Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: "The Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam affirms this. If somebody takes to Kṛṣṇa consciousness, even though he may not follow the prescribed duties in the śāstras or execute the devotional service properly, or even if he falls down from the standard, there is no loss or evil for him. And even though he carries out all the injunctions for purification in the śāstras, what does it avail him if he is not Kṛṣṇa conscious?
"So the purifying process is necessary for reaching this point. Sannyāsa or any purifying process is meant for helping one to reach the ultimate goal of becoming Kṛṣṇa conscious, without which everything is considered a failure."
Prabhupāda: That's all. So any question? (devotees offer obeisances)
Any question?
Jaya-gopāla: Actually, so many people who stop performing prescribed duties to engage in so-called meditation, actually they are committing sinful activity? Is this actually sinful activity to attempt such meditation like that?
Prabhupāda: Meditation?
Jaya-gopāla: Yes.
Prabhupāda: That you can see from the result. You'll find so many persons meditating, but see their life. Phalena paricīyate. One has to be judged by the result. You have worked very hard and supposed to be very rich man, but if I see that you have no nice apartment, neither any car, neither any opulence, so what kind of businessman you have earned?
That can be understood immediately. So if one by practice of meditation is actually advancing in spiritual life, why he's materially affected? What is the difference between a person materially affected and spiritually advanced?
Take for example our students. We may not be very much highly advanced, admitting that, but at least if any gentleman comes, if he's sincere, he'll appreciate how pure they are. At least they are practiced. You see? So by the result one has to see. But we have seen so many meditators, they cannot change even their daily nonsense habits. So what result they have obtained, they have achieved, I cannot understand. By the result one has to take account. Not by simply jugglery of words.
Just like there is examination. One student says: "Oh, I have studied so much." But when the examination was taken, he failed. So what does it mean that he studied? That means he did not study, that's all. The test is that spiritual advancement means minimizing material activities. Bhaktiḥ pareśānubhavo viraktir anyatra syāt (SB 11.2.42). Automatically they will be detestful for material engagement. Spiritual advancement means that.