Suppose we are walking towards a destination and are suddenly blocked by a wall. We try to get past it, but in vain. When we are about to give up, we find a button that, when pressed, lowers the barrier and transforms it into a bridge to our destination.

During our spiritual journey, we need a similar magical button. When we try to raise our consciousness towards spiritual reality, we inevitably hit the barrier of temptation. Thoughts of worldly pleasures fill our consciousness and block it from progressing towards steady spiritual contemplation. We make various plans to resist temptation, but nothing works. On relapsing repeatedly, we feel like giving up.

Amidst such despair, if we somehow stay receptive to Krishna’s guidance, he activates within us a profound insight stated in the Bhagavad-gita (10.41) – all attractive objects manifest a spark of his supreme attractiveness. This implies that whatever pleasure we might get by indulging in any temptation, we can get it all and much more if we become devotionally attracted to Krishna.

How can we become devotionally attracted to him? By practicing bhakti-yoga (12.09). What if, while practicing bhakti, we forget about Krishna’s all-attractiveness when tempted and relapse? We can still keep practicing bhakti-yoga, striving to focus our consciousness on Krishna, thereby begging for his mercy. And one day, by his mercy, we will gain the conviction that we are depriving ourselves not by turning away from temptation, but by turning away from him. This conviction will inspire us to intensify our devotion to him, thereby relishing the higher taste of absorption in him and transcending the lure of temptation.

Thus, activating the insight that Krishna is the source of the attractiveness of all attractive things is the magic button that transforms the barrier of temptation into the bride to devotion.

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