The Ten Kinds of Offenses to the Holy Name
The Holy Name is not lip-deep only – a mere physical sound.
It has a greater and higher aspect; it is fully spiritual. That must
have the reference of Vaikun†ha.
Kun†ha means limitation, and
vai-kun†ha
conception above the realm of limitation – the plane that is
above all limitation. That immeasurable force is invited in the
means above limitation. The sound has its original
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form of sound to do away with all the anomalies in this mundane
world. We are in the plane of marginal existence; therefore a
higher connection is necessary. Then that wave will start from
some higher realm and will come down to us.
In sound also there is classification. A sound from the proper
plane will be effective but not any imitation sound. Imitation
means
namaparadha and namabhasa. There are ten types of
namaparadha
but to mishandle something. By such mishandling we cannot get
our desired result. Proper handling is necessary with everything.
In the laboratory a scientist is making an experiment, but an
experiment is only successful when everything is properly
handled. Otherwise there may be an explosion and the scientist
may die.
1. The first type of offense is to
abuse the Vaisnavas –those that are the agents of the Lord who
come to deliver the fallen souls. If you abuse them then the
Holy Name becomes dissatisfied. Only KRsna’s devotees are real
saints, because they are after eternal life. Saint means Vais√ava.
Those persons who worship demigods for temporary gain are
not considered saints. They may be neglected, for they are not
devotees. We avoid them. A saint is one who has no ambition
in his life but to have the connection of loving service with
the Supreme Lord. Only those who are agents of eternal truth,
absolute good, are to be considered saintly. We should not abuse
such saintly persons.
2. The second offense is that we should not unnecessarily abuse
other demigods, nor should we consider them to be equal to or
greater than Vishnu or KRsna. They are under Him, and they are
all inferior to Him. They are never equal or superior to KRsna.
When a comparison is necessary to establish the supremacy of
Lord Vis√u then we may show this indifferently, but not in the
spirit of abusing other demigods.
The third offense is that we must have a proper conception
of Gurudeva. If we are sincerely searching after the Lord,
then the Lord is also approaching us and the meeting point is
guru, His representative. Gurudeva must always be seen as the
representative of God, not as an ordinary human being. Though
we find that he is sleeping, eating or he is suffering from some
disease, it is just like the Ganges water –physically it may be
filthy, but still it can purify everything. The purifying capacity
of the Ganges is not lost by physical dirtiness. Therefore the
guru and the Vaisnava should not be seen through the material
eye –there is another vision, the spiritual eye, through which
they should be estimated.
4. The fourth offense is to belittle or minimize or abuse
scriptures that are taking us towards the Holy Name of the
Lord. The scriptures are advising us and if we abuse them, then
the Holy Name is dissatisfied.
5. The fifth offense is that we should not consult a dictionary
to find the meaning of the Holy Name. Every word, every
meaning, if it is taken to its highest sense, goes to the Center.
The dictionary, grammar, and any other books of mundane
knowledge cannot limit or qualify the Holy Name.
6. The sixth offense is to consider the glories of the Holy Name of
KRsna to be a concoction.
7. The seventh offense is
may think that, “If I chant even one Name then all my sins
will purified, so let me go on sinning and taking the Holy
Name.” With this spirit if we try to utilize the Holy Name –to
remove dirt from us. That is an offense. That is an abuse of the
Holy Name because we should worship Him and serve Him.
We must not use Him in our service in order to remove our
contaminations.
8. The eighth offense is if we think that the Holy Name is one
of so many purificatory pious works. We can serve the country,
we can read the holy scriptures, we can wander through the
holy places –but to take the Holy Name as one of these pious
activities is to disregard the Holy Name. The Holy Name is
above all.
9. The ninth offense is
refers to one who does not deserve, who does not have sufficient
faith. If for some treacherous purpose we bestow the Holy Name
to him, we commit an offense against the Holy Name.
10. The tenth offense is to have a particular attraction for any
mundane thing – that attraction must be uprooted. I have
to be unprejudiced and become free of any kind of mundane
attachment. While taking the Holy Name, a transformation
begins with the mental system and we must try to be unbiased.
The Holy Name will take us from this worldly consciousness
to KRsna consciousness with the feeling that, “I am not pressed
to go to some unreasonable position. I am going home. It is
namno-balad yasya hi papa-buddhir. One acraddhadhane vimukhe’py acR√vati. This is
very sweet. Now I am wondering in a foreign land that is nonsympathetic,
but I am really going to my home, under the holy
feet of the Lord. All my well-wishers are there.” With this spirit
we shall take the Name.
Four
Kinds of Nåmåbhåsa
There are also four types of
of the Holy Name that can give
to the abscissa from the negative side, but they cannot give
any positive attainment. There is neither any exploiting
tendency there, nor any serving tendency – that is a marginal
position. The four kinds of
namabhasa, or shadow expressionsmukti. They may take usnamabhasa are sanketa, parihasa,
stobha
and hela.
sanketyau parihasyau va
stobhau helanam eva va
vaikuntha-nama-grahanam
acesagha-haraμ vidu˙
at once freed from all the reactions of unlimited
sins, even if he chants indirectly (
jokingly (
(
learned scholars of the scriptures accept this.
(
One who chants the Holy Name of the Lord is sanketa),parihasa), for musical entertainment, stobha), or even neglectfully (helana). All the Bhag. 6.2.14)
Sanketa
mind a different thing comes in connection to that. Just as in
the story of Ajamila in the
Bhagavatam.
the dreadful appearance of the Yamadutas. In his coma, Ajamila was afraid of the dreadful appearance of the Yamadutas, yet could vaguely
remember that his young son Narayana was playing nearby.
With that faint memory he wanted to call out for his son,
Narayana. But in the meantime a change came in his mind and
he thought, “What can this little boy Narayana do against those
fearful agents of Yamaraja?” Then Lord Narayana’s Name came.
First it began as the name of his child, but then it changed into
the Name of the Lord. At once four agents came down from
Vaiku√†˙. There was a serious talk between the Vis√udutas
and the Yamadutas. The Yamadutas were sent back defeated
and Ajamila attained liberation. All his previous attraction
towards his family at once vanished and he woke up from the
bed and directly traveled towards Haridvara. There he began
to chant the Holy Name of Naraya√a and after sometime he
attained Vaikuàha. This is
sa∫keta.
Parihasa
to ridicule a person. One is chanting Hare KRs√a and another
gentleman may remark, “Suddenly you have become such a
great devotee! You are chanting Hare KRs√a Hare KRs√a!” He is
simply cutting a joke with his friend. If one is ridiculing the Hare
KRs√a devotees in the street, and says “Hare KRs√a,” that may be
means to chant the Holy Name in a joking mood or
namabhasa
Another form of
with some other intention. Sometimes these words, Naraya√a,
or KRs√a may be used for some technical meaning, or for a code
word. Jiva Gosvami has taken advantage of this in his book of
Sanskrit grammar, the
playing the
Nitai” to represent different drumbeats, it may be
if it is connected with his previous pious credits.namabhasa is stobha – to use the Holy NameHarinamamRta-vyakara√a. When one ismRda∫ga, using the names of “Gaura-Nitai, Gaura-namabhasa.
Hela
means without any attention, only through a slack habit.
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Suppose when rising from the bed, we yawn and say, “Hare
KRs√a” –it is not devoted or attentive. It is automatic, without
attention –some reflex action. That is
We are asked to avoid both
must avoid these two with the earnestness of attaining the
service of the Lord, as well as His servitors. Hankering for that
positive thing must be in our hankering. With this idea as far as
possible, we should go on taking the Holy Name and that will
be
real Name, which is one and the same with the Lord, should be
taken. But the real Name must be received from a real
Hela. namaparadha and namabhasa. Suddha-nama. Everything else should be eliminated and thesadhu.
Comments
seva das on 3. November 2011 at 4:38 am said:
pamho agtACBSP
JAGADDHATRI PUJA KI JAYA
Everyone is constantly changing body and destination in their own individual journey in this material world but by chanting HARE KRSNA MAHA MANTRA daily we are reviving our original spiritual body which is never subjected to any material transformation because living entity category has seventy-eight percent of SRI KRSNA’s qualities.
This is the greatest benedction we got in this most sinful and polluted age of kali yuga: just by chanting HARE KRSNA MAHA MANTRA properly with rapt attention we can go back home by uprooting all sinful reaction and stop this transformation through the cycle of birth and death.
kaler dosa nidhe rajann asti hy eko mahan gunah kirtanad eva krsnasya mukta sangah param vrajet, my dear king, although kali yuga is a ocean of faults, there is still one good quality about this age: simply by chanting HARE KRSNA MAHA MANTRA one can become free from material bondage and be promoted to the transcendental kingdom (Bhag.12.3.51)
Whoever gets genuine attraction for this spiritual chanting must be considered very lucky because the HOLY NAME grants all perfection in this age.
Material greediness and lusty desire disappear with the daily chanting, reaching the platform of goodness.
This is the first transformation we get by keeping chanting everyday – more and more the influences of passion and ignorance decrease and more and more we get greedy for chanting because we get proof about the transformation that we feel free from sinful reactions.
This makes us blissful – in fact that’s the evidence of someone who is properly situated in Krishna consciousness says SRILA PRABHUPADA KI JAYA, just keeping chanting – we never know what is next.
ys seva das
haribol