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The Ten Offenses in Chanting the Holy Names

(The general order of prayers in many temples is that after the Tulasi puja, the ten offenses in Chanting Hare Krishna japa are recited, usually together with whoever is at the morning program.)

1. To blaspheme the devotees who have dedicated their lives to the propagation of the holy names of the Lord.

2. To consider the names of the demigods like lord Shiva or lord Brahma to be equal to, or independent of, the name of Lord Vishnu.

3. To disobey the orders of the spiritual master.

4. To blaspheme the Vedic literature or literature in pursuance of the Vedic version.

5. To consider the glories of chanting Hare Krishna as imagination.

6. To give mundane interpretation of the holy name of the Lord.

7. To commit sinful activities on the strength of chanting the holy names of the Lord.

8. To consider the chanting of Hare Krishna as one of the auspicious, ritualistic activities which are offered in the Vedas as fruitive activities (karma-kanda).

9. To instruct a faithless person about the glories of the holy name.

10. To not have complete faith in the chanting of the holy names and to maintain material attachments even after understanding so many instructions on this matter. It is also offensive to be inattentive while chanting.

Anyone who claims to be a Vaishnava must carefully guard against these ten offenses in order to quickly achieve the desired success, Krishna Prema!

Now let us offer are respectful obeisances unto all the Vaishnavas, devotees of the Lord. They are just like desire trees who can fulfill the desires of everyone and they are full of compassion for the fallen conditioned souls.