TEXT 336
nama-mahima, namaparadha dure varjana
vaisnava-laksana, sevaparadha-khandana
SYNONYMS
nama-mahimathe glories of the holy name; nama-aparadhaoffenses in chanting the holy name; dure varjanagiving up very carefully; vaisnava-laksanathe symptoms of a Vaisnava; seva-aparadha-khandanarejecting offenses in worshiping the Deity.
TRANSLATION
"You should glorify the holy name and carefully give up offenses when chanting the holy name. One should know the symptoms of a Vaisnava. One must give up or nullify all kinds of seva-aparadha, offenses in Deity worship.
PURPORT
The devotee should always be very careful not to commit the ten offenses when chanting the Hare Krsna mantra. If a devotee very strictly follows the methods of Deity worship, he will naturally and quickly become a pure Vaisnava. A pure Vaisnava has unflinching faith in the Lord, and he does not deviate at all. He is always engaged in perfect Deity worship.
One should also notice the specific offenses against Deity worship. These are mentioned in the Skanda Purana (Avanti-khanda), spoken by Vyasadeva himself. One should liquidate all kinds of offenses.
The salagrama-sila should be worshiped with tulasi where a sufficient quantity of tulasi leaves are available. Worship of salagrama-sila should be introduced in all ISKCON temples. Salagrama-sila is the form of the Lord's mercy. To worship the Deity with the sixty-four items mentioned may be a difficult job, but the Lord has become so small that anyone in any temple can carefully handle Deity worship simply by performing the same activities with salagrama-sila.
There are thirty-two offenses that should be avoided. (1) One should not enter the temple in a vehicle. Shoes and slippers should be removed before entering the temple. (2) One should offer obeisances as soon as he sees the Deity. (3) One should enter the temple after taking a bath. In other words, one should be very clean. (4) One should not offer obeisances to the Lord with one hand. (5) One should not circumambulate demigods before the Deities. (6) One should not spread out his legs before the Deity. (7) One should not sit down before the Deity with his legs crossed, nor should one touch his legs with his hands. (8) One should not lie down before the Deity. (9) One should not eat before the Deity. (10) One should not speak lies before the Deity. (11) One should not speak very loudly before the Deity. (12) One should not talk nonsense before the Deity. (13) One should not cry before the Deity. (14) One should not deal with others before the Deity. (15) One should not utter harsh words before the Deity. (16) One should not cover himself with a blanket. (17) One should not talk enviously of others before the Deity. (18) One should not praise others before the Deity. (19) One should not use slang before the Deity. (20) One should not pass air before the Deity. (21) One should not neglect the sixty-four items of Deity worship. (22) One should not eat anything not offered to the Deity. (23) One should not neglect offering seasonal fruits as soon as they are available. (24) One should always offer fresh, untouched fruit to the Deity. (25) One should not sit with his back toward the Deity. (26) One should not offer obeisances to others before the Deity. (27) One should not sit near the Deity without taking the spiritual master's permission. (28) One should not be proud to hear himself praised before the Deity. (29) One should not blaspheme the demigods. (30) One should not be unkind to others before the Deities. (31) One should observe all festivals in the temple. (32) One should not fight or quarrel before the Deity.
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