Srila Prabhupada writes in the Nectar of Devotion (Chapter 18), “If it is seen that a person has developed a high standard of devotion without having undergone even the regulative principles, it is to be understood that his status of devotional service was achieved in the former life. But for some reason or another it had been temporarily stopped, most probably by an offense committed at the lotus feet of a devotee. Now, with a good second chance, it has again begun to develop.”
The Skanda Purana lists six kinds of Vaishnava aparadhas or improper dealings with Krishna’s devotees.
to kill a devotee
to blaspheme a devotee
to envy a devotee
to get angry at a devotee
to fail to offer respects to a devotee
to not feel joy upon seeing a devotee
Srila Prabhupada says unless we stop committing these Vaishnava aparadhas our chanting cannot progress beyond a certain level. This is the first offense to the holy name.
So whenever we feel that our chanting has become mechanical and burdensome, it means that we are actually offending somebody either mentally or by our external behavior.
Through introspection, we should carefully mold our consciousness and ensure that we don’t commit any #offenses.
#Vaishnava aparadhas. #Vaisnava aparadhas. #aparadhas
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