368
Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam
[Canto 5, Ch. 10]
TEXT 24
तन्मे भवान्त्रदेवाभिमान- मदेन तुञ्छीकृतसतमस्य । कृषीष्ट मैत्रीदृशमार्तबन्धो यथा तरे सदवन्यानमंहः ॥२४॥
tan me bhavān nara-devābhimāna- madena tucchīkṛta-sattamasya kṛṣīṣṭa maitrī-dṛśam ārta-bandho yathā tare sad-avadhyānam aṁhaḥ
tat —therefore;  me —unto me;  bhavān —your good self;  nara-deva-abhimāna-madena —by madness due to having the body of a king and thus being proud of it;  tucchīkṛta —who has insulted;  sat-tamasya —you who are the best among human beings;  kṛṣīṣṭa —kindly show;  maitrī-dṛśam —your causeless mercy upon me like a friend;  ārta-bandho —O friend of all distressed persons;  yathā —so;  tare —I can get relief from;  sat-avadhyānam —neglecting a great personality like you;  aṁhaḥ —the sin.
TRANSLATION
Whatever you have spoken appears to me to be contradictory. O best friend of the distressed, I have committed a great offense by insulting you. I was puffed up with false prestige due to possessing the body of a king. For this I have certainly become an offender. Therefore I pray that you kindly glance at me with your causeless mercy. If you do so, I can be relieved from sinful activities brought about by insulting you.
PURPORT
Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu has said that by offending a Vaiṣṇava, one finishes all his spiritual activities. Offending a Vaiṣṇava is considered the mad elephant offense. A mad elephant can destroy an entire garden which has been developed with great labor. One may attain the topmost platform of devotional service, but somehow or other if he offends a