1166 Stimad-Bhagavatam [Canto 4, Ch. 25

gence does not go beyond the range of life’s primary necessities—namely
eating, sleeping, mating and defending. Dogs, cats and tigers are always
busy trying to find something to eat or a place to sleep, trying to defend
and have sexual intercourse successfully. In the human form of life, how-
ever, one should be intelligent enough to ask what he is, why he has come
into the world, what his duty is, who is the supreme controller, what is the
difference between dull matter and the living entity, etc. There are so many
questions, and the person who is actually intelligent should simply inquire
about the supreme source of everything: athato brahma-jijfidsa. A living
entity is always connected with a certain amount of intelligence, but in
the human form of life the living entity must inquire about his spiritual
identity. This is real human intelligence. It is said that one who is simply
conscious of the body is no better than an animal, even though he be in
the human form. In Bhagavad-gita Sti Krsna says:

sarvasya caham hrdi sannivisto
mattah smrtir jianam apohanam ca

vedais ca sarvair aham eva vedyo
vedanta-krd veda-vid eva caham

“I am seated in everyone’s heart, and from Me come remembrance, knowl-
edge and forgetfulness. By all the Vedas am | to be known; indeed I am
the compiler of Vedanta and I am the knower of the Vedas.” (Bg. 15.15)

In the animal form the living entity is completely forgetful of his relation-
ship with God. This is called apohanam, or forgetfulness. In the human
form of life, however, consciousness is more greatly developed, and conse-
quently the human being has a chance to understand his relationship with
God. In the human form one should utilize his intelligence by asking all
these questions, just as Puranijana, the living entity, is asking the unknown
girl where she has come from, what her business is, why she is present, etc.
These are inquiries about atma-tattva—self-realization. The conclusion is
that unless a living entity is inquisitive about self-realization he is nothing
but an animal.

TEXT 27

B TASS YT THAT HEMT: |
TM A SIAM: FA BSG ASH FLAT (VI

ka ete ‘nupathd ye ta
ekddasa maha-bhatah
