The saints and scriptures ordain that we should chant the Holy Name without committing these ten offences. The only way we can chant without offending is to obey Sriman-Mahâprabhu’s command – to be more humble than a blade of grass. However if we can really put this to practice, Sri Nâm-Prabhu will certainly grace us with His bounties and we shall feel blessed. And this will happen extremely quickly.

How can we obliterate Nâm-aparâdh?

Padma Purân has stated –

“We can annihilate Nâm-aparâdh by resorting to chanting alone. We should chant without resting for a single moment – then we can destroy Nâm-aparâdh.”

However if we offend a great soul, then we have to beg him to forgive us; when he is pleased, our aparâdh is destroyed. What happens if we are unable to please him? Then we have to chant all day and night, and then it will be possible to wipe out that offense. We can burn the other offenses by repenting and chanting incessantly.

We may ask – “I have not committed a single offense, and I am chanting with respect; then how come Sri Nâm-Prabhu is not showering His blessings on me?” The answer to this query is the same – “aparâdh”. There is nothing to stop the grace of the Holy Name other than offense. Although knowingly we do not commit an offense – it is true. But still we cannot proclaim to be completely free of aparâdh. We cannot guarantee that we do not have any offense collected over the past lives; also we do commit offenses unwittingly, do we not? However there is one solid way we can discern whether or not we have ‘offenses’. When we chant a lot many times, we should peep into our hearts. Am I feeling joyous? Have I got tears and goose flesh? If the answer is ‘No’, then we should accept that offenses have made our hearts rock-hard. In spite of chanting many times, when prem does not appear in our hearts, it is a sure sign of nâm-aparâdh. Srimad-Bhâgavatam proves this point –

“tadshmasâram hridayam vatedam yad-grihyam-ânair-harinâma-dheyaih,

na vikriyetâtha yadâ vikâro netre jalam gâtraruheshu harshah.”

Srila Vishwanâth Chakravartipâd has explained this verse as follows –

“When we chant repeatedly, yet our heart does not melt with devotion – it is expressed by tears, goose flesh and other symptoms of bhâv – such a heart is hard like iron. It is a sign of nâm-aparâdh. Also, we cannot say that if one displays tears and goose flesh, his heart has melted; for some people who have unstable emotions too express such tears and other symptoms without possessing any bhâv. They can do this with practice as well. The reverse is also true. Some very serious devotees do not express any sign of ecstasy although their chitta is full of bhakti. Hence this verse (from Srimad-Bhâgavatam) actually means –

‘Even though one displays tears and gooseflesh externally, if he does not have a heart that has melted with devotion, it means his heart is rock-hard. Although tears and goose flesh are the common symptoms of a change of heart, we should know that the real indications are the ‘nine symptoms’ such as forbearance, spending every moment in relation with Sri Bhagavân etc’.¹

(to be continued)