10.41 – Krishna is better than the best that the world can offer

“I will miss so much pleasure if I devote myself to Krishna.” This feeling may check us while practicing spiritual life, especially its regulative principles.

Gita wisdom overturns this fear by declaring that we will miss far more pleasure by not devoting ourselves to Krishna. The Bhagavad-gita (10.41) indicates that the attractiveness of everything attractive is but a spark of Krishna’s all-attractiveness. This implies that Krishna’s pleasure-giving potency is far greater than the pleasure-giving potency of everything else, for he is the source of the pleasure-giving potency of everything.

Why then do we feel that worldly things are more pleasurable than Krishna?

Because our spiritual awareness that enables us to connect lovingly with Krishna is covered under lifetimes of materialistic conditionings. Though we are souls meant to rejoice in eternal love with Krishna, our conditionings have trapped our consciousness at the material level, thereby making spiritual happiness inaccessible.

So Krishna gives us the vision to see how he cares for us even at the material level, as the Gita (15.12-14) outlines. Over time when we understand philosophically and experience practically how Krishna loves us even when we don’t love him. Thus, we gradually develop faith in his assurance that devoting ourselves purely to him gives spiritual happiness far greater than the best material happiness.

When we take a leap of faith and sacrifice a few material pleasures for Krishna’s pleasure, we see for ourselves that we have not been losers but have been gainers. The enjoyment we have lost is drop-like, but the fulfillment we have gained is oceanic.

Once the conviction that Krishna is better than the best that the world can offer takes root in our heart, then worldly temptations lose their charm. And we march steadily and swiftly back to him.

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Know that all opulent, beautiful and glorious creations spring from but a spark of My splendor.