Why Do What Pleases Krishna?

At every moment of our lives we are at a crossroads because at every second we have the choice of either doing what is pleasing to our senses or what is pleasing to Krishna. Doing what pleases our senses is death, and doing what pleases Krishna is an eternal life, full of bliss and knowledge. Therefore, everyone has a choice whether they prefer repeated birth and death within the 8,400,000 species of life or an eternal blissful existence in the transcendental kingdom of God.

Reminding a Young Boy of His Eternal Existence
Baltic Summer Vaisnava Festival-19 July 2012

Sankarshan Das Reminding a Young Boy of His Eternal Existence

Answers by Citing the Vedic Version

Question: Involuntary Offenses are Excused?

Please accept my humble obeisances
All Glories to Srila Prabhupada

Please tell which are the offences to avoid during chanting the mahamantra

Also tell that if a person commits any of the offences involuntarily, then are the offences pardoned?

Regards,
Sunil

Answer: Ignorance is No Excuse

Ignorance is no excuse. If one is ignorantly driving beyond the speed limit because he did not see the posted speed limit sign, he will still be stopped by the policeman and have to pay a fine. He will not pardoned because of his ignorance. The policeman will inform him that is his duty to carefully observe the posted speed limit signs.

In a similar way it is the devotee's duty to know what are the ten offenses so that he can carefully avoid them.

The ten offenses 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 Siva or Lord Brahma to be equal to, or independent of, the name of Lord Vishnu. (Sometimes the atheistic class of men take it that any demigod is as good as the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Vishnu. But one who is a devotee knows that no demigod, however great he may be, is independently as good as the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Therefore, if someone thinks that he can chant "Kali, Kali!" or "Durga, Durga!" fand it is the same as Hare Krishna, that is the greatest offense.)

(3) To disobey the orders of the spiritual master. (This means you must be fully surrendered to 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 Krishna to be imagination.

(6) To give some interpretation on the holy name of the Lord.

(7) To commit sinful activities on the strength of the holy name of the Lord. (It should not be taken that because by chanting the holy name of the Lord one can be freed from all kinds of sinful reaction, one may continue to act sinfully and after that chant Hare Krishna to neutralize his sins. Such a dangerous mentality is very offensive and should be avoided.)

(8) To consider the chanting of Hare Krishna one of the auspicious ritualistic activities offered in the Vedas as fruitive activities (karma-kanda).

(9) To instruct a faithless person about the glories of the holy name. (Anyone can take part in chanting the holy name of the Lord, but in the beginning one should not be instructed about the transcendental potency of the Lord. Those who are too sinful cannot appreciate the transcendental glories of the Lord, and therefore it is better not to instruct them in this matter.)

(10) To not have complete faith in the chanting of the holy names and to maintain material attachments, even after understanding so many instructions on this matter.

It's also offensive to be inattentive while chanting.

Anyone who claims to be a devotee of the Lord must carefully guard against the above offenses in order to quickly achieve the supreme success, pure love of Krishna, Krishna prema.

Sankarshan Das Adhikari

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