Hearing offenses

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> In Chapter 6 of the Nectar of Devotion, one of the 10 most important

> principles in executing sadhana bhakti is that one should be very

> intolerant of blasphemy of the Supreme Lord or His devotees. Is this

> principle now up for review?

 

karnau pidhaya nirayad yad akalpa ise

dharmavitary asrnibhir nrbhir asyamane

chindyat prasahya rusatim asatim prabhus cej

jihvam asun api tato visrjet sa dharmah (SB 4.4.17)

 

Sati continued: If one hears an irresponsible person blaspheme the master

and controller of religion, one should block his ears and go away if unable

to punish him. But if one is able to kill, then one should by force cut out

the blasphemer's tongue and kill the offender, and after that one should

give up his own life.

 

vaisnava ninda sravane'pi dosa uktah (SB 10.74.40)

 

nindam bhagavatah srnvan tat parasya janasya va

tato napaiti yah so 'pi yatyadha sukrtat cyutah

tato' pagamas casamarthasya eva; samarthena tu nindakajihva chettavya

tatrapy asamarthena svapranaparityago 'pi kartavyah (Bhakti Sandarbha 265)

 

The Srimad-Bhagavatam says that it is a great fault to hear blasphemy of

Vaisnavas. It states: "He who does not leave the place where devotees of the

Lord are blasphemed, but continues to hear such blasphemy, is guilty of a

great sin. He is deprived of all piety and falls down to hell." It is

enjoined that one must leave the place of blasphemy. But that is for a

person who is not a capable person. If capable one should cut out the tongue

of the blasphemer. If unable to do so that one should give up his life

rather than continue to hear such blasphemy.

 

nindam kurvanti ye mudha

vaisnavanam mahatmanam

patanti pitrbhih sardham

maharaurava-samjnite (Skanda Purana)

 

A fool who blasphemes Vaisnavas goes to the worst kind of hell along with

generations of his ancestors.

 

prabhu bale- vaisnava nindaye yei jana

kushtharoga kon tara satiye likhana

apatatah sastri kichu haiyache matra

ara kata ache yama-yatanara patra

caurasi sahasra yama-yatana pratyekse

punah punah kari bhunje vaisnava-nindake (Caitanya Bhagavata 4.375-377)

 

Mahaprabhu said, "It is written that one who blasphemes the Vaisnavas will

suffer leprosy, after which he will be punished by the agents of Yamaraja

again & again, in thousands of births.

 

nascaryam etad yad asatsu sarvada

mahad-vininda kunapatma-vadisu

sersyam mahapurusa-pada-pamsubhir

nirasta-tejahsu tad eva sobhanam (SB 4.4.13)

 

It is not wonderful for persons who have accepted the transient material

body as the self to engage always in deriding great souls. Such envy on the

part of materialistic persons is very good because that is the way they fall

down. They are diminished by the dust of the feet of great personalities.

 

Your servant,

Nayana-ranjana das