Adi-lila, Chapter 8 169
devoid of all sense of false prestige, and should be ready to offer all respect to others.
In such a state of mind one can chant the holy name of the Lord constantly.”
(Siksastaka, 3) One who follows this direction, being freed from the ten kinds of
offenses, becomes successful in Krsna consciousness and ultimately reaches the
platform of loving service to the Personality of Godhead.

One must come to the understanding that the holy name of the Lord and the
Supreme Personality of Godhead Himself are identical. One cannot reach this
conclusion unless one is offenseless in chanting the holy name. By our material
calculation we see a difference between the name and the substance, but in the
spiritual world the Absolute is always absolute; the name, form, quality and
pastimes of the Absolute are all as good as the Absolute Himself. As such, one is
understood to be an eternal servant of the Supreme Personality of Godhead if he
considers himself an eternal servant of the holy name and in this spirit distributes
the holy name to the world. One who chants in that spirit, without offenses, is
certainly elevated to the platform of understanding that the holy name and the
Personality of Godhead are identical. To associate with the holy name and chant
the holy name is to associate with the Personality of Godhead directly. In Bhakti-
rasamrta-sindhu it is clearly said: sevonmukhe hi jihvadau svayam eva sphuraty adah.
The holy name becomes manifest when one engages in the service of the holy
name. This service in a submissive attitude begins with one’s tongue. Sevonmukhe
hi jihvadau: One must engage his tongue in the service of the holy name. Our Krsna
consciousness movement is based on this principle. We try to engage all the mem-
bers of the Krsna consciousness movement in the service of the holy name. Since
the holy name and Krsna are nondifferent, the members of the Krsna consciousness
movement not only chant the holy name of the Lord offenselessly, but also do not
allow their tongues to eat anything which is not first offered to the Supreme
Personality of Godhead. The Supreme Lord declares:

patram puspam phalam toyam
yo me bhaktya prayacchati
tad aharn bhakty-upahrtam
asnami prayatatmanah
“If one offers Me with love and devotion a leaf, a flower, a fruit or water, | will
accept it.” (Bg. 9.26) Therefore the International Society for Krishna Consciousness
has many temples all over the world, and in each and every temple the Lord is offered
these foodstuffs. On the basis of His demands, the devotees chant the holy name of
the Lord offenselessly and never eat anything that is not first offered to the Lord.
The functions of the tongue in devotional service are to chant the Hare Krsna maho-
mantra and eat prasada that is offered to the Lord.
TEXT 17
BAT: FIs! yey fetatfnysys: |
CHAS AlMATVeae ashe: WAS! I 94 1
