If one thinks that "I am chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra, so even if I commit sinful activities, that will be counteracted by my chanting" ah, that is another greatest offense. That we have discussed many times, that on the strength of holy name of Lord if one commit sinful activities, he is a greatest offender. Just like sometimes we find in Christian churches, they go on Sunday and they confess, and they are supposed to be excused from the sinful reaction. But again after coming back from the church, again commits the same sins, and it is expected that, "The next week when I shall go to the church, I shall confess, and it will be counteracted." These kind of, I mean to say, understanding is prohibited. This kind of understanding.
One . . . just like Caitanya Mahāprabhu. Caitanya Mahāprabhu accepted Jagāi and Mādhāi; they were very sinful. What is their sin? They're illicit sex, woman-hunter, drunkard, meat-eater—that is sinful activities according to Vedic scripture. So they became debauched and guṇḍā, disturbing element. But Caitanya Mahāprabhu delivered them. Caitanya Mahāprabhu delivered them on one condition. What is that condition?
When they fell down on the lotus feet of Lord Caitanya and Nityānanda, "Sir, we are so much sinful. Kindly deliver us" - there is a long history, incident. I will tell you some day—this Caitanya Mahāprabhu made one condition that, "I can accept you only on your promise that you shall no more commit sinful activities. What you have done, that's all right, I will excuse. But if you commit again, that will be greatest offense." So they said: āra nāre bāpa (CB Madhya-khaṇḍa 13.225), āra nāre, "No more, Sir. This is the end of our sinful activities. No more we shall do it."
So our Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement, following the footsteps of Lord Caitanya, we are also following the same principles under the authority of Lord Caitanya. When we accept somebody in our Society as initiated member, we put forward these obligations, restriction, that no more illicit sex life, no more gambling, no more intoxication and no more animal food. That is necessary. If you accept spiritual life and at the same time go on committing sinful activities, then you will never be able to progress. That is not possible. Because in the Bhagavad-gītā it is clearly said by Kṛṣṇa:
- yeṣām anta-gataṁ papa
- janānāṁ puṇya-karmaṇām
- (BG 7.28)
"Persons who are completely freed from all contamination of sinful activities and simply engaged in pious activities, they only are admitted in devotional service."
So if you are actually serious about entering into the kingdom of God, Vaikuṇṭha, then we should be very much careful about these four principles of restriction: No illicit . . . you cannot have any sex life without being married. That is sinful activity. You cannot indulge in intoxication. You cannot eat anything which is beyond the jurisdiction of your food. For you, for a human being, the food is, I mean to say, given quota that you can eat grains, you can eat fruits, you can eat flowers, vegetables, you can eat milk. That is sāttvikā, foodstuff prepared from vegetables, fruits, grain, sugar and milk products, that's all. That is sāttvikā. That is allotted for the human being.