CC Ādi 3.21

Adi-līlā, Chapter 3, Text 21

আপনে না কৈলে ধর্ম শিখান না যায় ।
এই ত’ সিদ্ধান্ত গীতা–ভাগবতে গায় ॥ ২১ ॥

āpane nā kaile dharma śikhāna nā yāya
ei ta’ siddhānta gītā-bhāgavate gāya

Word by word

āpane — personally; nā kaile — if not practiced; dharma — religion; śikhāna — the teaching; nā yāya — does not advance; ei — this; ta’ — certainly; siddhānta — conclusion; gītā — in the Bhagavad-gītā; bhāgavate — in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam; gāya — they sing.

Translation

“Unless one practices devotional service himself, he cannot teach it to others. This conclusion is indeed confirmed throughout the Gītā and Bhāgavatam.”