Nāma-tattva continued...the ten offences

Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Saraswati Ṭhakura

শ্রী গৌड़िয-কন্ঠহার

Gaudiya Kanṭhahāra:

The Jeweled Necklace of the Gaudiya Vaishnavas

17th Jewel

NĀMA-TATTVA

The Ontology of  the Holy Name

Being a compendium of quotations from revealed scriptures

concerning the truths about the cult of Chaitanya Mahāprabhu

Compiled under the authority and direction of

His Divine Grace

Bhaktisiddhānta Sāraswāti Goswāmī

Prabhupada

Translated and edited, with original Sanskrit and Bengali and Roman transliteration by

B. V. Mahāyogi, Michael Dolan

The Ten Offences to the Holy Name

१७.६९-७५

सतां निन्दा नाम्नः परमम् अपराधम् वितनुते

यतः ख्यातिं कथमु सहते तद्-विगरहाम् शिवस्य श्री विष्णोर्य इह गुण-नामादि सकलं धिया भिन्नं पश्येत् स खलु हरिनामा- हितकरः गुरोरवज्ञा श्रुति-शास्त्र-निन्दनं तथार्थवादो हरि-नाम्नि कल्पनम्

नाम्नो बलाद् यस्य हि पाप-बुद्धिर् न विद्यते तस्य यमैर् हि शुद्धिः

धर्म-व्रत-त्यागहुतादि-सर्व-शुभ-क्रिया- साम्यमपि प्रमादः

अश्रद्ध-धानो विमुखोऽप्य्-शृण्वति यश् चोपदेशः शिवनामापराधः

श्रुत्वापि नाम-महात्म्यं यः प्रीतिरहितो ऽधमः अहं ममादिपरमो नाम्नि सोऽप्य् अपराध-कृत् जाते नामापराधे तु प्रमादे तु कथञ्चन सदा सङ्कीर्तयन्-नाम तद् एक शरणो भवेत् नामापराध-युक्तानां नामान्येव हरह्- त्यघम्

अवश्रान्ति-प्रयुक्तानि तान्य् एवार्थ कराणि यत्

17.69-75

satāṁ nindā nāmnaḥ paramam aparādham vitanute

yataḥ khyātiṁ kathamu sahate tad-vigarahām śivasya śrī viṣṇorya iha guṇa-nāmādi sakalaṁ dhiyā bhinnaṁ paśyet sa khalu harināmā- hitakaraḥ guroravajñā śruti-śāstra-nindanaṁ tathārthavādo hari-nāmni kalpanam

nāmno balād yasya hi pāpa-buddhir na vidyate tasya yamair hi śuddhiḥ

dharma-vrata-tyāgahutādi-sarva-śubha-kriyā- sāmyamapi pramādaḥ

aśraddha-dhāno vimukho'py-śṛṇvati yaś copadeśaḥ śivanāmāparādhaḥ

śrutvāpi nāma-mahātmyaṁ yaḥ prītirahito 'dhamaḥ ahaṁ mamādiparamo nāmni so'py aparādha-kṛt jāte nāmāparādhe tu pramāde tu kathañcana sadā saṅkīrtayan-nāma tad eka śaraṇo bhavet nāmāparādha-yuktānāṁ nāmānyeva harah- tyagham

avaśrānti-prayuktāni tāny evārtha karāṇi yat 

The ten offences to the holy name are as follows:

(1) To blaspheme the devotees who have dedicated their lives for propagating

the holy name of the Lord.

(2) To consider the names of demigods like Lord Śiva or Lord Brahmā to be equal to, or independent of, the name of Lord

Kṛṣṇa.

(3) To disobey the orders of the spiritual master. 

(4) To blaspheme the Vedic literature or literature in pursuance of the Vedic

version.

(5) To consider the glories of chanting Hare

Kṛṣṇa as an exaggeration.

(6) To concoct interpretations of the holy name of the Lord.

(7) To commit sinful activities on the strength of chanting the holy name of the

Lord.

(8) To consider the chanting of Hare Kṛṣṇa to be on the same level as the

ritualistic karmic activities mentioned in the

Vedas.

(9) To instruct the faithless in the glories of the holy name.

(10) To not have complete faith in the chanting of the holy names and thus

maintain material attachments. Even if in the beginning one chants the Hare

Kṛṣṇa mantra with offenses, one will become free from such offenses by

chanting again and again [and faithfully serving the pure devotee]. 

(Parma Purāṇa, Brahma-Khaṇḍa, 25.15-18, 22-23)