Beware of vaisnava aparadha!

[Guest guest]

IF YOUR AIM IS LOVE OF GODHEAD BEWARE OF VAISNAVA-APARADHA

 

* "The Vaisnava devotees of the Lord are eternally pure and realized souls.

Sometimes there are differences of opinion amongst them, which might appear

like an argument, but in fact, it is an amazing relationship between

devotees. Foolish rascals who do not understand this exchange, praise one

Vaisnava and denounce the other. Such a mentality will lead to destruction

of faith and knowledge." (M 5)

 

* "Any person who sides with a Vaisnava against another Vaisnava and

criticizes him is destined to be destroyed." (MI 3:160)

 

* "If Vaisnavas are offended even by an assembly of renunciates, sannyasis,

such an assembly is more irreligious than a group of drunkards. For the

drunkards there is still a chance of salvation, but for those who are

critical of Vaisnavas there is no hope for liberation." (MI 3:41-43)

 

* "Lord Chaitanya absorbed the sin of Jagai and Madhai into His own body. He

then said, "Begin kirtana, then this black shroud of sin will lift from My

body and enter the bodies of those who criticize the devotees of the Lord."

(MI 3:302-303)

 

* "One never advances in spiritual life by finding faults in other Vaisnavas

, in fact only sinful reactions are increased, so give up all your

faultfindings." (MI 3:313)

 

* "To criticize and find faults in pure devotees of the Lord is the most

grievous offence against the holy name. O holy name! How can you bare the

criticism against your pure devotees through whom your glories have been

propagated? (You can never tolerate criticism against those who have

dedicated their lives in propagating the holy name of the lord.) Such

offenders are annihilated." (M 13:393)

 

* "Therefore the conclusion is that having devotion is the foremost of all

rules, regulations and rituals. Rules and regulations are meant to be

subservient and secondary to devotional service; those who are dissatisfied

with this arrangement fall down from the path of self-realization." (M

16:143-144)

 

* "Those devotees who are narrow-minded and bigoted start fighting over

petty matters, this is a serious deviation from the path of spiritual

realization, and so a really knowledgeable devotee will refrain from taking

sides in such disputes." (M 17:109-110)

 

* "The offence or criticizing the Lord or His devotees even once steals a

man's proper intelligence." (M 19)

 

* "Lord Gaurasundara has advented specifically to deliver all the fallen

souls with the exception of those who find fault in Vaisnava devotees of the

Lord." (M 19)

 

* "The Vedas clearly describe that if one hears criticism of a Vaisnava

devotee of the Lord then he loses all of his accumulated piety and is cast

into abominable conditions of life birth after birth." (M 20)

 

* "Everything, from the highest to the lowest living entity, is a

manifestation of Lord Krishna's energy, hence Krishna cannot tolerate

violence or offences perpetrated against anyone. And if anyone offenselessly

chants Krishna's name then Krishna will certainly very soon liberate him

from material bondage. A person may be well versed in all the four Vedas,

but if he still maintains an offensive attitude towards the Vaisnavas, then

he is eternally doomed to the worst kind of hell." (M 20)

 

* "Whosoever makes any differences between Me, My pure devotees, and

Srimad-Bhagavatam are forever lost." (M 21)

 

* "The spiritual master cannot even protect his own disciple against the

wrath of the Lord if his disciple commits Vaisnava-aparadha. In fact the

guru of such a disciple is hardpressed to protect himself from the effects

of the aparadha. If the guru is in a very elevated stage of devotion, then

he can protect himself alone, but if he is not so elevated, then he along

with disciple sinks down into hell." (M 22)

 

* "The true followers of Lord Nityananda are free from fault-finding, they

engage their full time in blissfully glorifying Lord Caitanya. They are

always careful to avoid the pitfalls in devotional service." (M 22)

 

* "Some persons, trying to compare Vaisnavas, calling one a bigger Vaisnava

then the other, commit a grave blunder for which they will soon suffer." (M

22)

 

* "At times one may see a certain elevated devotee quarrelling with other

devotees; this is all transcendental and happening by the desire of Lord

Krishna. No one should side with any party, because they are all most

elevated Vaisnavas, to do so would certainly result in Vaisnava-aparadha."

(M 23)

 

* "One can become a true Vaisnava by serving Lord Krishna and by not finding

faults in others." (M 23)

 

* "One who worships Krishna's lotus feet seeing all Vaisnavas to be dear to

the Lord will indeed cross over this ocean of material nescience." (M 24)

 

* "If one does not pay heed to Lord Caitanya's warning and teachings on

Vaisnava-aparadha, then he will remain completely ignorant about the

offenses and thus suffer terrible consequences." (M 22)

 

(from the "Caitanya Bhagavata" by Srila Vrindavan Das Thakur)