Why should one guard against the ten offenses?

[Guest guest]

In the west of Jajpur district, in Orissa, the hilly area, where there is a

railway station, Sarasvati Thakura went and spoke in a public meeting about

the "dasa-vidha nama aparadha". The king postulated to Sarasvati Thakura

that when chanting the names why worry about offenses, as the name can be

chanted in any manner (sometimes the people put forward this argument,

because Lord Caitanya said that there is no particular rule to follow while

chanting the holy names, so some people postulate that why then should one

worry about any offenses when Lord Caitanya said not to bother?) Sarasvati

THakura quoted the ten offenses from the Padma Purana. The sadhus who were

present there were propagating chanting without bothering about offenses and

they didn't believe Sarasvati Thakura's quote from the Padma Purana, so he

said to the doubtful king, "I'll show you how this is true." (Something like

this): the meeting was organized from 4.00pm to 9.00pm, but Sarasvati

Thakura said the sadhus should stay from 5.00pm to 7.00pm (the evening

sandhya, time for taking ganja, opium). Sarasvati Thakura said that all the

sadhus should stay for sankirtan and hari-katha, they should not go outside.

(...?) Thousands of sadhus gathered for the meeting, but the meeting was

from 5.00pm to 7.00pm, so by 6.00pm, many of the sadhus had left the

meeting, because they had the habit to smoke ganja, tobacco or take tea.

They could not stay seated for the full two hours for Hari katha. Sarasvati

Thakura showed the king, saying, "Just see what is the situation. Because

they are addicted to opium, ganja, tea, cigarettes, etc., they cannot stay

for the recitation of the holy name. Is this not due to their offenses?" The

king then understood. Sarasvati Thakura finally instructed that these five

things should be given up by serious reciters of the holy name: meat eating,

gambling, illicit sex, intoxication, and the search for money, because these

are the five places where Kali resides. The king accepted this and became

his disciple, taking harernama initiation.