Let there be no negligence in your devotion. Negligence in the practice of recollection is death—this has been declared by the Seer Sanatkumara.
For the spiritual seeker, there is no greater evil than negligence in recollection. From it arises delusion. From delusion arises egoism. From egoism comes bondage and from bondage misery.
Through negligence in recollection, a man is distracted from awareness of his divine nature. He who is thus distracted falls—and the fallen always come to ruin. It is very hard for them to rise again. . . .
Control speech by mental effort; control the mind by the faculty of discrimination; control this faculty by the individual will, merge individuality in the infinite absolute Atman and reach supreme peace.
— Shri Shankaracharya