Higher and lower taste

When we talk of avoiding illicit relationship, meat eating, gambling and intoxication people generally reject our appeal and response that to give up these things is not good at all. They argue that giving up these things from our life makes our life unhappy and boring and say that these things are the source of happiness. They further argue that to give up the means of happiness is not good and hence impossible for them to do so. In a way it sounds logical but we can raise the question “Do you prefer those things if you get the mean for higher taste of happiness and satisfaction than those means?” Actually, they become somewhat answer less to our question because they are still not familiar with the higher taste and even don’t know if there is higher taste. So, they don’t believe in our saying when we say that there is far higher taste in comparison with those immoral means.

Why people develop addiction in something whether it is worldly love or drug or illicit relationship? It is because they find taste in it and when taste is developed in their action they get attached in the same. It makes them addict. Once they become addict it is impossible to leave that easily. In fact our mechanical effort cannot make them out from addiction. It is the general trend. If so, the behaviors like intoxication, meat eating, gambling and illicit relationship are also difficult to leave.  In fact those problems are the basic addiction of the entire world. Entire world has been the slave of these four basic but dangerous intoxications. They find some sort of happiness in doing so. Thus it is difficult for them to avoid those things. But the scriptures warn us to avoid those things as they are very harmful in our spiritual path. So, we appeal everyone to avoid those four basic addictions. But how is it possible to avoid them if they get taste (happiness) in doing so?

Although is difficult to give up those things but it is not impossible. If we get higher taste in another action than in doing those activities we can easily give up those four things. For example if we get more productivity in doing another work then we can easily give the former work and engage ourselves in more productive work. If we get highly tasty food then we stop eating less tasty food. Similarly, if we get more happiness, satisfaction and meaning in doing another thing than those four things (gambling, illicit relationship, meat eating, and intoxication) we can immediately give up those things and engage in higher thing. This is the basic formula for spiritualizing our life. To be devotee of God (Krishna) is the far higher taste. In fact it is the highest taste. Anyone exercising the devotion of Krishna can feel true happiness and satisfaction in the life. They can find meaning of life in it and see non-sense in doing bad works. Eventually anyone can get rid of those basic addictions of the material civilization. In these ways lower taste can be replaced by higher taste and it makes us able to live the spiritual life.