Be careful of the first Offence in Chanting

Over the years, Śrīla Gurudeva has had huge success in his preaching all over the world. He is bringing hundreds of thousands of people to the process of pure bhakti, and is also inspiring scores of Śrīla Bhaktivedānta Svāmī Mahārāja’s followers to take charge of their spiritual lives and to continue their bhakti to develop pure love. However, despite Śrīla Gurudeva’s advanced seniority and elevated position, some devotees in Hare Kṛṣṇa centers have continued to dishonour and disrespect him, even though they know that the first offence in chanting is to criticize the devotees who have dedicated their lives to propagate the holy name of the Lord,

In Skanda Purāṇa, Mārkaṇḍeya Ṛṣi says in his conversation with King Bhagīratha:

हन्ति निन्दति वै द्वेष्टि वैष्णवान् नाभिनन्दति
क्रुध्यते याति नो हर्षं दर्शने पतनानि षट्

hanti nindati vai dveṣṭi vaiṣṇavān nābhinandati
krudhyate yāti no harṣaṃ darśane patanāni ṣaṭ

To beat or kill a Vaiṣṇava, to criticize him, to be envious of him, to fail to welcome him properly, to become angry with him, and not to feel happiness upon seeing him–one who performs these six activities falls to a degraded position.

Śrī Śrīmad Bhaktivedānta Nārāyaṇa Gosvāmī Mahārāja’s devotional character is impeccable. It can therefore be understood that the future of those who knowingly disrespect and slander him will be inauspicious, unless they change their offensive mental disposition and futile, habitual faultfinding. No one should find fault with someone like Śrīla Gurudeva, who has spent his whole life serving Vaiṣṇavas and even now in his old age is travelling to every corner of the world, propagating the holy name, fame and pastimes of the Lord.

In any case, Śrīla Gurudeva maintains the same tolerant nature as Lord Śiva, and does not hold any malice or resentment toward these offenders. Sometimes, he even says that they are his children and he does not accept their offences. (However, a Vaiṣṇava should not tolerate vaiṣṇava-nindā or aparādha committed towards others.) A Vaiṣṇava may not personally take offence due to his humility or due to his broadmindedness. However Śrī Bhagavān and the footdust of Vaiṣṇavas will not allow this guru-nindā or vaiṣṇava-nindā to continue. They will ruin the aparādhīs who keep on offending. For example, a father does not feel offended when his small children harass him, pull his hair, or urinate on him. However, if full-grown children were to perform these obnoxious activities their father, mother, uncles and aunts would not tolerate such offensive behavior. Similarly, a neophyte devotee who is completely ignorant and who does not know any siddhānta may be excused for his aparādha to guru and Vaiṣṇavas. However if someone performs aparādha knowingly, Lord Kṛṣṇa and the footdust of Vaiṣṇavas do not tolerate it.

It is clear that there are many similarities between the characters of Śrīla Gurudeva and Lord Śiva. Consequently, the name Bholānātha given to him in his infancy by his paternal grandmother Dulārī-devī has proved quite appropriate.