There are people whose minds are unsteady, who have not controlled the senses and whose hearts are filled with desire for sense objects. At the same time, they are desirous of worshipping the Supreme Lord. What are such people to do?

Many such people approach me with the complaint that although they have performed much harinama, they are still unable to develop affection, attachment or love for Sri Bhagavan, and neither has their taste for the Holy Names increased. I would like to tell such people that simply uttering the words Rama or Govinda is not equivalent to the Name of the Supreme Lord. With our mouths we chant the Holy Names, but within our minds, we harbour a desire to acquire all the sense objects of the material world. Even after chanting like this for millions of births, one will be unable to attain Sri Bhagavan or develop love for Him. However, one can acquire pious merit or some non-eternal benefits of this world. In the Padma Purana, Jagad-guru Srila Vedavyasa has described in great detail the offences that can be committed while chanting the Holy Name of the Lord. The chanting that is performed without offence is known as the Pure Name. Even a single utterance of the Pure Name can bring about transformations of Divine Love in the living entity.

There are ten offences to the Holy Name. Every devotee must be careful to avoid these ten offences. Those who complain that they are unable to progress even though they are chanting the Holy Names are often not aware of the ten offences, which are as follows:

satam ninda namnah paramam aparadham vitanute
yatah khyatim yatam katham u sahate tad-vigarham

(1) To blaspheme the devotees: This is one of the greatest dangers in the realm of devotion. Denigrating someone before others or creating a wrong impression about them is known as ninda, or offence. Suppose someone named Rama has stolen a banana and eaten it. Later on, if somebody asks about that missing banana, we would answer that Rama has eaten the banana. This answer is correct, but if I reply in such a manner that someone forms the wrong impression about Rama, then that would be termed as an offence. This is a sin.

If one blasphemes those devotees who have great affection for Sri Bhagavan, who are engaged in propagating the Holy Names and glories of the Lord, then this is a grave offence to the lotus feet of Sri Harinama Prabhu (the Holy Name Personified). For example, if somebody verbally abuses my son or wife, he will never get my mercy. Similarly, if one blasphemes those saintly devotees or Vaiṣnavas who are engaged in propagating the Holy Names and glories of Sri Bhagavan, one will never receive the grace of Sri Bhagavan even upon chanting His Name.

sivasya sri-viṣnor ya iha guna-namadi-sakalam
dhiya bhinnam pasyet sa khalu hari-namahita-karah

(2) To distinguish between the all-auspicious Lord Viṣnu and His Name, Form, etc.: In this material world, an object and its name are not equivalent to each other. If we then conclude that the Name or Form of the Supreme Lord is different from the Lord Himself, then we commit an offence to the Lotus Feet of Harinama Prabhu. Those devotees who cannot understand with their intelligence that the transcendental Name, Form, Attributes, Pastimes, etc., of the Supreme Lord are non-different from the Lord Himself, and who thus distinguish between Sri Bhagavan and His Name, Form, etc., are hindered in their devotional progress.

Apart from this, it is also an offence to consider demigods such as Lord Siva to be independent of, or separate from, Lord Hari. In some places in the scriptures, Lord Siva is mentioned as being non-different from Lord Viṣnu. However, we must understand the deeper meaning of this. In reality, Lord Siva is very dear to Lord Viṣnu and is therefore described as being non-different from Viṣnu. Similarly, in a few places the spiritual master and Sri Bhagavan are described as being one. Again, the meaning of this scriptural statement is that the spiritual master is very dear to Sri Bhagavan. This is the reason why we do not offer tulasi leaves to the lotus feet of Lord Siva or the spiritual master. It would be a grave offence to do so. However, we do offer tulasi leaves to the Lotus Feet of Bhagavan Viṣnu.

Nowadays some so-called spiritual masters arrange for themselves to be worshipped by their disciples and even have tulasi leaves offered at their feet. Such so-called spiritual masters are the greatest offenders. By engaging in these acts, their unfortunate disciples are also creating a place for themselves in hell. It is my humble prayer to the disciples of such bogus spiritual masters that they study the holy scriptures. If one has never read the scriptures, then one must inquire into this matter from someone well-versed in the scriptures. In conclusion, the second offence to the Holy Name is to think that the Holy Name of the Supreme Lord is different from the Lord Himself, and that demigods such as Lord Siva are independent of the Supreme Lord.

guror avajña

(3) To disobey the spiritual master: It is an offence to disobey the initiating or instructing spiritual masters, or to consider them to be ordinary human beings. “I am a human being. My spiritual master is also a human being—he is just more intelligent than me.” Such a belief is an offence at the feet of the spiritual master. The reality is that the spiritual master is that form of the Supreme Lord in which the Lord manifests Himself before us and instructs us how to serve Him. The spiritual master accepts the purport of all the scriptures, acts accordingly and teaches others to do the same. One should think, “Kṛṣna is bestowing His mercy upon me in the form of my spiritual master.” On giving the matter due consideration, we will come to understand that the original spiritual master is Srimati Radhika. When Lord Kṛṣna was present on the earth, only the devotees were able to recognise Him. Others, out of their foolishness, took Him to be an ordinary human being.

avajananti mam mūdha
manuṣim tanum asritam
param bhavam ajananto
mama bhūta-mahesvaram
(Bhagavad-gita 9.11)

Foolish people do not understand the Form of the Supreme Lord characterised by All-Existence, All-Knowledge and All-Bliss, or the infinite transcendental qualities of Sri Kṛṣna. Therefore, the spiritual master is not an ordinary human being. He is the grace incarnate form of the Supreme Lord and is a manifestation non-different from the Lord. Considering the spiritual master to be an ordinary human being and disobeying him is the third offence to the Holy Name.

sruti-sastra-nindanam

(4) To blaspheme the holy scriptures: If we blaspheme the scriptures such as the Vedas that reveal the greatness of the Holy Name, then we will not receive the grace of Harinama Prabhu. If one chants the Holy Names but disobeys or blasphemes the scriptures, then one will never be able to achieve the mercy of the Holy Name.

tathartha-vadah

(5) To consider the glories of the Holy Name to be an exaggeration: Arthavada means to glorify in excess of what is actually true, or to exaggerate the importance of a thing. In one place in the Bṛhad-viṣnu Purana, it is said:

namno hi yavati saktih
papa-nirharane hareh
tavat kartum na saknoti
patakam pataki narah

“Lord Hari’s Name is invested with infinite potency to relieve us of our sins. What to speak of ordinary human beings, even the most sinful person is incapable of committing more sins than the Holy Name can eradicate.” Upon reading or hearing this statement, if one thinks that the scriptures glorify the Holy Name only to increase our faith, and that the Holy Name is not really that potent, then one commits an offence to the Holy Name.

hari-namni kalpanam

(6) To consider the Holy Name to be imaginary: Some people consider the Holy Name to be imaginary. They think that the Supreme Lord has no form or attributes. They say, “One may chant ‘dog,’ ‘cat,’ ‘stone,’ or ‘Hari’—they are all meant to focus the mind.” The Holy Name uttered with such a mentality is not the Pure Name but an offence to the Holy Name. Apart from this, if one has no faith in the greatness of the Holy Name but still chants, then this is not the Pure Name but an offence to the Holy Name.

namno balad yasya hi papa-buddhir
na vidyate tasya yamair hi suddhih

(7) To commit sin on the strength of the Holy Name: Even a single utterance of the Holy Name can wash away all of one’s sins. If one then thinks that one will commit sins all day long and chant the Holy Name only once at night, by which all of one’s sins will be washed away, then such chanting is also an offence to the Holy Name. It is also an offence to chant the Holy Name for the fulfilment of our material desires—this is not devotion. For example, if a young boy joins his hands together and humbly requests his father, “Dear father, please bring a bucket of water and wash my feet,” then this is not devotion to the father. Similarly, the Holy Name uttered for the fulfilment of one’s material desires is certainly not one of the limbs of devotional service, but rather, an offence. Therefore, one must chant the Holy Name of Sri Bhagavan not to fulfil one’s desires but for the sole pleasure of Bhagavan.

dharma-vrata-tyaga-hutadi-sarva-
subha-kriya-samyam api pramadah

(8) To equate the Holy Names with auspicious ritualistic activities: If one thinks that chanting the Holy Name, performing a fire sacrifice, observing a vow, etc., are all the same, then one commits an offence to the Holy Name. The Holy Name of Sri Bhagavan is directly Bhagavan Himself. What to speak of anything greater than Him, there is nothing even equal to Sri Bhagavan and His Name.

Pramada means to chant the Holy Name while thinking of something else. In other words, the hand is fingering the beads, the mouth is chanting the Holy Names, but the mind is thinking of material subjects—this is known as inattentive chanting. Such chanting can lead to pious merit but not devotion. Neither will it help us in achieving the grace of Sri Bhagavan.

asraddadhane vimukhe ’py asṛnvati
yas copadesah siva-namaparadhah

(9) To instruct a faithless person about the Holy Name: Among all the instructions in the Vedas, the instructions pertaining to the Holy Name are foremost. However, only those who have faith in Sri Bhagavan are eligible to understand such instructions. If one instructs those who do not have undivided faith in Sri Bhagavan, who do not have any interest in serving Him or hearing about Him, then one commits an offence to the Holy Name. That is why pure devotees (uttama-bhaktas) first generate faith for the Holy Name in the hearts of such people and then instruct them in the Holy Name. Intermediate devotees (madhyama-bhaktas) should ignore those who are envious of Sri Bhagavan and the Vaiṣnavas.

srute ’pi nama-mahatmye yah priti-rahito narah
aham-mamadi-paramo namni so ’py aparadha-kṛt

(10) To have no appreciation for chanting the Holy Name: If, in spite of hearing about the wonderful glories of the Holy Name, one maintains one’s conception of “I” and “mine” in this body of blood, flesh and skin, and in material sense objects, showing no interest or persistence in chanting the Holy Name, then one is also an offender to the Holy Name.

In this way, only those who chant the Holy Name avoiding these ten offences are able to attain the fifth goal of life—pure love for Kṛṣna. The Lord of our lives, Sri Gauraṅga Mahaprabhu, appeared on this earth to spread this Pure Name of Kṛṣna. He taught that there is no other method for the ultimate benefit of the living entity than chanting the Holy Name of Kṛṣna. By performing pranayama and other yogic processes one can temporarily suppress one’s desires but there is very little chance of getting permanent benefit. Following yogic processes may even cause a hindrance in the practise of developing pure love of Godhead. Therefore, if those whose minds are unsteady, who have not controlled the senses and whose hearts are filled with desire for sense objects, hear about the scriptures from the mouths of pure devotees and chant the Holy Name without duplicity, then they will gradually be able to taste the nectar of the Sri Bhagavan’s Name. By this, they will become indifferent to the non-eternal sense objects, and their unsteadiness of mind and desire for sense enjoyment will cease.