178 Sr7-Caitanya-caritamrta

PURPORT

It is very beneficial to chant the names Sri-krsna-caitanya prabhu nityananda
before chanting the Hare Krsna maha-mantra because by chanting these two holy
names Sri-krsna-caitanya prabhu nityananda one immediately becomes ecstatic, and
if he then chants the Hare Krsna maha-mantra he becomes free of offenses.

There are ten offenses to avoid in. chanting the Hare Krsna maha-mantra. The
first offense is to blaspheme great personalities who are engaged in distributing the
holy name of the Lord. It is said in the sastra (Cc. Antya. 7.11), krsna-sakti vind
nahe tara pravartana: one cannot distribute the holy names of the Hare Krsna
maha-mantra unless he is empowered by the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
Therefore one should not criticize or blaspheme a devotee who is thus engaged.

Sri Padma Purana states:

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

To blaspheme the great saintly persons who are engaged in preaching the glories of
the Hare Krsna maha-mantra is the worst offense at the lotus feet of the holy
name. One should not criticize a preacher of the glories of the Hare Krsna maha-
mantra. \f one does so, he is an offender. The Nama-prabhu, who is identical with
Krsna, will never tolerate such blasphemous activities, even from one who passes as
a great devotee.

The second namaparadha is described as follows:

Sivasya sri-visnor ya iha guna-namadi-sakalarm
dhiya bhinnam pasyet sa khalu hari-namahita-karah

In this material world, the holy name of Visnu is all-auspicious. Visnu’s name, form,
qualities and pastimes are all transcendental absolute knowledge. Therefore, if one
tries to separate the Absolute Personality of Godhead from His holy name or His
transcendental form, qualities and pastimes, thinking them to be material, that is
offensive. Similarly, to think the names of demigods such as Lord Siva to be as good
as the name of Lord Visnu—or, in other words, to think Lord Siva and the other
demigods to be other forms of God and therefore equal to Visnu—is also blasphe-
mous. This is the second offense at the lotus feet of the Lord.

The third offense at the lotus feet of the holy name, which is called guror avajna,
is to consider the spiritual master to be material and therefore envy his exalted
position. The fourth offense (sruti-Sastra-nindanam) is to blaspheme Vedic litera-
tures such as the four Vedas and the Puranas. The fifth offense (tathartha-vadah) is
to consider the glories of the holy name to be exaggerations. Similarly, the sixth
offense (hari-namni kalpanam) is to consider the holy name of the Lord to be
imaginary.

The seventh offense is described as follows:

namno balad yasya hi papa-buddhir
na vidyate tasya yamair hi §uddhih
