If you want pure devotional service then anyābhilāṣitā-śūnyaṁ, anyābhilāṣ means to reject this kind of mood that I am chanting to achieve some kind of material profit. Jñāna-karmādy-anāvṛtam states one must be devoid of all kinds of knowledge obtained by monistic philosophy, and fruitive action. This materialistic, sinful life has four main pillars. And what is that? . . . sastra says:
- striyaḥ sūnā pānaṁ . . .
- yatrādharmaś catur-vidhaḥ
- (SB 1.17.38)
Four types of sinful activities, what is that? Illicit relationship between men and women. Apart from our marital relationship, women should not associate with any man and men should not associate with any woman. This is most sinful. Stay away from this ". . . striyaḥ sūnā" and unnecessary animal slaughtering; eating meat, fish, eggs etc. This human being becomes a heavy weight to mother earth.
Sastra has some rules and regulations when number of intoxication and meat eating people increase, then mother earth suffers the heavy weight. Sastras says that we must reject these kinds of sinful activities. Do not maintain illicit relationships with women and don't eat meat, fish, eggs etc. and do not gamble and don't take intoxicants. Intoxication also includes betel leaf, cigarettes, tea etc.
So if you want to advance in spiritual life by chanting, strictly reject all these sinful activities.
All these American, European boys and girls, young men and women . . . first i taught them these four regulative principles. These people are accustomed to eating meat and drinking alcohol, tea, coffee their whole lives, they are now totally bereft of all these kinds of sinful activities. That's why they are brāhmaṇas. The symptoms of brāhmaṇas are honesty, kindness, austere, cleanliness, truthfulness, controlling the senses, controlling the mind and cleanliness. You all know its all mentioned in Bhagavad-gītā. Therefore chanting of Holy name is surely effective, you will surely get purified, there is no doubt about it.