Ten Offenses Lecture – February 22, 1970, Los Angeles

700222IN-Los Angeles [28:32 Minutes]

He is now faithful. He's faithfully discharging

Prabhupada:

[Chanting Hare Krsna]

[00:34]

So all of you begin chanting from this big bead. Don't touch this finger, like this:

Then you touch the next bead.

In this way come to this end. Don't cross the summit. Again begin from here… Here.

So again from this, this side, again from this. In this way 16 rounds, it requires practice otherwise 16 rounds means it takes only one hour two minutes. Eh.. 20 minutes. But in the beginning you cannot, so instead of five minutes for each round if you take 10 minutes, then 160 minutes. So a little more than two hours. You should develop, you're going to relieved from this material contamination so you can…, your life should be dedicated 24 hours, for Krsna consciousness. Those who are engaged in this temple activities, there may be some concession because their life is Krsna conscious. But those who are outside, they must regularly chant 16 rounds. Without fail. Those who are outside. So, and follow the restricted rules, and the 10 kinds of offences. Give me that paper.

The first offense is blaspheming the Lord's devotee. Anyone... It does not matter that your spiritual master is devotee and nobody is devotee. No. The devotee..., the life of devotee is already explained, that he is fixed up in God. He has no other business than to think of God, talk of God, preaching of God, he's a devotee.

It does not matter whether he is born this country or that country or that province or this province or this planet or that planet. Anyone whose life is simply absorbed in Krsna consciousness and thoughts of God, he's a devotee. So we should not blaspheme, that "Our process is better. Your process is…" That is due to ignorance. So this is offense: blaspheme the devotee.

And then considering the Lord and the demigods on the same level. Or assuming that there are many Gods. God is one. It is nonsense to think that there are many Gods. If there are many Gods, then there is no meaning of "God." ekam eva advitiyam. The Vedas say God is one, without any second, without any competitor. If God has competitor, then He's not God. The definition of God is that supreme.

So if there are many, then how God can be Supreme? God is great. "God is great" means nobody is greater than Him, nobody is equal to Him. Everybody is under Him. You may have very high qualifications, but you cannot be equal to God. God is one. Therefore the Mayavadis' philosophy that "You can accept, by imagination, any form of God and that is all right," no. You should have the actually the form of God.

Just like Krsna says, mam ekam. Ekam means only one, "Unto Me." Of course, there are many other forms of God, but in order to concentrate your mind perfectly, you should only think of Krsna. Mam ekam saranam vraja [Bg 18.66]. So we do not accept this nonsense philosophy that any name we chant, it becomes God. No. God's name. Of course, God's name may be sounding..., just like you say "water," I say jala.

But it means..., that object is the same. Similarly, if you have got actually any name for God, that's all right; otherwise take to Krsna. Krsna means "all-attractive," and God's name cannot be otherwise. If God is not all-attractive, then He's not God. If God is attractive for a certain type of man or certain class of men and not attractive for others, then He's not God.

So you see Krsna's activities, Krsna's bodily feature, Krsna's instruction, it is one, sublime. Sublime. Therefore He's God. And it is not our sentiment, but it is confirmed by the Vedic literature. Bhagavata says, krsnas tu bhagavan svayam [SB 1.3.28]

"Krsna is the Supreme Personality of Godhead." Brahma-samhita says, isvara parama-krsna [Bs 5.1]. There are many gods, demigods, but God is one. Arjuna says, paraḥ brahma, every living entity is Brahman, but He's paraḥ brahma, the Supreme Brahman. And Krsna says in the Bhagavad-gita, mattaḥ parataram nasti kincid asti dhananjaya [Bg 7.7]

"There is nothing more superior than Me." So these are..., we have to take evidences from the sastra, krsnas tu bhagavan svayam. So nobody should think that "If I chant the name of this demigod or that demigod, this is equal to chant the name of Hari or Krsna." No, that is an offense. This is third offense.

Then neglecting the orders of the spiritual master. The beginning of initiation is to voluntarily accept the spiritual master, to abide by his order. So, if you disobey his order, then it is offense. This is fourth offense.

Fifth offense: interpreting the holy name of God. Interpreting. Because we have got very fertile brains, we can interpret in so many ways. Maya gives us such knowledge, this way and that way, that way. No. Don't try to interpret. Therefore we are presenting Bhagavad-gita as it is. No interpretation. Krsna says that mam ekam saranam vraja [Bg 18.66].

Krsna says, "Just surrender unto Me," and we are teaching, "Just surrender to Krsna." Is there any difference? No difference. Therefore in speaking we are actually the representative of Krsna. Krsna says, "Surrender unto Me." And we, in the disciplic succession of this Krsna consciousness movement, we are also speaking, "Just surrender to Krsna."

We do not imitate, do not interpret, that "This 'Me' means me." The Mayavadi philosopher, they say, everyone can say, "Me" means "I", "unto me." But is that grammatically correct? Eh? If I say that "Please give me a glass of water," now if any one of you say that "This 'me' means me," so you take every one of us wants a glass of water, then this is nonsense interpretating [sic].

But the Mayavadi philosophers, because they are atheists, because they do not accept the existence of God, they interpret the sastras in different way so that... But that cannot stand. That may be very nice to some foolish men, but actually, if some…, they meet some intelligent man, then they are difficult... So this sort of interpretation is useless.

Committing sin on the strength of chanting. Now this is your beginning of life. This chanting means whatever you have done in your past life, sinful, that is now squared up. But you should not any more commit sin. The four pillars of sinful life is this, or this. What is that? That Illicit sex, that intoxication, meat-eating, and..., what is that? Gambling. These are the four pillars, just as your table stands on the four legs, or this house stands on four legs, four wheel, this car stands, similarly this sinful life personified stands on these four pillars. If you break these four pillars, then it has no standing.

Now, whatever has been done is done. That is not a disqualification. This Krsna consciousness movement does not say that first of all you..., just like other sastras say atonement, or you pay some fine for your sinful life or... No. Every conditioned soul is apt to commit some..., so many sins, knowingly or unknowingly, so whatever is done is done. Now from this day, no more sinful life. Don't think, "Oh, I am chanting Hare Krsna, so this is a counteracting method, so let me commit this sinful act, and it will become counteracted because I am chanting." Don't do that. We don't believe in that way. Not that is...

Just like somebody says that you commit sin, but you confess, and you're..., that's all right. By confessing, your sinful reaction is eradicated. But if you commit again, oh, that is foolishness. So this example I have given you several times: just like if you committed something wrong, you go to the court, criminal, and if you say, "My Lord, I did not know this, I mean to say, unlawful. So next time I shall be careful; I shall not do it," then it is excused. But if next time you go to the court and you'll say, "Please excuse," oh, that is..., there is no excuse.

So this confession, once is right, twice is right, thrice is right; fourth time, oh, you are severely punished. That is common sense. So you do not commit sin, because by mistake you might commit some sin, that maybe excused; but if you take it a business, that "Because I am chanting Hare Krsna mantra, therefore I can commit this sin, there is no reaction," no. That is offense. It is great offense.

Then, seventh offense: instructing the glories of the Lord's name to the unfaithful. This chanting of the Hare Krsna mantra we offer when one has become faithful. So many students come to us, but we see first of all that "He is now faithful. He's faithfully discharging." So generally, we allow six months' time to see how he's faithfully executing; then we offer these beads. Otherwise, if he's faithless, then after some time it will…, he'll give it up. So for the spiritual master it is also offense. If one is faithless, this chanting on beads should not be given to him. This is offense.

And then comparing the holy name with material piety. Just like this function we are holding today, it is not to be considered as some pious activity; it is transcendental. Pious activity can give you some reward in this material world, but this activity is beyond this material; it will give you place back to home, back to Godhead. So don't compare with ordinary pious activity-just like somebody gives in charity, somebody makes something, religious activities. It is beyond religion. Beyond religion. This Krsna consciousness movement is beyond all religion. It is the postgraduate study of all religion. So don't compare with any pious activity.

Then, inattention while chanting the holy name. You should chant this Hare Krsna, and you should hear also. If your mind is acting, the mind is somewhere else, and you are chanting, oh, that is an offense. You should hear. This is called samadhi. If you chant and hear, then your mind is interlocked by hearing and chanting. This is samadhi. Samadhi means trance. Trance means completely absorbed in. So by hearing and chanting, acting both ways, you'll be in trance, and that trance will keep you in the transcendental stage. That is called samadhi. So if we become inattentive, that is offense.

And attachment to material things while engaged in the practice of chanting. We should always remember that we are trying to be elevated to the spiritual platform, so spiritual platform means no more anxiety for sense gratification. That is spiritual platform. Material platform means everyone is hankering after sense gratification. All the people, they're working day..., hard, day and night very hard, the aim is sex at night. That's all. Sense gratification.

Karmis, they cannot work if they have no facility for sex. So..., but these devotees of Krsna, their aim is how to satisfy Krsna. That is the difference. This is the difference between spiritual life and material life. Material life means everyone is trying to..., how to satisfy his sex. And spiritual life means he is also trying the same way, but his aim is how to satisfy Krsna.

So, my occupation to satisfy something, that will continue; you cannot stop it. But spiritual life means to satisfy Krsna, and material life means satisfying my senses. That is the difference. So in every action if you put this test, whether you are satisfying your senses or you're satisfying your Krsna-you can test it-and as soon as you see that you are satisfying my whims and senses, then it is not Krsna.

So in this way, put..., make progress, and if you fail sometimes, Krsna will excuse you. But you must be very much strict, guarding against this falldown. Then your elevation will be very quick and it will be very sound. So follow this principle of offenses and there are 26 kinds of good qualification. Qualification of a devotee, how you are becoming a devotee, you shall put yourself into this test. The tests are: be kind to everyone, a devotee is kind to everyone. A devotee is not kind to his family, or to his community, or to the humanity. We are kind, in this material sense, first of all to myself, then to my brothers and sisters or friends. Then my family, then my community, then my country or then my nation, or ultimately the inter-nation. The whole humanity. So much, but all these are imperfect unless you come to the point of Krsna. You increase your love from self to society, society to community, community to nation and then the whole humanity. But these are all imperfect, unless you come to the point, to love Krsna. Then everything is imperfect, therefore kind to all. All means-Krsna is all. God is all. So if you love Krsna and God then you love all.

Just like if you pour water on the root of the tree, then you pour water to the whole tree. And if you try to pour water in each and every leaf and branches, it will spoil your time. The example is always given. Just like if you give foodstuff to your stomach, the energy is immediately distributed to all parts of the body. But if you take individually this finger, that finger, this eyes, that eyes-it is all useless, waste of time. This is not the process, if you want to love all, then love Krsna. Then it will be distributed. This is the science. So this is the qualification of the devotee, by loving Krsna you are loving your countrymen. In spite of so many hindrances, police opposition, public opposition, you're going daily. Why? To give them some transcendental message. This is not [indistinct], I come to your country, why? For loving Krsna. Therefore I am loving you, your loving me. Make Krsna center then love will be distributed. Otherwise it will be a useless waste of time.

So, of course each and everything will take time, you note this. That you should see that actually your qualities are developing. These qualities are there, already there, but it is now covered by material covering. As soon as the…, proportionately your material coverings are open, you get your original. That is Krsna consciousness. There are so many…, 26 qualities, kind to all, does not quarrel with anyone. Fixed in the absolute truth, equal to everyone, faultless, charitable, mild, clean, simple, benevolent, peaceful, completely attached to Krsna. No material hankering, meek, steady, self-controlled, does not eat more than required.

This is very nice, don't eat more, don't eat less. Just to keep your body and soul together, that's all. Sane, sane then respectful, humble, grave, compassionate, friendly, poetic. This is also another qualification, a devotee must be poetic by describing the qualities of Krsna.

Poetic and expert, expert a devotee is very expert, that you have shown already. In this constructing or renovating this temple, we did not ask for any outside worker. But all our devotee's worked so nicely. That is the qualification of a devotee, that anyone you offer to our devotee… In Bengali it is said vikusalite canḍi var [?], beginning from the swing of shoes up to the temple worship. In every respect he should be expert. You cannot say, "oh I cannot do this." No. He will do everything. Yes. He will never think, "oh this is not suitable for me." No. So we can cook, we can sweep, we can, I mean to say work as a carpenter, or anything. What is required of course, we don't require any other technological knowledge. But for our own business, all the devotees are expert. They can do anything.

Expert and silent. They do not talk much, except Krsna they will not talk much. They will not waste their energy. This is also… In this way develop these 26 qualities and avoid the 10 kinds of offences and be happy, and make progress.

Devotees: [Indistinct]

Prabhupada: Now perform yajna. Yes. [Break]

Your name is Rsabhadeva, Rsabhadeva was sometimes the emperor of the world, when He supposed…, Not supposed He is incarnation of God and His son was… His eldest son was Bharata Maharaja and by his… Following his name Bharata, this planet is called Bharata-varsa. This whole planet is called Bharata-varsa. So your name is Rsabhadeva dasa, that means Krsna dasa. Yes.

And who is John? You are? Yes. Your name is Janakaraja. Janakaraja was also a very big king and he was the father of Sita, wife of Lord Ramacandra. So he was… Janakaraja dasa.

And Lenny? Yes. Your name is very nice, Narada Muni.

Devotees: Jaya! [laughter]

Prabhupada: Yes. So Narada Muni travels all the space. So you have to do that.

Devotees: [laughter]

Prabhupada: By chanting and this vina you will be able.

Mataji: Ohhh!

Prabhupada: Yes, so your name is very nice, Narada Muni.

Then you are Richard? Yes. Your name is Baskara. Baskara means, "who illuminates", that means the sun. So you illuminate the whole world by this Krsna consciousness knowledge. Yes.

And your name is Amogha. Amogha means, "without any sin", so you must be very careful about this four principles.

Devotees: [laughter]

All right then.

Devotees: Jaya! All glories to Srila Prabhupada. [end]