Sincere spiritual effort, even incomplete, guarantees eternal progress and never results in loss or degradation.Listen — Srila Prabhupada Uvaca
Prabhupāda: ...nāmutra vināśas tasya vidyate na hi kalyāṇa-kṛt kaścid durgatiṃ tāta gacchati [Bg 6.40] [The Blessed Lord said: Son of Pṛthā, a transcendentalist engaged in auspicious activities does not meet with destruction either in this world or in the spiritual world; one who does good, My friend, is never overcome by evil.] Now, this verse we have been discussing last day, that one who falls down... "Suppose one has entered for spiritual cultivation of life, some way or other, he is not successful to complete the course. Then what happens to him?" That was the question of Arjuna. This is very nice question, that "Suppose one enters for cultivation of spiritual life.
Some way or other..." Sometimes we do not follow the rules and... [break] Sometimes we are entrapped by some feminine attraction. These are impediments. So we may not be able to make complete progress.
So Kṛṣṇa says that "My dear Arjuna," na hi kalyāṇa-kṛt kaścid durgatim, "anyone who has attempted even one percent sincerely culture of spiritual realization, he will never fall down." "He will never fall down." That sincerity. Because we are weak, and the material energy is very strong, so to adopt spiritual life is more or less declare war against the material energy. The material..., the illusory energy, she is trying to curb this conditioned soul as far as possible. Now, when the conditioned soul tries to get out of her clutches by spiritual advancement of knowledge, oh, she becomes more stringent.
Yes. She wants to test, "How much this person is sincere?" So there will be so many allurement offered by the material energy. Now, there is a story. There are many stories. One of them I am citing.
It is very interesting. Viśvāmitra Muni. Viśvāmitra Muni, he was a great king, kṣatriya, but his priest, Vasiṣṭha Muni, he had great spiritual power. So he renounced his kingdom.
He wanted to advance. He was kingly, royal order, but still, he wanted to advance in the spiritual order. So he adopted yoga process, meditation. That time it was possible for adopting this process, yoga process. So he was meditating in such a way that the Indra, who was the king of heaven, he thought that "This man is trying to occupy my post." As there is competition...
This is also... Heaven means that is also material world. So this competition—no businessman wants an another businessman go ahead. He wants to cut down.