View source for Ten offenses to avoid while chanting the maha-mantra

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[[Category:Ten]]
[[Category:Avoiding Offenses Against the Holy Names of God]]
[[Category:While (Period of Time)]]
[[Category:Chanting about God]]
[[Category:Maha-mantra]]
[[Category:Our Initiations (Disciples of SP)]]
[[Category:Prabhupada Speaks - Lectures, 1966 - 1977]]
[[Category:Prabhupada Speaks - Lectures, 1968]] 
[[Category:Prabhupada Speaks - Lectures, Initiations]]
[[Category:Prabhupada Speaks - in USA, Seattle]]
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<div id="Lectures" class="section" sec_index="4" parent="compilation" text="Lectures"><h2>Lectures</h2>
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<div id="Initiation_Lectures" class="sub_section" sec_index="8" parent="Lectures" text="Initiation Lectures"><h3>Initiation Lectures</h3>
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<div id="LectureInitiationSeattleOctober201968_0" class="quote" parent="Initiation_Lectures" book="Lec" index="10" link="Lecture &amp; Initiation -- Seattle, October 20, 1968" link_text="Lecture &amp; Initiation -- Seattle, October 20, 1968">
<div class="heading">The ten offenses to avoid while chanting the mahā-mantra.
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<mp3player>https://s3.amazonaws.com/vanipedia/clip/681020IN.SEA_clip10.mp3</mp3player>
<span class="link">[[Vanisource:Lecture &amp; Initiation -- Seattle, October 20, 1968|Lecture &amp; Initiation -- Seattle, October 20, 1968]]: </span><div class="text"><p style="display: inline;">Madhudviṣa: Śrīla Prabhupāda? Should I read the ten offenses?</p>
<p>Prabhupāda: Yes.</p>
<p>Madhudviṣa: We have them here.</p>
<p>Prabhupāda: Just see. Go on reading. Yes, you read.</p>
<p>Madhudviṣa: "The ten offenses to avoid while chanting the mahā-mantra. Number one: Blaspheming the Lord's devotee."</p>
<p>Prabhupāda: Now just try to understand. Any devotee of Lord should not be blasphemed. It doesn't matter in any country. Just like Lord Jesus Christ, he is a great devotee. And even Muhammad, he's also a devotee. It is not that because we are devotee and they are not devotee. Don't think like that. Anyone who is preaching the glories of God, he is a devotee. He should not be blasphemed. You should be careful. Then?</p>
<p>Madhudviṣa: "Number two: Considering the Lord and other demigods on the same level or assuming there are many Gods."</p>
<p>Prabhupāda: Yes. Just like there are many nonsense, they say that demigods... Of course, you have no affairs with demigods. Vedic religion there are hundreds and thousands of demigods. Especially it is going on that either you worship Kṛṣṇa or Lord Śiva or Kali, the same thing. This is nonsense. You should not, I mean to, place on the same level with the Supreme Lord. Nobody is greater than Lord. Nobody is equal than the Lord. So this equality should be avoided. Then?</p>
<p>Madhudviṣa: "Number three: Neglecting the orders of the spiritual master."</p>
<p>Prabhupāda: Yes. Spiritual master's order should be as your life and soul. Then everything will be clear. Then?</p>
<p>Madhudviṣa: "Number four: Minimizing the authority of the Vedas."</p>
<p>Prabhupāda: Yes. Nobody should minimize the authorized scripture. This is also offense. Then?</p>
<p>Madhudviṣa: "Number five: Interpreting the holy names of God."</p>
<p>Prabhupāda: Yes. Now just like we are chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa, just like the other day some boy was: "a symbolic." It is not symbolic. Kṛṣṇa... We are chanting "Kṛṣṇa," addressing Kṛṣṇa. Hare means addressing Kṛṣṇa's energy, and we are praying that "Please engage me in Your service." That is Hare Kṛṣṇa. There is no other interpretation. Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare/ Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare. The only prayer is, "O the energy of Lord, O Lord Kṛṣṇa, Lord Rāma, please engage me in Your service." That's all. There is no other second interpretation. Then?</p>
Madhudviṣa: "Number six: Committing sin on the strength of chanting."
<p>Prabhupāda: Yes. Now this initiation, from this day your account, past life, all sinful activities, is now what is called, adjusted. Closed. It is finished. Now because by chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa you can finish your sinful activities' reaction, that does not mean that you will repeat: "Oh, I shall commit sinful activities and I shall chant. It will be adjusted. The balance will be nil." No. Not like that. Don't commit that. Whatever is done is done. No more. Now there should be pure life. No illicit sex life, no intoxication, no gambling, and no meat-eating. Finished now. It is not that "Oh, I am chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa. Let me go to the hotel and take some meat." No. Then it will be a great sin. Don't do that. Then the chanting of Hare Kṛṣṇa will not fructify if you commit offense. Next?</p>
<p>Madhudviṣa: "Number seven: Instructing the Lord's name to the unfaithful."
<p>Prabhupāda: Yes. Unfaithful, those who have no faith, that Lord and His name are absolute. Just like here in this material world, the name and the person is different. Suppose your name is Mr. John. So if I chant "John, John, John," so John may be a hundred miles away. There is no response. But the name, holy name of God, God is present everywhere. Just like the television. Television is being, I mean to say, released in some place. If you have got the machine, immediately the picture is in your room. If it is, materially, it can be so possible, how much possibility there is in spiritual Kṛṣṇa name? Immediately you chant Kṛṣṇa's name, that means Kṛṣṇa is immediately on your tongue. So what is that?</p>
<p>Madhudviṣa: Seven? "Instructing the holy name to the unfaithful."</p>
<p>Prabhupāda: So, one who has no faith that the name of the Lord and the Lord Himself the same, there is no difference, one should not be instructed about the glories of the Lord. He should be instructed to understand, but if he's unable to understand, then he should not be initiated. He should require some time to understand. But you should always remember that nāma cintāmaṇiḥ kṛṣṇaś caitanya-rasa-vigrahaḥ: ([[Vanisource:CC Madhya 17.133|CC Madhya 17.133]]) Kṛṣṇa and Kṛṣṇa's name nondifferent. As soon as you chant Hare Kṛṣṇa, that means Kṛṣṇa is dancing on your tongue. You should be careful in that way. Just like if Kṛṣṇa... As you offer so much respect to your spiritual master as soon as he's present, so if Kṛṣṇa is present on your tongue, how much careful you should be. So you should always know that Kṛṣṇa is there. Kṛṣṇa is always everywhere. God is everywhere, but we have no realization. But this particular chanting, as soon as chant holy name, that means you must know. So by associating with Kṛṣṇa you become purified. Śṛṇvatāṁ sva-kathāḥ. Just like associating with fire you become warm, similarly, associate with Kṛṣṇa means you become purified. Gradually you become spiritualized. No more material. Finished. This is the process. Then?</p>
<p>Madhudviṣa: "Number eight: Comparing the holy name to material piety."</p>
<p>Prabhupāda: Yes. Now this function is being done. It should not be taken that we are doing something, religious rituals. No. Religious ritual is different thing. This is... Although it appears like rituals, but it is transcendental. It is above all kinds of religion. It is postgraduate study. The process is how to develop love of Godhead. This is above all rel... Religion means, generally, some kind of faith. But it is not the question of faith. It is actually developing, how much you are loving Kṛṣṇa, or God. So it is above all religions. It is not ordinary religion. Religion means... Suppose you are Christian, I am Hindu. As soon as this body is finished, my Christianism or religion, everything is finished. But this love of God will not finish. It will go with you. Any birth you go, it will develop. If you can finish, then you go directly to Kṛṣṇa, back to Godhead, and finish your all material connection. Even if you are not able, then it goes with you. Asset. It is... The bank balance will not be diminished. It will increase. Then?</p>
<p>Madhudviṣa: "Number nine: Inattentive while chanting the holy name."</p>
<p>Prabhupāda: Yes. While you are chanting we should hear also. That is meditation. Hare Kṛṣṇa, these two words, Hare Kṛṣṇa, you'll hear also. If you hear, then your mind and your tongue both captivated. That is perfect. Therefore meditation, the first-class yoga, hearing and chanting. Then?</p>
<p>Madhudviṣa: Then finally number ten: "Attachment to material things while engaged in the practice of chanting."</p>
<p>Prabhupāda: Yes. The whole process is that we are going to transfer our love from matter to God. So we should try to minimize. It will be automatically. Bhaktiḥ pareśānubhavo viraktir anyatra syāt ([[Vanisource:SB 11.2.42|SB 11.2.42]]). If you actually develop love of Godhead, then naturally you forget to love all these material nonsense. That is sequence. But you should try also. You should... This will happen. Just like if we eat, then gradually you minimize your hankering after eating. When you are full, then you say, "I don't want any more. Yes, I am..." Similarly, Kṛṣṇa consciousness is so nice that with the progress of Kṛṣṇa consciousness you forget the so-called material nonsense enjoyment. And when you are in perfect stage, oh, you don't care for anything of this material nonsense. This is the test. You cannot say "I am progressing in meditation by my material attachment to all sense gratification" is the same. That is no progress. Progress means that you will minimize your material attachment for sense gratification. This is progress. Now you can chant... Ah, you have got... Chant Hare Kṛṣṇa.</p>
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