Day 1 of Ten Offences Course

Introduction:
In Nectar of Devotion Çréla Prabhupäda says: “In the Padma Puräëa it is stated that
even a person whose life is completely sinful will be completely protected by the Lord if
he simply surrenders unto Him. So it is accepted that one who surrenders unto the
Supreme Personality of Godhead becomes free from all sinful reactions. And even when
a person becomes an offender unto the Supreme Personality of Godhead Himself, he can
still be delivered simply by taking shelter of the holy names of the Lord: Hare Kåñëa,
Hare Kåñëa, Kåñëa Kåñëa, Hare Hare/ Hare Räma, Hare Räma, Räma Räma, Hare Hare.
In other words, the chanting of Hare Kåñëa is beneficial for eradicating all sins, but if one
becomes an offender to the holy names of the Lord, then he has no chance of being
delivered.”

My experience with Çréla Prabhupäda (you are asking this question because you
want to offend).

An important verse from Çåémad Bhägavatam:

tad açma-säraà hådayaà batedaà

yad gåhyamäëair hari-nämadheyaiù
na vikriyetätha yadä vikäro
netre jalaà gätra-ruheñu harñaù

“If one’s heart does not change, tears do not flow from his eyes, his body does not shiver,
and his bodily hairs do not stand on end as he chants the Hare Kåñëa mahä-mantra, it
should be understood that his heart is as hard as iron (or steel framed). This is due to his
offenses at the lotus feet of the Lord’s holy name.” (SB 2.3.24)

The First Offence – To Blaspheme

the Devotees
Padma Purana says:

satam ninda namnah paramam aparadham vitanute

yatah khyatim yatam katham u sahate tad vigariham

Blasphemy of the great saintly persons who are engaged in preaching the Hare Krsna
maha-mantra is the worst offense at the lotus feet of the holy name. The Nama-prabhu,
who is identical with Krsna, will never tolerate such blasphemous activities, even from
one who passes as a great devotee."* (quoted by Çåéla Bhaktivinoda Öhäkura –
Harinama Cintamani)

The Lord’s feelings about His devotees:

In regards to Ambariña Mahäräja and Durvasa Muni:

çré-bhagavän uväca
ahaà bhakta-parädhéno
hy asvatantra iva dvija
sädhubhir grasta-hådayo
bhaktair bhakta-jana-priyaù

The Supreme Personality of Godhead said to the brähmaëa: I am completely under the
control of My devotees. Indeed, I am not at all independent. Because My devotees are
completely devoid of material desires, I sit only within the cores of their hearts. What to
speak of My devotee, even those who are devotees of My devotee are very dear to Me.

sädhavo hådayaà mahyaà

sädhünäà hådayaà tv aham
mad-anyat te na jänanti
nähaà tebhyo manäg api

“The pure devotee is always within the core of My heart, and I am always in the heart of
the pure devotee. My devotees do not know anything else but Me, and I do not know
anyone else but them.” (SB 9.4.68)

upäyaà kathayiñyämi
tava vipra çåëuñva tat
ayaà hy ätmäbhicäras te
yatas taà yähi mä ciram
sädhuñu prahitaà tejaù
prahartuù kurute ’çivam

“O brähmaëa, let Me now advise you for your own protection. Please hear from Me. By
offending Mahäräja Ambaréña, you have acted with self-envy. Therefore you should go
to him immediately, without a moment’s delay. One’s so-called prowess, when employed
against the devotee, certainly harms he who employs it. Thus it is the subject, not the
object, who is harmed.”

1. Who is a Devotee?
Çåéla Viçvanätha Cakravarti Öhäkura says: There are 26 qualities mentioned in
Caitanya-caritamrta (some are: (1) kind to everyone, (2) does not quarrel with anyone, (3)
fixed in the Absolute Truth, (4) equal to everyone, (5) faultless, (6) charitable, (7) mild,
(8) clean, (9) simple, (10) benevolent, (11) peaceful, (12) completely attached to Kåñëa,).
Now if one has the principal qualification of surrender to Krsna, but if he doesn't have all
of the secondary qualifications to the full extent, he is still considered a devotee. And if
we criticize him, or bear bad feelings towards him, we are involved in sadhu-ninda.

Çåéla Viçvanätha Cakravarti Öhäkura says in Madhurya Kadambini: “Nor should one be
of the mentality to think that the offense of sadhu ninda operates only in relation to a
vaisnava who is fully and perfectly qualified with all the qualities mentioned in scripture,
such as tolerance, mercy and kindness to all living entities (krpalur akrta drohas titiksuh
sarva dehinam). Such a person attempts to minimize his own offense by pointing out
some defect in the devotee. The scriptures say that, even a person who is of very bad
character, a cheater, devoid of proper behaviour, malicious, devoid of samskaras, if he
takes to surrender of the Lord, must be considered a sadhu. All the more then, that a
devotee who may show some occasional fault should be considerd a sadhu.”

If one thinks that because of the poor character of a devotee, it is alright to blaspheme
him, then the affects of our offence becomes worse.

In CC Madhya 15.106 Lord Caitanya talks to residents of Kulina grama (Satyaraja

Khan and Ramananda Vasu), first of all about such neophyte devotees:

prabhu kahe,——“yäìra mukhe çuni eka-bära

kåñëa-näma, sei püjya,——çreñöha sabäkära”

Çré Caitanya Mahäprabhu replied, “Whoever chants the holy name of Kåñëa just once is
worshipable and is the topmost human being.”

Ñréla Prabhupäda says in his purport:

“Çréla Bhaktisiddhänta Sarasvaté Öhäkura says that a person who simply chants the holy
name of Kåñëa once becomes perfect and should be regarded as a Vaiñëava. This is
confirmed by Çréla Rüpa Gosvämé in his Upadeçämåta (5): kåñëeti yasya giri taà
manasädriyeta. With such faith in the holy name one may begin a life of Kåñëa
consciousness.

“When one is situated on the neophyte platform, one cannot understand the devotional
ingredients of a pure, unalloyed devotee. However, when the novice engages in
devotional service—especially in Deity worship—and follows the order of a bona fide
spiritual master, he is a pure devotee. Anyone can take advantage of hearing about Kåñëa
consciousness from such a devotee and thus gradually become purified. In other words,
any devotee who believes that the holy name of the Lord is identical with the Lord is a
pure devotee, even though he may be in the neophyte stage. By his association, others
may also become Vaiñëavas.”
 2. There are four kinds of blasphemy of a devotee:
In Harinama Cintamani Çåéla Bhaktivinoda Öhäkura says that generally this offence is
committed when a person perceives some traces of the previous sins of a devotee, even
though actually these things have been practically destroyed. All that may remain is
something like a slight fragrance of that previous sin.

So there are four kinds of blasphemy:

1. The last traces of his previous sins

2. or offender criticizes a Vaisnava about his birth
3. or some unpremeditated accidental fall-down, or momentary lapses
4. or his sinful activities prior to his surrendering to Lord Krsna.

Such an offender will never develop a taste for chanting the holy name.

3. Kåñëa’s Explanation in Bhagavad-gétä

api cet su-duräcäro
bhajate mäm ananya-bhäk
sädhur eva sa mantavyaù
samyag vyavasito hi saù

“Even if one commits the most abominable action, if he is engaged in devotional service
he is to be considered saintly because he is properly situated in his determination.” (BG
9.30)

4. How Does One Become A Blasphemer?

In Nectar of Devotion it is expressed that one should not associate with those who are
against the supremacy of Kåñëa, and those who are too materialistic. Even if somebody is
a devotee and accepts Krsna as the Supreme Personality of Godhead, but if he's too
materialistic, we should not associate intimately with him, because he will, he may tend
to criticize pure devotees. He may think that they're too fanatical, too strict, too whatever.

5. Some Special Considerations

Raghunath das Gosvami has given a very nice example of how one mistakes something
bad for something good. Like sometimes we get together and start thinking of the faults
of some Vaisnava, start discussing, and we're thinking that actually this is actually very
good discussion that we're having. It's actually very
purifying to really analyse some Vaisnava and his faults and it's actually very beneficial.
So Raghunatha das Gosvami, of course, many of the offenses or weeds are interrelated,
but basically he discusses someone who's bathing in ass urine and he's thinking that
he's cleansing himself, but actually he's contaminating himself. So sometimes we
become implicated in some activity that's actually very contaminating. But we think it's
purifying, because sometimes it's hard to distinguish the devotional creeper from the
weeds. So one of the weeds is kutinati, which is sometimes translated as duplicitious
behaviour and sometimes translated as fault-finding. So Raghunatha das Gosvami, he
compares kutinati to taking bath in the urine of an ass. (Giriräja Mahäräja)

Even passively to hear criticism of the devotees is an offense. This is described in the
following words of Srimad-Bhagavatam (10.74.40):
21 "Anyone who hears criticism of the Supreme Lord or of His faithful devotee yet
fails to immediately leave the place will certainly fall down, deprived of all the pious
credit of his past activities."*** (Bhakti Sandarbha)

What if we've lost track of all the devotees we've offended over the years. How can
we go back and rectify. One devotee asked Srila Prabhupada, that throughout the day we
commit so many offenses to so many devotees and if we have to go back every time
to every devotee and offer obeisances, you know we'll be spending most of the day
offering obeisances. So then Srila Prabhupada introduced the system that we offer
obeisances to the devotees in the morning and say, vancha kalpa .............(Giriräja
Mahäräja)

My own realization (Giriraj Mahäräja’s) on the subject is that all of the devotees in
ISKCON are attached to ISKCON, so if we serve ISKCON and make ISKCON strong,
then that will give benefit to all of the devotees. All of the devotees in ISKCON are
attached to Prabhupada, so if we can make their, help them in their relationship with
Prabhupada and their service to Prabhupada, then that is service to them.

If you have heard blasphemy in the past, what do you do to become free from the
offense. If one heard criticism of some Vaisnava and one think that the criticism was not
justified, then one can go back to the person who made the criticism and say, you know I
was thinking about what you said about so-and-so, but actually I don't think it's true, I
don't think so-and-so is like that. That will purify you of the offense and it will also help
the other person to become free from the offense.

Nama aparadha is very serious. Çåéla Viçvanätha Cakravarti Öhäkura explains in

Madhurya Kadambini that its effects remain, even to a slight degree, on the level of
prema. There is the example of Bharata Mahäräja who became a deer from the level of
bhava, and Çåéla Jiva Goswami has attributed this to offences.

The holy name is like the sun (Kåñëa surya sama, maya haya andhakara), but the effects
of offences are compared by Çåéla Bhaktivinoda Öhäkura to mist, which obscures the
sun from our vision. It doesn’t actually affect the sun, but it covers our eyes. So if one
chants in namabhasa (the clearing stage) without offences, then one will become purified.

Different Types of Offences

In the story of Bhågu Muni testing Lord Brahma, Lord Çiva and Lord Viñëu, we see
there are three levels of offence:

1. Within the mind

2. By words
3. By the body

6. What to do if one Does Commit This Offence?

Çåéla Bhaktivinoda Öhäkura says: “If one foolishly blasphemes a saintly devotee, one
should repent, grasp the devotee’s feet, weep, and say, O master, please forgive my
offense. Please give a Vaiñëava’s mercy to this wicked blasphemer.” Then the devotee
will forgive.

Çréla Viçvanatha Cakravarti Öhäkura explains: If by chance this offense occurs, the
person should be repentant, recognizing his own low nature in having committing the
offense. In the same way that a person who has been burned by fire seeks relief in fire,
he should nullify the offense by lamenting, resolving to come before the Vaiñëava, fall at
his feet, and satisfy him by offering his obeisances, praises and respects. If the Vaiñëava
is not satisfied, the person should remain ready to comply with his every wish. If the
offense is so great that the Vaiñëava's anger does not die, in great remorse, thinking
himself most unfortunate and bound for hell because of his offense, he should give up
everything else and take shelter of continuous nama sankirtana. By the great power of
nama kirtana, certainly, in time, that person will be delivered from his offense.

But if one, reluctant to put oneself in a humble position by offering repeated respects and
service to the Vaiñëava that one has offended, justifies himself by arguing that simply
taking shelter of the Name is sufficient for the deliverance from offense, then he is guilty
of further offense.

Çåéla Bhaktivinoda Öhäkura says about all the offences, that one thing what we can do to
avoid committing such offences is to always do the opposite. We should therefore always
glorify the devotees.

7. Some Case Histories:

Capala Gopala (from Caitanya Bhagavat): Suddenly a leper appeared in the assembly
and came before the Lord. He threw himself down on the ground like a stick groaning in
pain. Then getting up he lifted his arms high and began to wail loudly. He cried, "O
merciful Lord, You have risen like the sun on this Earth only to dissipate the sufferings of
this material life. Your compassionate nature is always moved by the distress of others,
and so I have come to You. I am burning in the pain of leprosy. Kindly tell me how I can
be relieved of this." When the leper had finished speaking, the Lord addressed him
angrily with a thundering voice. He said, "Go! Go away from here! Just seeing you incurs
sin. Even if a very pious man sees your face, the day will bring him only despair. You are
a wretched sinner and an offender of Vaisnavas. Much more suffering is in store for you.
You cannot even tolerate this pain, you contemptuous rascal. How are you going to live
through the sufferings in Kumbhipaka hell? (Çrémad Bhägavatam describes
Kumbhipaka: “For the maintenance of their bodies and the satisfaction of their tongues,
cruel persons cook poor animals and birds alive. Such persons are condemned even by
man-eaters. In their next lives they are carried by the Yamadütas to the hell known as
Kumbhépäka, where they are cooked in boiling oil.”

“A Vaisnava is so pure that just uttering his name can cleanse the entire universe. Lord
Brahma takes pleasure in singing the glories of the Vaisnavas. One easily attains the
inconceivable association of the Supreme Lord Krsna simply by serving a Vaisnava. In
fact nothing is superior to the worship of a Vaisnava. In Srimad-Bhagavatam (11.14.15)
Lord Kåñëa Himself says "My dear Uddhava, neither Lord Brahmä, Lord Çiva, Lord
Saìkarñaëa, the goddess of fortune nor indeed My own self are as dear to Me as you are.”

"So anyone who offends a Vaisnava and criticizes him has to suffer terrible
consquences life after life. A person's piety, education and austerity are rendered useless
by criticizing a Vaisnava. Lord Krsna even refuses to accept worship from a Vaisnava
offender. Mother Earth feels blessed when a Vaisnava dances on her. Just the very sight
of a Vaisnava destroys nescience and sin in every direction, and when dancing if he lifts
his arms to the sky he waves away all ill fortune in the heavenly abodes. Such an elevated
devotee is Srivasa Pandita, and you are so demoniac that you have offended him. Your
leprosy is just a mere reminder of your offenses. The actual punishment is yet to come, to
be meted out by Yamaraja, the god of death. Therefore I do not even want to see you, and
I am not the one to deliver you."

The leper quietly heard the Lord's chastisement, then with utmost humility and
meekness, holding straw in his teeth he began to speak. He prayed, "In my ignorance I
have destroyed myself. Delirious with the material disease, I have grievously criticized
and offended a Vaisnava. For this heinous act I have rightly deserved my painful due.
Now my Lord, pray think of my deliverance. It is the nature of saintly personalities to
heal the suffering of the wretched and forgive the blasphemers. Therefore I have taken
shelter of You, but if You turn me away, who will save me? You know the penances for
the different sinful activities, so as a kind father to all please tell me what penances will
condone my offenses. As I have sown by Vaisnava aparadha, so I have painfully
harvested my grief."

The Lord replied, "Leprosy for an offender is just his first punishment. It is only the
beginning; the worst is yet to come. Yamaraja has 8,400,000 types of excruciating
punishments waiting for the offenders. You should go right away to Srivasa Pandita and
throw yourself at his feet. It was Srivasa Pandita you offended, and so you can be
excused by his mercy alone. If a thorn is stuck in the throat, then it has to be pulled out by
another thorn, not that when a thorn gets stuck in the feet the shoulders have to be treated.
This is the only means for your reprieve. Srivasa Pandita is very elevated and intelligent.
If you beg him then he will surely forgive you."
 The devotees expressed their loud approval of the Lord's perfect and honest
instructions. The leper paid his obeisances to the Lord and the devotees and hurried off to
see Srivasa Pandita. Srivasa Pandita, out of his causeless mercy exonerated the leper from
all offenses and saved him from the worst fate. The Lord had clearly described the
horrific results of offending a Vaisnava. In spite of hearing this, if a person is still so
foolish to indulge in criticism and blasphemy of Vaisnavas, then Lord Caitanya will
personally mete out the due punishments.

If one sees two Vaisnavas quarrelling, then one should never think that something is
amiss, or that there is enmity and malice between them. Such quarrelling is in fact
pleasing to the Lord and is transcendental. The arguments and abuses exchanged between
Rukminidevi and Satyabhamadevi although sounding like serious fights, are factually not
so, because they are forever united in their service to their common Lord and master.
There is no enmity between Vaisnavas. The Supreme Lord Himself induces these fights
due to His frolicsome nature. But if anyone foolishly sides with one Vaisnava against
another, then he is doomed due to offending a Vaisnava. The Vaisnavas are the
extensions of the Lord's limbs, so how can one benefit by serving Him with one hand and
inflicting pain on Him with the other? One who has developed such vision becomes
steady in devotional service. One who understands that Lord Krsna and His devotees, the
Vaisnavas, are nondifferent, and with this knowledge serves the Lord, can easily cross the
ocean of nescience. One who glorifies, hears and understands these transcendental
subject matters can always avoid Vaisnava aparadha.

Ambarisa Mahäräja (note the reaction of Ambariña Mahäräja)

Jagai and Madhai

1. Citragupta’s response to Yamaraja.
2. Yamaraja faints.
3. Lord Siva was also dancing in intense rapture unaware that his clothes were strewn
everywhere, naked he pranced about in love of Krsna, he a very exalted Vaisnava devotee
was blessing the world chanting Lord Krsna's holy name. His matted locks had cascaded
down and flared up with each upward movement of his body. Seeing their master in such
raptures, Ganesh and Kartika also joined Lord Sankara as they were all remembering the
unlimited mercy just exhibited by Lord Caitanya.

Four handed Lord Brahma, whose life and soul is in devotional service to the Supreme
Lord, also began to dance in the company ìof his family members. Kasyapa Muni,
Kardama Muni, Daksa Prajapati, Muniara Mana, Bhrigu Muni all joined in with Lord
Brahma, for they were stalwarts in the realm of devotional service and were expert in
relishing the spiritual mellows with Lord Krsna. They wept and dancing circled around
Lord Brahma releasing sighs of devotional feelings.
Devaksi Narada was also dancing next to Lord Brahma, tears of love flowed down in
streams. He forgot his vina as he was relishing the glories of the Lord and His holy name.
Sukadeva Goswain was a beloved devotee of Lord Caitanya, one who knew perfectly the
science of devotion, he also joined the dancing and repeating the names of Jagai and
Madhai he rolled in the dust, offering his obeisances to the Lord.

Indra, the king of the demigods almost invincible due to his weapon, `thunder' is feeling
repentant. Tears flowed constantly from his thousand eyes like rivers. Now his thousand
eyes, which he received due to Gautama Muni's curse were able to see for the first time
the glorious pastimes of Lord Caitanya and he felt that the curse was a blessing in
disguise. Indra was experiencing such great happiness that he was rolling on the ground,
with no concern for his kingly position; his weapons felt impotent and his priceless and
opulently studded kirti necklace lay limp and neglected. These are fully the symptoms
indicating the influence of love of Krsna.

Candra, Surya, Kuvera, Varuna and all the demigods, servants of Lord Krsna were
dancing intoxicated by the nectar of love of Krsna which they had just drunk with their
eyes in the form of Lord Caitanya's pastimes. They were jostling freely with each other
oblivious of high or low positions, they were drunk and happy.

Lord Ananta Sesa was dancing accompanied by Garuda. Lord Sesa is holding the entire
creation on one of his hoods, but now he was fully absorbed in love of Krsna. Lord Siva,
Lord Brahma and others surrounded Him as He danced and sang with His thousand
hoods the unparalleled pastimes of Lord Gauracandra of how He delivered the worst kind
of sinners.

Madhai’s prayers:
O Lord the whole cosmic manifestation is resting on Your bosom. Your body is very soft
and gives Krsna great pleasure when You expand Yourself as His bed and He lies on
You. But I am so monstrous and sinful that I hurt this same transcendental body of Yours,
who is more wretched than I am?"41-43

Your transcendental form is constantly worshipped by Lord Siva accompanied by his

beautiful consort Paravati and other young maidens, simply by remembering Your form
one is freed from all bondage and this same spiritual body was bleeding due to my
misdeeds.44-45

Chitraketu, the famous emperor was living happily by worshipping You and was counted
amongst the foremost Vaisnava devotees; that same form that is worshipped by the entire
universe was brutally hit by me, the lowest of sinners.46-47

The sages of Naimisaranya forest headed by sage Saunaka became freed from all material
entanglement by meditating upon Your form. In expansion as Laksmana You were
wounded by Indrajit, son of Ravana, in battle and for this You slew him. Similarly the
Gorilla demon Dvivida also met with a premature death at Your hands because he was
harassing You.48-49

The mighty Jarasandha was also vanquished by You for being inimical to You; I am so
foolish that I did not understand what is beneficial to me and so I inflicted pain upon
Your transcendental form. I did not know then the consequences of such an act for when
Rukumi, Krsna's brother-in-law, insulted You, You took his life.50-51

Romaharsana Suta was blessed with a long life by the sages of Naimisaranga, but when
he failed to accord to You Your due respect, then You came and slew him with a blade of
grass.52

King Duryodhama and the entire dynasty was almost exterminated for disregarding Your
words: they were spared by good luck because of the presence of elevated devotees like
Kunti devi, Bhimsa, Yudhisthiva, Vidiva, Arjuna who intervened supplicating You with
appropriate words.53-55

When one's very life is at stake just by a little disrespectful attitude towards You, then to
what depths of depravity and hell must I enter for my heinous act?" Speaking like this
Madhai fell to the ground clutching the Lord's lotus feet to his heart.56-57

Madhai continued to pray, "The shelter of Your lotus feet can save anyone from the
endless cycle of rebirth. You have appeared simply to deliver the most fallen, so my dear
Lord kindly protect this fallen soul surrendered to You, for You are my life soul and most
treasured goal.58-59

All glory to Lord Nityananda, the darling son of Padmavati devi. You are the most
precious jewel of all the Vaisnava devotees. You are completely free from any rancor,
always submerged in the highest state of blissfulness, You are always inclined to forgive
those who are surrendered to You. I am the most atrocious beast and offender, so kindly
forgive me Lord for all my offenses."

Lord Nityänanda’s reply:

Lord Nityananda smiled hearing the loving supplications offered to Him and said, "get
up, arise O Madhai, you are My servitor, I now reside within your body. Is the father
disturbed if his little child hits him? I have accepted your beating in this parental mood.
What is more important is that anyone who hears your wonderful and devotional prayers
to Me will certainly develop loving attachment to My lotus feet.

“You are the recipient of my Lord's mercy therefore you are free from all blame.
Whoever worships My Lord Caitanya becomes most dear to Me and I offer him My
protection eternally.

“If anyone disregards Lord Caitanya but offers Me worship and sings My glories he
suffers My pains birth after birth." He then embraced Madhai and took away all his
misery.”
King Citraketu