Bhagavad Gita Chapter 9, Verse 30
अपि चेत्सुदुराचारो भजते मामनन्यभाक् | साधुरेव स मन्तव्यः सम्यग्व्यवसितो हि सः ||
api cet su-durācāro bhajate mām ananya-bhāk sādhur eva sa mantavyaḥ samyag vyavasito hi saḥ
Even if a person of very bad conduct worships Me with exclusive devotion, he should be considered righteous, for he has rightly resolved.
Krishna reveals the transformative power of devotion: 'Api cet su-durācāro bhajate mām ananya-bhāk'—even (api) if (cet) a person of very bad conduct (su-durācāraḥ) worships (bhajate) Me (mām) with exclusive devotion (ananya-bhāk). 'Sādhur eva sa mantavyaḥ samyag vyavasito hi saḥ'—he (saḥ) should be considered (mantavyaḥ) righteous (sādhuḥ) indeed (eva), for (hi) he has rightly resolved (samyak vyavasitaḥ). This reveals the power of devotion: it transforms even the worst. A person of very bad conduct, when they worship with exclusive devotion, becomes righteous. They have rightly resolved—they've chosen the right path. This is the supremacy of devotion: it doesn't matter what you were—it matters that you worship with exclusive devotion. Devotion transforms you—from bad conduct to righteousness. This is why devotion is superior: it transforms, regardless of past conduct.