Offenses: Offenses against the Holy name

Q. It is said that if one chants with offenses he may go on chanting for millions of years but he will never get the taste for the holy name. Also it is said that chanting only gives taste for chanting. How are both things possible? Please resolve the contradiction?

Q. What are the various offenses when chanting the holy name of the Lord?

There are ten offenses in chanting, the most important ones being offenses to or criticism of vaishnavas, disrespecting the orders of the spiritual master and committing sinful activities on the strength of chanting. A complete list of these offenses is found in The Nectar of Devotion, end of Chapter Eight and also in Srimad Bhagavatam 2.1.11

Q. Can you kindly explain what are the potential realizations in each stage of chanting i.e. nama-aparadha, nama-abhasa, and suddha-nama? Is there any positive realization (that which is favorable to Krishna consciousness) for a person in nama-aparadha stage? In other words, how can one know that one is progressing from one stage to another?

Q. We are studing 10 offences recently. i have some questions from Harinama Cintamani. can you help me in this regard?

Questions from Harinama Cintamani:

Q. 1. There are four kinds of blasphemy of a devotee. The offender criticizes a Vaisnava about
1) his caste, or
2) some unpremeditated accidental fall-down,
3) or the last traces of his previous sins,
4) or his sinful activities prior to his surrendering to Lord Krsna.

Such an offender will never develop a taste for chanting the holy name.

What is the difference between #2 and #3? Can you give some example?

Q. In NOD Ch 8, the 9th offense is described as follows: "(9) To instruct a faithless person about the glories of the holy name. (Anyone can take part in chanting the holy name of the Lord, but in the beginning one should not be instructed about the transcendental potency of the Lord. Those who are too sinful cannot appreciate the transcendental glories of the Lord, and therefore it is better not to instruct them in this matter.)"

Q. In the Bhagavad-Gita, last verse of the second chapter, Krishna says that "... If one is thus situated even at the hour of death, one can enter into the kingdom of God". Also the purpose of all the practice that we do is to remember Krishna at the time of our final exam - The DEATH. Regarding Ajamila's deliverance, is his previous karma also involved in this or is it just purely because he chanted Krishna's name?

Q. My parents are not devotees. When they go to parties, they force me to accompany them and I get very frustrated because I am forced to tolerate materialists all round me. I try to preach but in the end I find myself more frustrated because there are some persons who find all kinds of arguments to contradict me and when I refute them, they just go on talking and do not give me the opportunity to voice out, thus forcing me to listen to them. What should I do?

Q. 1. One of the nama aparadhas (offenses against the holy name) is to preach to a non believer. Would you please elaborate on this. It's confusing me as devotees many times preach to a non believer.