Devotee (1): Śrīla Prabhupāda, in the Bhagavad-gītā it says that if a man simply works for Kṛṣṇa, he can come to the perfect stage. Is that perfect stage... When he fixes his mind on Kṛṣṇa... But is that achieved via the regulative principles?
Prabhupāda: Hmm?
Devotee (1): If a man simply works for Kṛṣṇa for his whole life, yet he doesn't follow the regulative principles...
Prabhupāda: Then how he follows Kṛṣṇa?
Devotee (1): That's not possible.
Prabhupāda: If you are following Kṛṣṇa, then how you can violate the regulative principles?
Devotee (1): Just like they follow a few regulative principles, like the basic four: no illicit sex, no meat-eating, no gambling, and no intoxication. If they follow those four regulative principles and just work for Kṛṣṇa...
Prabhupāda: He doesn't follow the four principles?
Devotee (1): Oh, yes. Yes. There's this one devotee in Sydney who works very hard for Kṛṣṇa, but...
Prabhupāda: But does not follow.
Devotee (1): He does not like āratis or things like that. He just likes to work hard all the time.
Śrutakīrti: He follows the principles, but he doesn't go to ārati, maybe he doesn't chant his rounds, but he's working...
Devotee (1): Real hard for Kṛṣṇa.
Prabhupāda: Like Gargamuni. (laughter)
Śrutakīrti: Yes, like that. And his plea is that Kṛṣṇa says...
Prabhupāda: Then he will fall down.
Devotee (1): He will fall down?
Śrutakīrti: But the plea is that Kṛṣṇa says in the Gītā, "By working for Me one can come to the perfectional stage."
Prabhupāda: Yes, but he will fall down.
Śrutakīrti: That means "By working for Me eventually one will come to the point of follow the principles and..."
Prabhupāda: Yes.
Śrutakīrti: Not "Simply by working for Me you can do it."
Prabhupāda: Yes.
Śrutakīrti: You will advance to the other stages.
Prabhupāda: Just like if a man is working hard, but he will never become rich, then what is the use? Working hard means one must become rich. But if he does not become rich, simply working hard, then what is the use? Śrama eva hi kevalam (SB 1.2.8). Utsāhād dhairyāt niścayāt tat-tat-karma-pravartanāt. You must follow the regulative principles. Sato vṛtteḥ. This is your honesty, and sādhu-saṅga (CC Madhya 22.83), this can be done-association with devotees. Ṣaḍbhir bhaktiḥ prasidhyati: "This is the way of increasing devotional service." (end)