na yasya cittaṁ bahir-artha-vibhramaṁ
tamo-guhāyāṁ ca viśuddham āviśat |
yad-bhakti-yogānugṛhītam añjasā
munir vicaṣṭe nanu tatra te gatim ||
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam: 4.24.59; cited in Prīti Sandarbha: 7)
“A sage whose heart, pure by virtue of being favored by bhakti-yoga, is not agitated by external objects and does not enter the cave of darkness, rightly and certainly sees your state therein.”
tad evaṁ kalau nāma-kīrtana-pracāra-prabhāveṇaiva parama-bhagavat-parāyaṇatva-siddhir darśitā | tatra pāṣaṇḍa-praveśena nāmāparādhino ye, teṣāṁ tu tad-bahirmukhatvam eva syād … |
(Bhakti Sandarbha: 274)
“Thus, in this way, in [the Age of] Kali, attainment of superlative devotedness to Bhagavān solely by the influence of engagement in nāma-kīrtana has been shown. Only obliviousness (bahirmukhatva) of him [however] shall ensue for those who are offenders of the name because of an ingress of heresy therein [i.e., those who commit offense to the name because of fostering a heretical mentality contrary to Bhagavad-bhakti will only remain oblivious of Bhagavān even if they engage in nāma-kīrtana, or other practices of bhakti, as a result of their offenses].”
garhito karaye yadi mahā-adhikārī |
nindāra ki dāya, tā̐re hāsilei mari ||
(Caitanya-bhāgavata: 3.6.35)
“[Śrīman Mahāprabhu:] If a highly qualified person does something forbidden, [then] what [to speak] of the lot of a defamer—if one even laughs at him one is ruined.”
aninduka ha-i ye sakṛt ‘kṛṣṇa’ bale |
satya satya kṛṣṇa tāre uddhāriba hele ||
(Caitanya-bhāgavata: 2.9.246)
“Truly truly Kṛṣṇa will deliver with ease anyone who, being a non-defamer, once chants, ‘Kṛṣṇa.’”
ābrahma-stambādi saba kṛṣṇera vaibhava |
‘nindā-mātra kṛṣṇa ruṣṭa’ kahe śāstra saba ||
anindaka ha-i ye sakṛt kṛṣṇa bale |
satya satya kṛṣṇa tāre uddhāriba hele ||
(Caitanya-bhāgavata: 2.20.147–148)
“From Brahmā to a clump of grass and so forth—everything is a manifestation of Kṛṣṇa. [Therefore,] All the śāstras say, ‘Kṛṣṇa becomes angry at any defamation at all.’ Truly, truly, Kṛṣṇa will easily deliver anyone who, being non-defaming, once chants, ‘Kṛṣṇa.’”
nāmāparādha-yuktānāṁ nāmāny eva haranty agham |
aviśrānti-prayuktāni tāny evārthakarāṇi ca ||
(Padma Purāṇa: 3.48.23 or 4.25.23; cited in Hari-bhakti-vilāsa: 11.526; Bhakti Sandarbha: 265)
“The names [of Hari] certainly destroy the sins of those who have committed offense to the name; uttered incessantly, they are certainly effective.”
nāmaikaṁ yasya vāci smaraṇa-patha-gataṁ śrotra-mūlaṁ gataṁ vā
śuddhaṁ vāśuddha-varṇaṁ vyavahita-rahitaṁ tārayaty eva satyam |
tac ced deha-draviṇa-janatā-lobha-pāṣaṇḍa-madhye
nikṣiptaṁ syān na phala-janakaṁ śīghram evātra vipra ||
(Padma Purāṇa: 3.48.24 or 4.25.24; cited in Hari-bhakti-vilāsa: 11.527; Bhakti Sandarbha: 153, 265; Caitanya-caritāmṛta: 3.3.60)
“Be it with proper or improper [pronunciation of] syllables, one name [of Bhagavān] without separation [alt., or even with separation of its syllables] which has entered one’s speech, path of remembrance, or the base of the ears certainly delivers [a living being]. This is certainly true. If that [i.e., the name of Bhagavān] should be cast down among those who are heretical out of greed related to the body, wealth, or people, [however,] O brāhmaṇa, it certainly does not become fruitful quickly here.”
deva-drohād guru-drohaḥ koṭi-koṭi-guṇādhikaḥ |
jñānāpavādo nāstikyaṁ tasmād koṭi-guṇādhikam ||
(Kūrma Purāṇa; cited in Hari-bhakti-vilāsa: 11.751; Bhakti Sandarbha: 265)
“Offence to guru is tens of millions of times worse than offence to the Deity. But denial of knowledge and disbelief are ten millions times worse than that [i.e., than offence to guru].”
atha nāmāparādhā daśa, yathā—vaiṣṇava-nindādi-vaiṣnavāparādhaḥ; viṣṇu-śivayoḥ pṛthag-īśvara-buddhiḥ; śrī-gurudeve manuṣya-buddhiḥ; veda-purāṇādi-śāstra-nindā; nāmni arthavādaḥ; nāmni kuvyākhyā vā kaṣṭa-kalpanā; nāma-balena pāpe pravṛttiḥ; anya-śubha-karmabhir nāma-sāmya-mananam; aśraddha-jane nāmopadeśaḥ, nāma-māhātmye śrute’py aprītiḥ—iti daśadhā |
(Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu-bindu: 7)
The ten offenses to the name are as follows:
(1) Offending a Vaiṣṇava, that is, defaming a Vaiṣṇava and so forth;
(2) Considering Viṣṇu and Śiva to be separate Īśvaras [i.e., considering Śiva or any other devatā to be an Īśvara independent of Bhagavān Viṣṇu;
(3) Considering śrī gurudev a human being [i.e., not a manifestation of Bhagavān];
(4) Defaming the Vedas, Purāṇas, and other śāstras;
(5) Adulation in regard to the name;
(6) Misinterpretation or far-fetched imagination in regard to the name;
(7) Engaging in sin on the strength of the name [i.e., attempting to make use of the name as a means to purify oneself of intentionally committed sins];
(8) Considering [chanting] the name equal to other pious karmas;
(9) Instructing faithless persons about the name; and
(10) Lacking affinity for the name even after hearing of the name’s greatness.
aparādhotthā ity atra nāmāparādhā eva gṛhyante |
(Mādhurya-kādambinī: 3.1)
“Anarthas arising from offences are accepted to mean the [ten] offences to the name.”
