देवद्रोहाद्गुरुद्रोहः कोटिकोटिगुणाधिकः ।
ज्ञानापवादो नास्तिक्यं तस्माद्कोटिगुणाधिकम् ॥
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].”
Commentary
jñānaṁ śāstraṁ tasya apavādaḥ khaṇḍanaṁ nindā vā |
(Dig-darśinī-ṭīkā on Hari-bhakti-vilāsa)
“‘Knowledge’ (jñāna) means śāstra, and ‘denial’ (apavāda) means contradiction or defamation of it.”
In other words, contradiction, defamation, or disbelief of śāstra is ten millions times worse than offense to guru.