Anyone who is engaged in sinful activities, he can neither understand Krsna nor surrender to Him

Expressions researched:
"Anyone who is engaged in sinful activities, he cannot understand Krsna, or God" |"one who is using the merit for sinful activities, he cannot understand Krsna" |"so long one is infected with sinful activities, he cannot understand, neither he can surrender to Krsna"

Bhagavad-gita As It Is Lectures

Anyone who is engaged in sinful activities, he cannot understand Kṛṣṇa, or God. That is not possible. And these are the four principles of sinful activities: illicit sex-life, intoxication, meat-eating and gambling.

Lecture on BG 9.2 -- Calcutta, March 8, 1972:

Pratyakṣāvagamaṁ dharmyaṁ su-sukhaṁ kartum avyayam (BG 9.2). This verse we have been discussing last... (break) ...similarly, bhakti-yoga—direct connection with Kṛṣṇa—it is not open for everyone, neither everyone can take it. It is stated in the Bhagavad-gītā, yeṣām anta-gatam pāpaṁ: one who is completely free from all sinful activities, pāpam. Anyone who is engaged in sinful activities, he cannot understand Kṛṣṇa, or God. That is not possible. And these are the four principles of sinful activities: illicit sex-life, intoxication, meat-eating and gambling. These are the four pillars of sinful activities. Why at the present moment people have become so godless? Even big, big swamis and yogis, all godless. Why? Because they are engaged in sinful activities. Kṛṣṇa, God, cannot be understood by sinful men. That is not possible. But Kṛṣṇa is so kind, if one takes shelter of Kṛṣṇa, immediately he becomes free from all sinful activities. Sins are there. A person in sinful activities cannot understand Kṛṣṇa. But if anyone voluntarily surrenders himself to Kṛṣṇa, he immediately become free from all reaction of sinful activity. Now it is up to me to make my choice.

Sri Caitanya-caritamrta Lectures

So long one is infected with sinful activities, he cannot understand, neither he can surrender to Kṛṣṇa.

Lecture on CC Madhya-lila 20.98-102 -- April 27, 1976, Auckland, New Zealand:

Gurukṛpā: After if one becomes purified, is it possible when he becomes transferred to the spiritual world that he can meet Rūpa Gosvāmī and other great...

Prabhupāda: Yes. Provided you are pure, purified, you can meet everyone. The condition is purified. Yeṣām anta-gataṁ pāpam. That is stated in the... That is purification. No more sinful life. Yeṣām anta-gataṁ pāpaṁ janānāṁ puṇya-karmaṇām. A person is always engaged in pious activities. Te dvandva-moha-nirmuktā bhajante māṁ dṛḍha-vratāḥ (BG 7.28). So, so long one is infected with sinful activities, he cannot understand, neither he can surrender to Kṛṣṇa. That is also explained by Kṛṣṇa:

na māṁ duṣkṛtino mūḍhāḥ

prapadyante narādhamāḥ

māyayāpahṛta-jñānā

āsuriṁ bhāvam āśritāḥ

(BG 7.15)

This is the signs. And one who is free from all sinful activities, mahātmā, mahātmānas tu māṁ pārtha daivīṁ prakṛtim āśritāḥ bhajanty ananya-manaso (BG 9.13). This is the signs. If one is not accepting Kṛṣṇa—Kṛṣṇa means God—as the Supreme, he's placing himself as the Supreme. Just like so many rascals: "I am God." So such persons are called duṣkṛtina, sinful. Mūḍha. If one is claiming "I am God," how much foolish he is just you can consider. He is under the clutches of māyā, being kicked up by the material energy in so many ways, and he's thinking he is God. So they are duṣkṛtino mūḍhāḥ narādhamāḥ. That has been explained. So this simple language is there in the Bhagavad-gītā.

1973 Conversations and Morning Walks

Duṣkṛtiḥ means one has got merit, but it is being spoiled for doing something wrong. This is called duṣkṛtiḥ. So such people, duṣkṛtinaḥ, who, one who is using the merit for sinful activities, he cannot understand Kṛṣṇa. He cannot surrender to Kṛṣṇa.

Room Conversation -- February 25, 1973, Jakarta:

Prabhupāda: Any human being he has got some merit because he is not cat and dog. He's a man. As a man he has got brain, better than the cats and dogs. That's a fact. And actually they're doing so many things. Just like this picture. It is a very meritorious workmanship. So everyone can do some meritorious workmanship. But when that workmanship is diverted to, for the use of sinful activities... Just like one man is very meritorious, he's planning to form a party how to plunder. This requires merit. Without merit you cannot form a party. But the merit is being used for plundering, for harassing, for so many other sinful activities. So that is called duṣkṛtinaḥ. Merit is there but the merit is being misused for sinful activities. Therefore duṣkṛtiḥ. Just like modern scientist. It is meritorious that they have discovered the atomic bomb. The merit is used for killing. If you just use your merit so that man may live; that they're dying. Everyone is dying. So you have discovered a bomb which will accelerate death. Death, everyone is going to die. So if you manufacture something which will actually help my death, is that very meritorious? If you discover something that will stop my death, that is meritorious. But everyone is dying and you have discovered some machine so that you can die quickly. What is the merit? But people are appreciating, "Oh, this is meritorious." This is called duṣkṛtiḥ. Duṣkṛtiḥ, mean one has got merit, it is being spoiled for doing something wrong. This is called duṣkṛtiḥ. So such people, duṣkṛtinaḥ, who, one who is using the merit for sinful activities, he cannot understand Kṛṣṇa. He cannot surrender to Kṛṣṇa. Na māṁ duṣkṛtino mūḍhāḥ (BG 7.15) and rascal. Rascal means denying the existence of God. He's a rascal. Anyone who denies the existence of God, he's a rascal. Rascal means poor fund of knowledge.