Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 4.25.22
Ūti· What drives us to actIntelligence Organizes What the Senses Gather
“The woman’s nose, teeth and forehead were all very beautiful. Her ears were equally very beautiful and were bedecked with dazzling earrings.”
What the purport teaches
- The woman's features metaphorically describe ways of acquiring knowledge. Her beautiful nose represents the organ that gains knowledge through smell.
- The mouth acquires knowledge through taste. Chewing and contact with the tongue allow us to understand an object's taste.
- The beautiful forehead indicates a clear brain capable of understanding things as they are. Intelligence also puts things in order, illustrated by the careful placement of earrings.
Try this today
Choose one ordinary object today and distinguish what your senses report from how your intelligence organizes that information.
Ask yourself
Am I using intelligence to understand things clearly, or merely to enjoy sensory impressions?
Carry the question through the day, then answer it in your own words before sleep.
The study points, practice and question are short summaries drawn from Śrīla Prabhupāda's translation and purport. Read the full purport to go deeper.