Extracts from the commentary of Pandita Sri Ananta dasa Babaji Maharaja on Sri Sri Siksastakam.
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A tip; by engaging on front-line devotional service such as preaching, book distribution, and development, you will be safe even from offenses, as Krsna will protect you in order to do His business. Field-commissioned officers are forgiven many things, if they are of habit and not of ill purpose.
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“When one has consciously offended a great soul, one can be forgiven by falling at his feet and begging for forgiveness [only].
Also, when one commits seva-aparadha unknowingly, these offenses can be eradicated by chanting nama-sankirtana.
Other than that, all offenses committed knowingly or unknowingly are forgiven if one constantly chants nama-sankirtana with repentance.
But Offenses are not eradicated when they are committed purposely thinking they will be forgiven by chanting as that is another offense to the holy name.
Guru-seva Aparadhas
To consider Guru as an ordinary human being is the third offense to the holy name, disregarding the spiritual master, and it deprives us of the great fruits of guru-seva. For the swift attainment of the result of guru-seva, prema-bhakti, always please Sri Gurudev in a simple and loving manner and serve him with everything you have including your very life.
• Always obey Sri Gurudeva, never disobey him and never say anything to him that sounds like an order.
• Always treat Sri Gurudeva’s personal items with reverence and never use his shoes, garments, bathing water, bed and other utilities. Never step on them and never take anything without his prior permission.
• To say Sri Gurudeva’s name, use titles as ‘astottara shata Sri Sri’, ‘om vishnupâda’, ‘prabhupâda,’ with folded hands and with great reverence.
• Always behave with proper respect and etiquette when in Sri Gurudeva’s presence by not spreading your legs, placing one leg over the other or having your feet pointing in the direction of Sri Gurudeva, making gestures, yawning, laughing loudly, cracking finger joints, swaying the body or moving your hands, feet, etc. about unnecessarily. Never imitate the walk, speech, voice or gestures of Sri Gurudeva,
• Always stand before Sri Gurudeva with folded hands, do not sit down in front of him without his consent and do not lie on a bed in front of him.
• If you live in Sri Gurudeva’s presence, never go anywhere without his permission.
• Do not explain the sastras to Sri Gurudeva or worship or praise anyone else in front him and do not chastise or act with superiority over others in front of Sri Gurudeva.
• Do not give initiation without Sri Gurudeva’s prior permission.
• Always tolerate Sri Gurudeva’s rebukes and never respond with hatred, ill feelings or envy.
• It is an offence to remain silent in front of Sri Gurudeva, even if you have taken a vow of silence. Praise him and ask questions on bhajan.
• Never go to a place where you could hear blasphemy of Sri Gurudeva. If this happens,block your ears, remember Sri Hari and leave. Never see the face of, associate with or live with blasphemers of Sri Guru.
• Offer obeisances when you see Sri Gurudeva arriving and walk behind him when he leaves.
• Always serve Sri Gurudeva by bringing water for washing his feet, bathing him, anointing sandalwood paste, washing his clothes, massaging his feet, clean his living quarters, etc.
• Take prasadam only after offering it to Sri Gurudeva (and Thakura) first.
Nama Aparadhas
“When you chant this name of Krsna many times but still you do not feel love for the Supreme Lord and there are no tears of love streaming from your eyes, then I know there must be many offenses committed so that the seed of Krsna’s name cannot sprout.” Cc Adi 8.29-30
The Padma Purana gives the ten offences in chanting the Holy Names:
1. Blaspheme the saintly: How can the holy name tolerate this mahad aparadha, grave offense, upon those who glorify the holy name world-wide? It is not correct to think discussing the faults of the saintly and devotees is all right because such criticism is true and justified. Sripada Sridhara Swami writes in his commentary on the Srimad-
Bhagavatam: “nindanam dosa kirtanam” – “There is no question whether the devotee
under discussion is at fault or not, speaking bad about such a person is called blasphemy.” Srila Visvanatha Chakravarti Thakura also writes in Madhurya kadambini:
“Actually anyone who worships God, be he deceitful, ill-behaved, hypocritical and unclean, is a saint, and to blaspheme or criticize such a person is an offense to the holy name.”
2. Think Visnu and Siva are Independent: … One who thinks that there are many Gods,that Lord Siva has separate powers from Lord Visnu, and vice-versa, is an offense to the holy name. The Vaisnavas think of Lord Siva as the servant of Sri Krishna and of Krishna as the Supreme Controller.
3. Disrepect the Guru: The disciple sees guru as the Lord’s ‘karunya ghana vigraha’, the personification of His great mercy descended on earth to reclaim the fallen souls. To see any external shortcomings in the divine form of guru will make him seem human and this will displease the holy name.
4. Blaspheme the Sruti sastras: This offense applies to all sastras including those preaching jñana and karma as their purpose is to bring everyone to the path of bhakti.
5. Consider the Glorification of the Holy Name to be exaggerated: Never think: “Those glorifications are made only to create faith in the minds of the practicing devotees.” The holy name is self-perfect and is not dependent on any ritual or glorification. Therefore there is no question of any exaggeration in the glorification of the holy name.
6. Consider the Glories of the Holy Name to be Imaginary: In this material world we can experience the wonderful powers of mantras, herbs, stones, etc., and we also cannot ascertain these powers simply by arguing about them. If we cannot argue even about material powers, what then to speak of spiritual powers? Therefore, one should not argue about spiritual things as they are inconceivable to material brains.
7. Commit Sinful Activities on the Strength of the Holy Name: …If one willingly sins thinking these sins will be destroyed on the strength of the holy name, one commits a terrible offense to the holy name. The reactions to sins committed in that consciousness will count millions of times heavier than normal that cannot be purified even by long term punishment by Yamaraja, the god of death.
8. Consider the Holy Name to be Equal to Other Auspicious Activities: It is a terrible offense to the holy name to consider it to be equal to pious acts such as dharma, vrata, tyaga, homa, etc. because this limits the glories of the holy name.
9. Advise a Faithless Person to Chant the Holy Name: It is an offense to instruct an unwilling person as they will react in a disrespectful way which is an offense on the part of the preacher.
10. Not to Love the Holy Name Evan after hearing its Glorification: A practicing devotee who gives no attention to the holy name, who is intoxicated with sense enjoyment and is filled with bodily feelings of ‘I’ and ‘mine’ is an offender to the holy name.
Seva Aparadhas
T he following are the 32 offenses in Deity seva to be avoided
1. To enter the temple with shoes or being carried on a palanquin,
2. Not to observe the prescribed festivals,
3. To avoid offering obeisances in front of the Deity,
4. To offer prayers in an unclean state, not having washed one’s hands after eating,
5. To offer obeisances with one hand,
6. To circumambulate directly in front of the Deity,
7. To spread one’s legs before the Deity,
8. To sit before the Deity while holding one’s ankles with one’s hands,
9. To lie down before the Deity,
10. To eat before the Deity,
11. To speak lies before the Deity,
12. To address someone loudly before the Deity,
13. To talk nonsense before the Deity,
14. To cry before the Deity,
15. To argue before the Deity,
16. To chastise someone before the Deity,
17. To show someone favor before the Deity,
18. To use harsh words before the Deity,
19. To wear a woolen blanket before the Deity,
20. To blaspheme someone before the Deity,
21. To worship someone else before the Deity,
22. To use vulgar language before the Deity,
23. To pass air before the Deity,
24. To avoid very opulent worship of the Deity, even though one is able to perform it,
25. To eat something not offered to the Deity,
26. To avoid offering fresh fruits to the Deity according to the season,
27. To offer food to the Deity which has already been used or from which has first been given to others (in other words, food should not be distributed to anyone else until it has been offered to the Deity),
28. To sit with one’s back toward the Deity,
29. To offer obeisances to someone else in front of the Deity,
30. Not to chant proper prayers when offering obeisances to the spiritual master,
31. To praise oneself before the Deity, and
32. To blaspheme the demigods.
Dhama Aparadhas
It is an offense to the holy dhama to:
1. Disrespect one’s spiritual master, who reveals the dhama,
2. Think that the holy dhama is temporary,
3. Commit violence toward any resident of the dhama or any pilgrim or to think that they are ordinary people,
4. Engage in mundane activities while living in the holy dhama,
5. Earn money by commercializing Deity worship and sankirtana in the holy dhama,
6. Think the holy dhama belongs to some mundane country or province, that the Lord’s dhama is equal to a holy place connected with a demigod, or to attempt to measure the area of the holy dhama,
7. Commit sinful acts while residing in the holy dhama,
8. Consider Vrindavana different from Navadvipa,
9. Blaspheme the sastras that glorify the holy dhama, and
10. be faithless and think the glories of the dhama are imaginary.