The seeds of wisdom are the immortal and eternal ideas of all ages given out by the Great Teachers to humanity. They have appeared, disappeared and reappeared in the world of mortals at different times and places, clothed in different languages and different forms suited to the needs of the people. They have been given out time and again, but such is the frailty of human nature that they are soon forgotten and the mighty art of life gets lost. People first get slack in application, then careless, indifferent and lazy, and somehow prefer to drift along in the ocean of ordinary existence rather than to set sail according to right principles in the direction of the haven of peace and concord.

Just as it is not possible for ordinary seeds to grow in a barren soil or a ground full of weeds, so also with the seeds of Wisdom. They can only fructify in a soil well cultivated and well nurtured with daily efforts along the right lines. There must be first the awareness that such seeds exist, then there must be the inner urge and yearning to acquire them. Once acquired, they cannot be neglected or misused for selfish purposes.

These seeds of Wisdom were first impressed upon the mind of infant humanity by high exalted Beings, Divine Intelligences who had perfected themselves in prior fields of evolution. In the Ninth Discourse of the Bhagavad-Gita Krishna states: "I am the origin and the dissolution, the receptacle, the storehouse, and the eternal seed." These are significant words. Krishna, the One Self, the Omnipresent Spirit, is the eternal seed of all Wisdom, the storehouse of Eternal Verities, the origin and dissolution of all forms. Herein lies the key to understanding the origin of all Wisdom, the archetypal ideas and archetypal forms. It is from that eternal seed that have sprung all religions, sciences and philosophies. This is the reason why in the Fifteenth Chapter of the Bhagavad-Gita Krishna states: "Men say that the Ashwattha, the eternal sacred tree, grows with its roots above and its branches below, and the leaves of which are the Vedas." A contemplation on this subject opens our minds and hearts to the way this seed took root and spread for millennia upon millennia, and still remains in the custody of the great perfected ones. Great truths came down to humanity at first orally, from one generation to another, then a record was made in geometrical signs and symbols, and much later on it was written down.

In the Fourth Discourse of the Bhagavad-Gita, Krishna mentions his divine pedigree:

This exhaustless doctrine of Yoga I formerly taught unto Vivaswat; Vivaswat communicated it to Manu and Manu made it known unto Ikshwaku; and being thus transmitted from one unto another it was studied by the Rajarshees, until at length in the course of time the mighty art was lost, O harasser of thy foes! It is even the same exhaustless, secret, eternal doctrine I have this day communicated unto thee because thou art my devotee and my friend.

It is an eternal fount whose life-giving waters ever assuage the thirst for Wisdom of all aspirants and earnest seekers after truth, though the mighty art disappears from the public world in course of time. Krishna the eternal seed! Therein lies the clue to all mysteries of nature and man. Underground vaults and mountain caves may contain vast libraries of recorded knowledge about life on earth and beyond the gates of death, about the laws of Nature, about sorrow and suffering and how to remove them, and various other subjects, but it is well to recognize that the source of all Wisdom is the eternal seed. And once that realization dawns, life takes a different turn altogether.

The seeds of Wisdom cannot sprout and grow in airless space. To live and reap experience, the mind needs breadth and depth and points to draw it towards the Diamond Soul. Seek not those points in Maya's realm; but soar beyond illusions, search the eternal and the changeless SAT, mistrusting fancy's false suggestions. (The Voice of the Silence, p. 28)

Here we are given the means and the method of cultivating the seeds of Wisdom within ourselves. We are advised to soar beyond illusions. Most of the time we are affected and influenced by the fleeting panorama of life, the experiences of pleasure and pain, success and failure, etc. We have to learn to recognize them as passing shadows, remembering that they create obstacles in the quest of Truth. Fancy's false suggestions are to be turned down as unreal and impermanent. The mind has to breathe the pure air of the high altitude of the immortal soul to reflect its light and radiance, its glory and power, its wisdom and compassion. The earthly atmosphere clogs the mind, and a hundred chords of desire and sense inclinations bind it till finally the soul becomes a victim of the lower self. The mind needs breadth of vision and depth of understanding to keep on its own track of soul-light without wavering and without turning back. The mind-soul has to work in unison and harmony. "Thyself and mind, like twins upon a line, the star which is thy goal burns overhead" (The Voice of the Silence, p. 21). This has to be kept in mind always. The mind and soul, though twins upon one line, are at the present time divorced and in eternal conflict with one another. What are the "points" that will draw the mind towards the Diamond Soul? The assuming of a firm position; reliance on the Higher Self and Great Law; the constant practice of Raja-Yoga, the Kingly Science and the Kingly Mystery; service of our fellow beings; in one word, altruism. One of the main "points" should be to keep before the mind's eye the ideal of the great perfected beings, the custodians of the seeds of Wisdom. Concentration, meditation, performance of all duties without thinking of the reward, are all of the utmost necessity in living the life of the soul. The mind must change its level from the personal to impersonal and universal ideas.

These seeds of Wisdom cannot be bought or sold, Madame Blavatsky states:

There was a time when the acquirement of Divine Wisdom (Sapientia) required the sacrifice and devotion of a man's whole life. It depended on such things as the purity of the candidate's motives, on his fearlessness and independence of spirit; but now, to receive a patent for wisdom and adeptship requires only unblushing impudence. (U.L.T. Pamphlet No. 32, p. 6)

People usually like short cuts, but we are warned against them by Theosophy.

The last effort was made by the Masters of Wisdom during the last quarter of the 19th century when they sent out their Messenger, Madame H. P. Blavatsky, with a few of the seeds of Wisdom suited to the age and to the mind of the race. Future efforts will very much depend upon the use made of the seeds given already and their proper growth. It is the duty and responsibility of every student to nurture the seeds so that they may bear fragrant flowers and luscious fruits which will remove the starvation of the soul.

The seed produces the tree and the fruits, which in their turn produce other seeds, and thus from the eternal seed emanate seeds of Wisdom, the accumulated Wisdom of the ages. The study, application and promulgation of the seeds leads us to the eternal seed emanates seeds of Wisdom, the accumulated Wisdom of the ages. The study, application and promulgation of the seeds leads us to the eternal seed, Krishna, the Divine Self which permeates all and everything.

In view of the ever-increasing triumph and at the same time misuse, of free thought and liberty...how is the combative natural instinct of man to be restrained from inflicting hitherto unheard-of cruelties and enormities, tyranny, injustice, if not through the soothing influence of Brotherhood, and of the practical application of Buddha's esoteric doctrines? For everyone knows that total emancipation from the authority of the one all-pervading power, or law—called God by priests, Buddha, divine wisdom, and enlightenment, or Theosophy, by the philosophers of all ages—means also the emancipation from that of human law.

—The Great Master's Letter