offenses
Bhakti Sandarbhas

Nāma-aparādha: The Ninth and Tenth Offenses

Offenses of the Instructor and the Instructed To give a valuable object to an unqualified person is indirectly disrespectful to the valuable object. An unqualified person does not understand the value of the object and thus will not respect it. The holy name of Kṛṣṇa is as respectable as Kṛṣṇa Himself, being nondifferent from Him.

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Sandarbhas

Nāma-aparādha: The Seventh Offense

Committing Sins on the Strength of the Holy Name Śraddhā in śastra is the foundation of spiritual life. On the path of bhakti, this includes having śraddhā in the power of the name of Kṛṣṇa. There are hundreds of statements in śastra that state that even if one chants the name incidentally, one is freed

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Sandarbhas

Nāma-aparādha: The First Offense

To Criticize a Devotee If we want to reach our destination, we need to follow the proper route and avoid the wrong route. We must know the distinction between them. Just as to follow a particular process we need to understand it clearly, in the same way, to avoid something we need to clearly understand

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Questions & Answers

Stages of Bhakti, Doubts and Offenses

Question: It seems that anyone who has doubts cannot completely “believe” in the words of śāstra. In SB 1.2.21 it is said that doubts are destroyed upon seeing Paramātmā at the jivan-mukta stage. It follows that there must be doubts at the anartha nivrtti stage. How should I understand this? Answer:  A doubt can be of

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Questions & Answers

What Are Offenses?

Question: What are offenses? Answer: Offenses are the activities which are against devotion. We have a list of them. It is important to avoid them because they are detrimental to one’s progress in devotion. Question: Do the offences only affect the devotees or also non-devotees? Answer: Both devotees as well as non-devotees. Question: If non-devotees

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