For attaining God and for advancing in the spiritual path, the purification of the mind is as essential as preparing the soil before sowing seeds. If you sow without tilling the ground, the crop will not be good. Likewise, if your character has not become pure, however much japa (repetition of the Divine Name) you may perform, the result will be meagre.
Therefore, I draw your attention once again to the Bhagavad Gita, especially to verses 13 to 19 of Chapter 12, and verses 1 to 3 of Chapter 16. In the light of these verses, evaluate yourself each day.
Try to see whether your mind stands true to the standards set forth there. This cannot happen in a single day; yet even if you do not meet all the standards, it is essential that you meet most of them.
When this happens, every spiritual practice you undertake will soon bear fruits.
Swami Brahm Bodhi 
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