SADHU-NINDA--THE
GREATEST OFFENSE
The
Gaudiya vaisnava dictionary defines aparadha (apa-againts; radha-Radharani) as
activity which is not pleasing to Srimati Radharani and as radha-shunya (the
firs a of aparadha means without or sunya) - "devoid of Radha". Out of
ten offenses to the holy name, Srila Vyasadeva described
the offense to the devotees to be the parama-aparadha - the greatest offense.
In this regard an important opinion of Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati is that
'if we disregard to worship Krsna's devotees, then we will be certainly
subjected to manifold difficulties for our offense at the feet of the servants
of God'. What are the different types of offenses; what are the
consequences; and what did the previous acaryas said about sadhu ninda is the
topic of this following compilation.
Srila
Baktivinoda Thakura in his book Bhaktyaloka lists eight types of prajalpa (praja-talk;
alpa-small) small talks: useless talk, arguments, gossip, debates,
faultfinding in others, speaking lies, blaspheming devotees and worldly talks.
As we see one of them is blaspheming the devotees. This is also one of the six
types of offenses to the devotees: 1) to blaspheme a vaisnava. 2) to not offer
obeisances to a vaisnava upon seeing him. 3) to not feel delight upon seeing a
vaisnava.4) to think ill of a vaisnava. 5) to get angry on the vaisnava. 6) to
kill a vaisnava. As a warning it should be mentioned that one have to be very
careful with pride, arrogance and false ego because they are the cause of the
above mentioned offenses to the devotees and useless talks.
THE RESULTS
OF SADHU NINDA
The
offenses have three degrees and are estimated according to which Vaisnava one
made the offense - uttama, madhyam or kanishtha adikari and according to the
heaviness of the offense. It can be also considered who makes the offense, a
karmi or the kanistha, madhyam or uttama bhakta. Let see what happens to a
devotee on the bhava bhakti stage (devotional service in ecstasy) if he
commits a vaisnava-aparadha.
When
he severely offends a devotee of the highly elevated bhava-bhakti platform,
who is very dear to the Supreme Lord his spiritual asset becomes spoiled, with
other words his bhava will become completely destroyed. This is explained in
the NOI 6p where SP writes: "There are many dangerous things but none is
considered as serious as offending a brahmana like Jada Bharata". And also
Srila Jiva Gosvami in his Bhakti-sadarbha say: "One who criticizes Lord
Visnu or His devotees loses all the benefits accrued in a hundred pious
births. Such a person rots in the Kumbhipaka hell and is bitten by worms as
long as the sun and the moon exist".
The
intermediate offense results in ones developing desire for four types of mukti
although he was on the level of the bhava-bhakti where liberation is
completely disregarded. When somebody makes a small offense one's
madhurya-bhava lovers to vatsalya bhava or if he was in vatsalya-bhava he
slips down to dasya-bhava etc.
Therefore,
as Caitanya Bhagavata (Madhya 22.55-57) declares: "Even if one is as strong
as Lord Siva one will nonetheless fall down from his spiritual position if he
tries to insult a Vaisnava. That is the verdict of all Vedic scriptures.
When a neophyte devotee makes an offense all his
previous results of advancement will remain as mentioned in the Bhagavad-gita
2.40. The reaction for an intermediate offense is described in the Padma
Purana: "If one commits offenses out of greed to enhance one's bodily
comforts, wealth or followers, then such chanting will still give results but
they will be delayed.One will become distanced from devotion". The
reaction for a great offense is the most severe. The book Hari Bhakti Vilasa
say: "One who derides an exalted devotee loses the results of his pious
activities, his opulence, his reputation and his sons. Vaisnavas are all great
souls. Whoever blasphemes them falls down to the hell known as Mahäraurava,
accompanied by his forefathers. (Punishment in the hell called Mahäraurava is
compulsory for a person who maintains his own body by hurting others. In this
hell, ruru animals known as kravyäda torment him and eat his flesh.) Whoever
kills or blasphemes a Vaisnava and whoever is envious of a Vaisnava or angry
with him, or whoever does not offer him obeisances or feel joy upon seeing
him, certainly falls into a hellish condition." Further, in his
Bhakti-sandarbha (313), Jéva Gosvami quotes.
"One
who criticizes Lord Visnu and His devotees loses all the benefits accrued in a
hundred pious births. Such a person rots in the Kumbhipaka hell where he is
cooked in boiling oil and is bitten by worms as long as the sun and moon
exist. One should therefore not even see the face of a person who blasphemes
Lord Visnu and His devotees. Never try to associate with such persons.
"Similarly,
Srila Prabhupada said: "Actually, if you insult His devotee, Krsna will
never tolerate. Then you are finished. Just like a big man. If you insult him,
he may think "All right, let him." But if you insult or do something harm
to his child, he will never tolerate. (Lec. LA. 2.12.1973)
And as the
holy name and the Supreme Lord are one and the same, the holy name too does
not tolerate and forgive the criticism of the great souls. Vaisnava-ninda
(offending and blaspheming a Vaisnava) is so serious that even one who hears
it will certainly fall down from the path of bhakti. Lord Caitanya said: "My
holy name, which is the kalpa-vrksa tree, destroys anyone who once blasphemes
My servant". (Cb. Madhya 19.209) Whoever once criticizes My devotee Murari
will be not delivered even by millions of baths in the Ganga and by chanting
of the holy name." (Cb. Madhya 10.29-30) Even an advanced person like a
sannyasi is getting reactions for offenses. Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu said:
"If a sannyasi blasphemes an innocent person, the sannyasi will fall down.
All of his piety will perish." An offending vaisnava is stopped from
attaining ecstatic love for Lord Krsna. When one offends a dear devotee of
Krsna, Krsna will not anymore accept his offerings of puja. His tongue will
never utter the holy name of Krsna. Life after life he will be put into hell
and suffer there. He will lose all his education, the results of his
austerities, sadhana, and anything else he acquired. Even to a very powerful
person who has attained Krsna prema everything willl be finished. Lord
Caitanya said one who blasphemes the vaisnavas will suffer from leprosy, after
which he will be punished by the agents of Yamaraja again and again for 84.000
births. And not only he will go to hell but his ancestors and forefathers as
well.
THE
DIFFERENCE BETWEEN SIN AND OFFENSE
The sinful
reactions of many lifetimes of the greatly sinful person can be washed off
very easily but the sinful reactions caused by vaisnava-aparadha cannot be
washed off.
HOW TO AVOID
OFFENSE
One should
not be jealous, whether he is born in a family of gosvamis or has the title of
gosvami awarded to him. As soon as anyone becomes envious, he falls from the
platform of paramahamsa. If we consider the bodily defects of a Vaiñëava,
we should understand that we are committing an offense at the lotus feet of
the Vaiñëava.Bodily defects should be also overlooked. A devotee may
sometime perform some abominable activity still because of his engagement in
loving devotional service he should be considered a sadhu. (NOI p6)
In his
Bhakti-ratnakara Srila Narahari Cakravarti writes:
1)
"Be careful in your dealings with
devotees and never create any ill feelings in their hearts.
2)
Creating ill feelings with devotees will
create impediments on one's path of spiritual life.
3)
Please be very careful in dealing with the
Vaisnavas. Beg their forgiveness for any offense with your heart and soul.
4)
Be careful not to see a vaisnava's
faults, and always sing their glories.
5)
All of the previous great devotees have
said, "No one can understand the behavior of the vaisnava.
6)
Hold the devotees lotus feet to your head
and always dive in the nectar of pure devotional service.
Actually,
any vaisnava on any platform don't approve blasphemy of the Lord or His
devotees.
CORRECTING
We should
always remember that we recruit members from people in general. It is not
expected that every one of our members should be immediately to the standard
qualification. The best thing for you is to set the example by your personal
behavior and try to reform the others, not by criticizing but by friendly
behavior. (SP-Letter
14 Oct 1971)
.
DEALING WITH
SUPERIOR VAISNAVA
It is also
an offense to consider an empowered Vaisnava an object of disciplinary
action.to try to give him advice or to correct him.The advanced Vaisnva is
always situated as the spiritual master, and the neophyte is always considered
his disciple.
CONCLUSION
Those who
blaspheme good people are sinners. They will suffer birth after birth. Even
the mother of Lord Caitanya was punished for offending a vaisnava." Krsna so
much likes his devotees that it is easily understandable why He don't like
their offenders. Krsna says: "Since I am not able to repay my devotees for
their devotional service I perform atonement by following them to take their
dust of their lotus feet for my purification." (SB 11.14.16) I am completely
under the control of my devotees. Indeed, I am not at all independent. Because
my devotees are completely devoid of material desires, I sit within the cores
of their hearts. What to speak of my devotee, even those who are devotees of
my devotee are very dear to me." So, if someone commits an offense at the
lotus feet of such a vaisnava what will happen? It causes devastation similar
to a mad elephant's destroying a beautiful garden while running through it.
COUNTERACTING
THE OFFENSES
Jiva Goswami
in his Bhakti - sandarbha writes: In order to be free from the offenses to
the great souls, one should please that same personality through constantly
engaging in the process of bhakti beginning with the chanting of the holy
name. Nama-kaumidi confirms this in the following way: "Offenses to great
devotees can be relieved either by experiencing the calamities they bring or
by attaining the favor of the devotee." It should be understood that begging
for and acquiring forgiveness for an offense is not the same as achieving the
blessings and favor of the offended vaisnava. If one actually achieves the
favor of the offended vaisnava then one will be protected from Krsna's
displeasure.
This is
wonderfully exemplified in the story of Pundarika Vidyanidhi and Gadadhara
Pandita. Upon seeing the material opulence of Srila Pundarika Vidyanidhi,
doubts about his highly elevated position as pure devotee came to the mind of
Gadhadara Pandita. Later when he realized the exalted position of Vidyanidhi
Mahasay, Gadhadara felt great remorse and felt it necessary to take initiation
from Pundarika in order to become free from what he considered to be his
offense. (Cb. Madhya 7.44-113)
THE PROMISS
OF LORD CAITANYA
I will
personally deliver anyone who avoids criticizing others and once chants 'Krsna!'
I vow that this is the truth.
(Caitanya-bhagavata
19.213-4)
Compiled by Nitai
das.
Text
Size 
Prabhandam Part - 1