According to the Upanishads, the human body is comparable to a chariot. However beautiful a chariot may be, however fine the horses (sense organs)  and however efficient the reins (mind), without a charioteer all of them are of no use.
    In the journey of life, the Buddhi (intelligence) is most important and is the determinant in life.  

    In daily life, many difficulties and problems arise. Without the intervention of the Buddhi none of our problems can be solved. Because the Buddhi helps to end doubts, it has been described as one beyond the sense organs.

    The Bhagavad Gita has laid down two banks to channel its message. Without these banks the river of life will be subject to many hazards and difficulties. The two banks consist of two eightsyllable mantras. One is "Sraddhaavaan labhathe Jnanam" (The one of earnest faith acquires supreme wisdom). The other eight-syllable mantra is "Samsayaatma Vinasyathi" (The one filled with doubts perishes). When life flows between these two regulating principles, it will be blessed with peace and happiness.  

    The Buddhi (intelligence) has some other names. One of them is Antaryami (the Indweller). Human is guided by the voice of this Indweller. When problems arise, one waits for the directives of the Inner Voice. If this Inner Voice is not giving a satisfactory answers, person will be in a quandary. When one gets satisfactory guidance from the Inner Voice, he/she will be able to come to terms with the external world. Sometimes, one is found to remark: "My conscience does not approve of this." The Inner Voice is the voice of conscience. When one is asked to "Follow the Master," the "Master" is one's conscience. When you follow the dictates of your conscience, you can reach the proper destination.

    Another name attributed to Buddhi is Vijnana (confirmed knowledge). Vijnana helps to decide the truth relating to external objects. As it investigates internal processes also and comes to decisions on them, it is not entirely correct to describe Buddhi as Vijnana. Vijnana relates to the phenomenal objective world. Buddhi relates to the subtle realm of the internal.  

    The senses are subtler than the body. The mind is even more subtle than the senses. The Buddhi is far more subtle than the mind. The Atma is the subtlest of them all.
    Sometimes the Ego tends to envelop the Buddhi. If it is said so, Ego (Ahamkara) must be deemed subtler than the Buddhi. The Ego is extremely subtle and all-pervasive and enters into all one's actions. It is important to know. This is the reason why person is unable to transcend the Ego and comprehend the Atma.

    When the Aham ("I") acquires a form, it develops into the Ego. It is the identification with the body that promotes the sense of Ahamkara (I-am-the doer). As long as one suffers from egoism, his intelligence will not shine.
    Hence, efforts must be made at the outset to throw off the cover imposed by the ego on the intelligence (Buddhi). The Buddhi is very close to the Atma, and is therefore well situated to receive the illumination from the Atma. The Buddhi is in a position to receive 90 percent of its energy from the Atma. The mind derives its power from the Buddhi. The mind in its turn activates the senses. The power of the senses is spread over the body.
    The illumination emanating from the Atma when it passes through the Buddhi to the mind, from it to the senses and from the senses to the body, gets considerably dimmed by the time it reaches the body. If the Buddhi is kept totally pure and untainted, it will be possible to transmit to the body the full power of the Atma.  So, the Buddhi is not to be regarded as an ordinary aspect of the mind. It could be described as an image of the Atma, a reaction and an echo of the Atma. 

    In the Taithiriya Upanishad the Buddhi is compared to a bird. Sraddha (earnest faith) is the head of the bird. The right wing of the bird is Rita (the Cosmic Order). The left wing is Sathya (Truth). The main body of the bird is Mahat Tatwa. The tail is Yoga. Likewise in human, Sathya, Rita and Yoga are needed to maintain balance in the body and regulate the course of life both in the mundane and spiritual spheres.
   The Buddhi is thus composed of these five constituents. The Buddhi is an extraordinary power. It is only when all the five constituents are actively present that the Buddhi (intelligence) acquires its full form. The Buddhi can function properly only when it is governed by Sathya, Rita and Yoga. What is the Yoga that is envisaged here? It is not merely the physical exercises of various kinds. Yoga here means control of the senses "Yogah Chittavrithi nirodah." It is the recognition by the Buddhi of the true nature of the Self. The human of intelligence is one who has realised own true Self. Through Love, seek to know your true Self with the help of the Buddhi.  

    Buddhi is of no use if it does not have Sraddha (earnest faith) as its motivator. Vedanta has declared: "Sradhaavaan labhathe Jnanam" (Only the human of earnest faith can acquire the higher knowledge). Without Sraddha, nothing can be achieved. Human doubtless has Sraddha, but only for securing the fruit, but not for the labour required for getting it. One does not have the "spirit of work" in him/her.

    The advances in science and technology have made human a lover of comfort and ease with no interest in hard work. There is nothing wrong with science. It is the improper use of science, and separation the spiritual from the physical that is leading people astray. Spirituality runs like an undercurrent through every aspect of life social, political, economic and moral.

     Power and position, bereft of good qualities, are of no value. The foremost need of human is virtue. It is in this spirit that human should remember God.

    Human is of God, with and from God. The bubble is born in water, stays in water and is lost in water as water. The Cosmos too is a bubble born in the Absolute, exists as the Absolute and merges in the Absolute or Paramaathma. Nara (the human) is the bubble; God (Naaraayana) is the sea. Recognise this truth as the bubble cannot be conceived without positing water, the Cosmos, this world, cannot be conceived as without God. Of course waves rise and fall, advance and recede, but the sea has no such agitations. The movements of the waves as humans activity do not affect the sea.

    For every human two things are essential: Arogya (good health) and Aanandha (Happiness). Health for the body and bliss for the spirit. For that one must secure God's grace. To get God's grace, bear in mind the three P's  - Purity, Patience and Perseverance. With these three one is bound to acquire good health and bliss through experiences and harmonic with spiritual guidelines activity.

    Humans activities (karma) are of three kinds karma - action, inaction, and unaction. Of these unaction is the most subtle of activities, for it is neither sloth nor action motivated by desire. It is simple awareness, the deepest experience, it is neither thaamasik nor raajasik. Action is rajasik when urged on by selfish motives. Inaction is thamasik. But unaction is saathwik.
    Based on these three types of 'activity,' the nature of humans can also be distinguished as characteristic of three types - the beast-men, human-men and God-men types.

    Beast-man does not pay any attention to anything other than their own selfish ends.  They have no trace of devotion and dedication. They do not share in helping others and  have no concern with the sorrows and sufferings of others. 
    The human-men involve themselves in the welfare of their family and children and the small circle of their kith and kin.  The nature of these people is not laudable; but there is at least the possibility of the little spark of love becoming brilliant and expansive through contacts with society, or impact of saints, or participation in some projects of selfless service. They can raise themselves up into God-men.
    The God-men are described in the Bhagavad Geetha as Sathatham Yoginah - "Always associated with God." They are never apart from God.  Whatever they see or do, they believe it is in God and for God.

    Everything is constantly changing in the world. This ever-changing world is based upon the unchanging Divine. It is only when the Aadhaara (Divine base) is understood can one derive bliss from the experience of what is based on it. 

     Science has been making remarkable progress in the recent decades. The world undoubtedly needs the discoveries of science. But if it forgets the base and is preoccupied only with the superstructure, it will be the source of much disorder and trouble. It may cause all kinds of diseases. Science has been divorced from spirituality and faith in the Divine. Many imagine that science can create a heaven on earth. But what is the kind of heaven that is envisaged? Is it the enjoyment of material and sensuous pleasures? This hedonistic attitude is undermining all human values.

    People in all counties talk about peace but their actions are contrary to their professions. They talk of peace on the one hand and keep the bomb on the other. The entire world is suffering from environmental pollution. The talk of star wars contains the threat of polluting even the outer space. Today people boast about the tremendous progress of science and technology, but if this claim is true, why does ajnana (ignorance) persist on such a large scale? The fact is much of the progress in science today is confined to satisfying human's selfish desires and not for promoting the general well-being of the world. Is it a sign of true progress if a country arms itself to the teeth to destroy another? Is this an index of scientific advance? 

    Science has been enormously helpful and has achieved many wonders. But, simultaneously, it has done incalculable harm. Science as such is not to be blamed for this. It is the wrongful use of science that is responsible. Science discovered for human the secrets of nature and the cosmos. The knowledge delved from science should be used for sacred and righteous purposes.

    The American cosmonaut, Mitchell, after landing on the Moon, had a look at the Earth from the Moon. He saw the Earth as a huge brilliant diamond set against a vast carpet of blue velvet. Experiencing this spectacle, he shed a few tears. He was stricken by the feeling: "Born on such a beautiful and brilliant land, why are people behaving like ignorant, evil minded beings?" 
    We need today a science that can promote love. Instead of Spirit of Love, we are witnessing today a "splitting of Love." We have explored the secrets of Nature and have even acquired control over the five elements. But we are not aware of own true nature. It is possible when we use science  for control of the senses, will we be able to bring Science and Spirituality together and integrate the two into one True Science for humanity.
    There is an internal relationship between Nature and Divinity. The ocean and the Moon are interrelated. The ocean swells on Full Moon day. The mind and the Moon are interrelated. Without our being conscious of it, our minds are affected during Full Moon days. Mental afflictions are aggravated during those days.
    The scientist should develop an integral approach towards Nature, Human being and Spirit. Only then can one realise the underlying divinity that unites the human and the cosmos.
     Many scientific inventions are extremely useful to man. But if they are not properly used they can cause great harm.
     For instance, television can be valuable means of educating and entertaining people. But in many cases  as soon as a boy returns from school, he throws away his books and starts looking at the TV. His mother serves him food near the TV set. Both mother and son keep watching TV without regard to their other duties. The fault lies not with the television, but with the excessive and wrongful use of the instrument.  It is only when science is linked to spirituality that the results of science can be fully harnessed for the good and elevation of mankind.

     Human today is proud about the little knowledge has acquired about the physical world and boasts that all about the Universe has known. True knowledge is that which establishes harmony and synthesis between science on the one hand and spirituality and ethics on the other.

    Today, because of the striking growth of the physical sciences, human tends to feel he/she is highly knowledgeable. But only when one tries to understand knowledge of things beyond the physical sciences can one fully benefit from the latter. Beyond physics lies metaphysics. Of late some are beginning to realise this fact and are embarking upon spiritual exploration.

    Of course, there is no question about the necessity of scientific knowledge. But it must be realised that it is necessary as much to develop our sense of discrimination for the proper use of science with the development of scientific knowledge. As this discrimination has been lacking in the use of science we find that the world is facing many dangers and difficulties.
    But even today there are noble minds, who, even in the pursuit, of science, are exploring spiritual truths, analysing them and trying to see how these can be used for transforming man.
    Newton, after discovering the gravitational power of the earth, declared: “Although I have discovered the force of gravity, the gravitational force itself has been existing always before my discovery." He was convinced that there was a creator for the force of gravity. Einstein also, after his scientific studies of the working of nature, turned his mind to spiritual matters. Heisenberg, a great philosopher, after studying various sciences, embarked on an investigation of the link between the physical sciences and spirituality. He discovered the great secrets contained in the Yoga-sastras. He observed, "Master the mind: be a mastermind." Another great scientist, Schroedinger, found that science and spirituality were integrally connected and that in fact spirituality was the basis for science. He also noted that the growth of science had led to a multiplication of wants, which brought about a weakening of human's will and intelligence. 

    There was another great thinker, Dirac. He sought to know the connection between science and spirituality. He tried to discover the one entry underlying all things in creation and conducted experiments for this purpose. He found the truth to consist in the statement: "Love ever; hurt never." Dirac's conclusion is nothing but an echo of Sage Vyasa's pronouncement, after completing his works of the 18 Puranas: "To help others is meritorious; to hurt others is sinful."
    We have yet another modern thinker - De Broglie. Having begun as a critic of spirituality after serous enquiry, De Broglie confessed that his criticisms were due to ignorance. He proclaimed from his own experience that divinity was at the core of everything in the universe.

    Such seers of the truth are not absent in the world of science. These great scientists, who have examined, explored and declared the truth, are akin to the ancient Saptarishis (Seven Sages). Newton declared that the universe is a manifestation of God and everything revolves through the power of God. Fritzof Capra, at the present day, has explored the link between the atom and vibrations in nature. In ancient times, Vyasa declared that the universe emanated from the vibrations of the sound. 'Sita' and all things in creation - living and non-living - were the outcome of these vibrations.
    An ancient practice in Bharat to relate to pregnant women stories about heroes and saints so that the child in the womb may be influenced by the vibrations produced by such sublime stories and the thoughts produced in the mother. The ancient Rishis knew this truth. No wonder that the children born under such conditions had noble nature and heroic virtues.

    What do we find today? Pregnant women are engaged in seeing Television, Cinemas and other deleterious media which play up crime and sex. The result is the children who are born develop undesirable tendencies.
     Today, scientists in the West are realising that what was said about ancient practice is true. The Institute of Child Health and Human Development, attached to the Carolina University in USA , has been conducting experiments on the factors influencing development of children. Anthony Casper's  experiments showed that the food taken by the pregnant mother, the thoughts she had and the words she listened to had their impact on the child she was carrying.
    Today we have made prodigious progress in various fields of knowledge - in mathematics, physics, chemistry, the bio-sciences. But no attempt is being made even to approach study of the spiritual. All our knowledge ends with study of matter, plants and living creatures. Notable discoveries have been made over the years and great scientists have been produced. But how far have human values been promoted and what is the transformation that has taken place in mankind?