A sober person who can tolerate the urge to speak, the mind's demands. the actions of anger and the urges of the tongue, belly and genitals is qualified to make disciples all over the world.
In the Srimad Bhagavatam (6.1.9-10) Pariksit Maharaja placed a number of intelligent before Sukadeva Goswani. One of this questions was why do people undergo atonement if they cannot control their senses.
A thief may know perfect well that he may be arrested for his stealing, and he may actually even see a thief arrested by the police, yet he continues to steal. Experience is gathered by hearing and seeing. One who is less intelligent gathers experience by seeing, and one who is more intelligent gathers experience by hearing. When an intelligent person hears from the lawbook and sastras. or scriptures, that stealing is not good and hears that a thief is punished when arrested he refrains from theft . A less intelligent person may first have to be arrested for stealing to learn to stop to stealing.
However, a rascal a foolish man , may have the experience of both hearing and seeing and may even be punished, but still continues to steal. Even if such a person atones and is punished by the government. He will again comit theft as soon as he come out of jail, If punishment in jail is considered atonement, what is the benefit of such atonement?
Thus Paraiksit Maharaja inquired:
The elephant may take a very nice bath in the river, but as soon as it comes out of the bank, it throws dirt all over it's body. What then is the body of bathing? Similarly, many practitioners chant hare krsna maha mantra and a t the same time commit many forbidden offences. Of the ten types of offences one can commit while chanting the holy name of the lord, this offense is called namno balad yasya hi papap buddhih, commiting sinful activities on the strength of chanting the hare krsna mantra... Similarly certain Christians go to church to confess their sins, thinking that confessing their sins will relieve them from their resulst of their weekly sins. As soon as s Saturday is over and Sunday come, they begin their sinful activities. Expecting to be forbidden next Saturday. This kind of "prayascitta", or atonement, is condemned by Pariksit Maharaja.
He concluded that the real atonement was awakening our dormant Krsna Consciousness.
