Conviction and purification take us from the poison to the nectar (Gita Daily)

Based on Bhagavad Gita Chapter 18, Text 37

As devotees who wish to rise from the material level to the spiritual level, we often face the question, “How do I sustain myself during the phase when I have to abstain from material enjoyment but can’t yet experience spiritual fulfillment?”

The Bhagavad-gita (18.37) acknowledges that this initial phase is like poison but reassures us that we will relish nectarpermanently on reaching the spiritual level. Gita wisdom informs us that we can tolerate the poison and strive for the nectar by conviction and purification. Let’s see how.

Conviction: Intellectual conviction helps us understand that material enjoyment being temporary is undesirable, whereas spiritual fulfillment being eternal is eminently desirable. By thus facilitating us to see beyond appearances to consequences, conviction enables us to stay away from anti-devotional material indulgences. Being convinced that spiritual happiness far greater than the material enjoyment we have given up awaits us ahead, we persevere optimistically on the spiritual path. To deepen our conviction, we need to study scriptures scrutinizingly and ponder their teachings introspectively.

Read More – http://www.gitadaily.com/2012/11/07/conviction-and-purification-take-us-from-the-poison-to-the-nectar/