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The Ten Offenses in
Chanting Hare Krsna
While
chanting the Hare Krsna mahamantra, one must remember
that Lord Krsna and His name are non-different. With this, it is important to
guard against any possible offenses or transgressions against the Holy Name.
The word for offense is aparādha. The
literal translation is “above the head of Radha.” She
is the head of all devotees. Therefore, if one commits offenses towards
devotees, it is like she is being struck from above. Therefore, to please
Krsna, one must protect oneself and others from committing offenses.
The
section of the Padma Purana,
known as the Brahma Kanda, Chapter 25 Verses 15 through 18 describes ten
offenses. These verses are filtered out to specifically show the offenses in
these verses.
(1)
satam ninda namnah
paramam aparadham vitanute
yatah khyatim yatam katham u
sahate tad-vigarham
2)
sivasya sri-visnor ya iha guna-namadi-sakalam
dhiya bhinnam pasyet sa khalu
hari-namahita-karah
(3)
guror avajna
(4)
sruti-sastra-nindanam
(5)
artha-vadah
(6)
hari-namni kalpanam
(7)
namno balad yasya
hi papa-buddhir
na vidyate tasya yamair hi suddhih
(8)
dharma-vrata-tyaga-hutadi-sarva-
subha-kriya-samyam api pramadah
(9)
asraddadhane vimukhe ’py asrnvati
yas copadesah
siva-namaparadhah
(10)
srute ’pi nama-mahatmye
yah priti-rahito narah
aham-mamadi-paramo
namni so ’py aparadha-krt
api pramadah
TRANSLATION
1)
To blaspheme devotees who have dedicated their lives to chanting the holy name
of the Lord. The holy name, who is identical with Krsna, will never tolerate
such blasphemous activities.
2)
To consider the names of Lord Siva or Lord Brahma to be on an equal level with
the holy name of Lord Visnu.
3)
To disobey the orders of the spiritual master or to consider him an ordinary
person.
4)
To blaspheme the Vedic literatures or literatures in pursuance of the Vedic
version.
5)
To give some interpretation on the holy name of the Lord.
6)
To consider the glories of the holy name of the Lord as imagination.
7)
To think that the Hare Krsna mantra can counteract all sinful reactions and one
may therefore go on with his sinful activities and at the same time chant the
Hare Krsna mantra to neutralize them is the greatest offense at the lotus feet
of Hari-nama.
8)
To consider the chanting of the Hare Krsna maha-mantra
to be one of the auspicious ritualistic mantras mentioned in the Vedas as fruitive activity.
9)
It is an offense to preach the glories of the holy name of the Lord to the
faithless.
10)
If one has heard the glories of the transcendental holy name of the Lord but
nevertheless continues in a materialistic concept of life, thinking “I am this
body and everything belonging to this body is mine [aham
mameti],” and does not show respect and love for the
chanting of the Hare Krsna maha-mantra, that is an
offense.
-
It is also an offense to be inattentive while chanting.
Here
is a poem written in relation to the ten offenses.
“Hare
Krsna Mahamantra Of All
Mantras Best”
UPDATED: April 1, 2009