Ten Offenses to the Holy Name of God

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From Padma Purana, Brahma Khanda 25.15–18

satam ninda namnah paramam aparadham vitanute

yatah khyatim yatam katham u sahate tad-vigarham

 

 

1) To blaspheme devotees who have dedicated their lives

to chanting the holy name of the Lord. The holy name, who is identical with Krsna, will never tolerate such blasphemous activities.

 

sivasya sri-visnor ya iha guna-namadi-sakalam

dhiya bhinnam pasyet sa khalu hari-namahita-karah

 

 

2) To consider the names of demigods like Lord Siva or

Lord Brahma to be on an equal level with the holy name of

Lord Visnu.

 

guror avajna

 

 

3) To disobey the orders of the spiritual master or

to consider him an ordinary person.

 

sruti-sastra-nindanam

 

 

4) To blaspheme the Vedic literatures or literatures

in pursuance of the Vedic version.

 

artha-vadah

 

 

5) To give some interpretation on the holy name of

the Lord.

 

hari-namni kalpanam

 

 

6) To consider the glories of the holy name of the

Lord as imagination.

 

namno balad yasya hi papa-buddhir

na vidyate tasya yamair hi suddhih

 

 

7) (While chanting of the holy name of the Lord can

counteract all the past sinful reactions but it is greatest offense to

commit sinful activities on the strength of chanting the holy name

of the Lord.) To think that the Hare Krsna mantra can counteract all

sinful reactions and one may therefore go on with his sinful

activities and at the same time chant the Hare Krsna mantra to

neutralize them is the greatest offense at the lotus feet of Hari-nama.

 

dharma-vrata-tyaga-hutadi-sarva-

subha-kriya-samyam api pramadah

 

 

8) To consider the chanting of the Hare Krsna

maha-mantra to be one of the auspicious ritualistic mantras mentioned in

the Vedas as fruitive activity.

 

asraddadhane vimukhe ’py asrnvati

yas copadesah siva-namaparadhah

 

 

9) It is an offense to preach the glories of the holy

name of the Lord to the faithless.

 

srute ’pi nama-mahatmye

yah priti-rahito narah

aham-mamadi-paramo

namni so ’py aparadha-krt

10) If one has heard the glories of the

transcendental holy name of the Lord but nevertheless continues in a

materialistic concept of life, thinking “I am this body

and everything belonging to this body is mine [aham

mameti],” and does not show respect and love for the

chanting of the Hare Krsna maha-mantra, that is an

offense.