Bhaktivedanta VedaBase: Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 6.1.18

prāyaścittāni cīrnāni

nārāyana-parāńmukham

na nishpunanti rājendra

surā-kumbham ivāpagāh

SYNONYMS

prāyaścittāni — processes of atonement; cīrnāni — very nicely performed; nārāyana-parāńmukham — a nondevotee; na nishpunanti — cannot purify; rājendra — O King; surā-kumbham — a pot containing liquor; iva — like; āpa-gāh — the waters of the rivers.

TRANSLATION

My dear King, as a pot containing liquor cannot be purified even if washed in the waters of many rivers, nondevotees cannot be purified by processes of atonement even if they perform them very well.

PURPORT

To take advantage of the methods of atonement, one must be at least somewhat devoted; otherwise there is no chance of one's being purified. It is clear from this verse that even those who take advantage of karma-kānda and jñāna-kānda, but are not at least slightly devoted cannot be purified simply by following these other paths. The word prāyaścittāni is plural in number to indicate both karma-kānda and jñāna-kānda. Narottama dāsa Thākura therefore says, karma-kānda, jñāna-kānda, kevala vishera bhānda. Thus Narottama dāsa Thākura compares the paths of karma-kānda and jñāna-kānda to pots of poison. Liquor and poison are in the same category. According to this verse from Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, a person who has heard a good deal about the path of devotional service, but who is not attached to it, who is not Krishna conscious, is like a pot of liquor. Such a person cannot be purified without at least a slight touch of devotional service.

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His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda, Founder Ācārya of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness