships him with love as that person understands that Krsna is the source of everything material and spiritual:
ahaṁ sarvasya prabhavo
mattaḥ sarvaṁ pravartate
iti matvā bhajante māṁ
budhā bhāva-samanvitātaḥ
Worship with love cannot be attained by theoretical intelligence alone. It requires that we understand Krsna as the Supreme Personality of Godhead and our position as krsnera ‘nitya-dasa – eternal servants of Krsna. Therefore, as eternal servants, our natural position is in service. Our happiness is only attained in such service, not in any other endeavour.