What is the role of the intellect on the spiritual path, and what must happen for one to attain the eternal state of Self-realization?

The intellect has a complex role on the spiritual path. While it can be used to acquire knowledge from scriptures, Chapter 37 clarifies that it also gives shelter to desires and its ability to perceive ultimate reality is limited. The grasp of the intellect fails when trying to comprehend the subtle cause where the manifest and unmanifest coexist. For the 'dawn of the Self' to occur, the intellect itself must dissolve. When the intellect, along with ignorance, Maya, desire, and action—the characteristics of death—ceases to operate, all bondage is pacified. In this state, the Self manifests effortlessly, and one attains the eternal state.