Spiritual Hypocrite? Part 2

Question 1: There are many people who claim to have studied the scriptures and regularly read spiritual books. Yet, they indulge in backbiting, delight in spreading malicious lies, and frequently engage in unrestrained gossip about others. Over the years, they have gone from bad to worse. Why is this so? I thought that a person who studies the scriptures or preaches to others would become a better person.

Answer 1: "Just as coloured dye stands out more clearly only when the original material is pure white, so also the instructions of a sage penetrate and settle down only in the hearts of aspirants whose minds are calm, who have no desire for enjoyments and whose impurities have been destroyed." (pg. xiii, The Bhagavad Gita by Swami Sivananda)

Question 2: What qualifications should one possess to be able to read, understand, and fully absorb the significance of scriptures such as the Gita and the Srimad Bhagavatam, for instance?

Answer 2: "An aspirant is expected to possess the qualifications of keen discrimination, dispassion, control of the mind and senses, and AVERSION to worldly attractions, before he can practise the threefold Sadhana of hearing the scriptures, reflecting upon them, and meditating upon their significance. (pg. xiii, The Bhagavad Gita by Swami Sivananda)