30
Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam
[Canto 6, Ch. 1]
prāyaścittāni cīrṇāni nārāyaṇa-parāṅmukham na niṣpunanti rājendra surā-kumbham ivāpagāḥ
prāyaścittāni —processes of atonement;  cīrṇāni —very nicely performed;  nārāyaṇa-parāṅmukham —a nondevotee;  na niṣpunanti —cannot purify;  rājendra —O King;  surā-kumbham —a pot containing liquor;  iva —like;  āpa-gāḥ —the waters of the rivers.
TRANSLATION
My dear King, as a pot containing liquor cannot be purified even if washed in the waters of many rivers, nondevotees cannot be purified by processes of atonement even if they perform them very well.
PURPORT
To take advantage of the methods of atonement, one must be at least somewhat devoted; otherwise there is no chance of one's being purified. It is clear from this verse that even those who take advantage of  karma-kāṇḍa  and  jñāna-kāṇḍa , but are not at least slightly devoted cannot be purified simply by following these other paths. The word  prāyaścittāni  is plural in number to indicate both  karma-kāṇḍa  and  jñāna-kāṇḍa . Narottama dāsa Thākura therefore says,  karma-kāṇḍa, jñāna-kāṇḍa, kevala viṣera bhāṇḍa . Thus Narottama dāsa Thākura compares the paths of  karma-kāṇḍa  and  jñāna-kāṇḍa  to pots of poison. Liquor and poison are in the same category. According to this verse from  Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam , a person who has heard a good deal about the path of devotional service, but who is not attached to it, who is not Kṛṣṇa conscious, is like a pot of liquor. Such a person cannot be purified without at least a slight touch of devotional service.
TEXT 19
सक्रन्मनः कृष्णपदारविन्दयो- निवेशितं तद्गुणरागि यैरिह ।