Reporter (1): Swamiji, could you please throw light on your four-point regulation which you suggest to your disciples?
Prabhupāda: Yes. That is pious life. No illicit sex, no meat-eating, no intoxication, and no gambling.
Reporter (1): No?
Prabhupāda: Gambling. These are the four pillars of sinful life. So if we want to know God, we must be free from sinful life. This is stated in the Bhagavad-gītā.
- yeṣāṁ tv anta-gataṁ pāpaṁ
- janānāṁ puṇya-karmaṇām
- te dvanda-moha-nirmuktā
- bhajante māṁ dṛḍha-vratāḥ
- (BG 7.28)
If you want to be God conscious, then you must be free from all sinful activities. God is pure. If you want to approach God, then you must be pure. If you remain impure, you cannot understand.