Hari-nāma Cintāmaṇi – Chapter 14

(1)
jaya gaura-gadādhara jāhnavā jīvana
jaya sītāpati śrīvāsādi-bhakta-jana

Glories to Gaura-Gadādhara and to the life of Jāhnavā (Nityānanda). Glories to the Lord of Sītā (Advaita), Śrīvāsa and the devotees.

Nāma-tattve śrī-haridāsa ṭhākurake ācārya baliyā ukti kariyāchen (Śrī Hari Dasa Ṭhākura is Declared the Ācārya of Nāma-Tattva)

(2)
mahāprabhu bale śuna bhakta hari-dāsa
nāma aparādha tattva karile prakāśa

Mahāprabhu said, “Listen, Bhakta Hari Dāsa, you have revealed the truth about nāmāparādha.

(3)
ihāte kalira jīva labhibe maṅgala
nāma-tattve tumi hao ācārya prabala

“Due to this, the jīvas of the age of Kali will attain auspiciousness. You are the great ācārya of nāma–tattva. (1)

(1) At the time of the avatāra of Śrī Caitanya, Śrī Hari Dāsa Ṭhākura was the ācārya of nāma–tattva. Just as the Thākura taught the jīvas about nāma, nāmābhāsa, the glories of the Name, and how to avoid nāmāparādha, he also taught them by his own example.

(4)
tava mukhe nāma-tattva karite śravaṇa
āmāra ullāsa baḍa śuna mahājana

“O mahājana, please listen—I am most pleased to hear nāma-tattva from your mouth.

(5)
ācāre ācārya tumi pracāre paṇḍita
tomāra carita nāma-ratne vibhūṣita

“You are the ācārya of proper conduct, and most learned in teaching. Your character is adorned with the gem of the Holy Name.

(6)
rāmānanda śikhāila more rasa-tattva
tumi śikhāile more nāmera mahattva

“Rāmānanda taught Me rasa–tattva and you have taught Me the glories of the Name.

(7)
ebe bala sevā aparādha ki prakāra
śuniyā ghucibe jīvera citta andhakāra

“Now tell Me, what are the other types of offences when engaged in sevā? When the jīvas listen to this, the darkness in their hearts will vanish.”

(8)
hari-dāsa bale se sevaka-jana jāne
āmi nāmāśraye thāki jāniba kemane

Hari Dāsa said, “Those who are engaged in sevā know about these. I have taken refuge in the Name. How would I know about these?

(9)
tabu tava ājñā āmi laṅghibāre nāri
yāhā balāibe tāhā baliba vistāri

“Yet I cannot violate Your instruction. Whatever You make me say, I will explain in detail.

Sevāparādha saṅkhyā (The Number of Offences in Service)

(10)
sevā aparādha haya ananta prakāra
śrī-mūrti sambandhe saba śāstrera vicāra

“There are unlimited offences found during sevā. All the śāstras describe them in relation to the Deity (śrī–mūrti).

(11)
kona śāstre dvātriṁśat aparādha gaṇi
kona śāstre pañcāśat gane guṇa-maṇi

“Some śāstras enumerate thirty-two offences, and other śāstras say fifty, O jewel of all divine qualities.

Catur-vidha (The Four Types)

(12)
sei aparādha catur-vidhādi prakāre
vibhāga karena budha gaṇa śāstre dvāre

“According to the śāstra, the wise divide these offences into four categories.

(13-14)
śrī-mūrti-sevaka-niṣṭha kataguli tāra
śrī-mūrti-sthāpaka-niṣṭha aparādha āra

śrī-mūrti darśaka niṣṭha āra katipaya
sarva-niṣṭha aparādha kati-vidha haya

“These offences relate to those serving the Deity, offences in installing the Deity, offences in looking at the Deity, and other types of general offences. (2)

(2) Sevāparādhas (offences in sevā) are in relation to service to the Deity. Some offences relate to those engaged in service to the Deity, there are offences related to those who install Deities, there are offences by those who see the Deity, and some offences are general. These can be easily understood.

Sevāparādha dvātriṁśa prakāra (The Thirty-two Offences)

(15)
pādukā sahita yāya īśvara mandire
yāne caḍi’ yāya tathā svacchanda-śarīre

“One should not enter the temple of the Lord wearing shoes, or in a vehicle for the comfort of one’s body…

(16)
utsave nā seve āra pragati nā kare
ucchiṣṭha aśauca dehe vandana ācare

…One should not avoid engaging in service during a festival, nor should one avoid observing it; One should not enter the temple after eating or in an unclean state; one should not avoid offering prayers…

(17)
eka haste praṇāma sammukhe pradakṣiṇa
devāgre prasāre pada haya vīrāsīna

…one should not offer praṇāma with one hand; one should not circumambulate (pradakṣiṇa) in front of the Deity; one should not spread one’s legs in front of the Deity; one should not sit in front of the Deity holding one’s knees or ankles…

(18)
devāgre śayana āra bhakṣaṇa karaya
mithyā kathā ucca bhāṣā jalpanā nicaya

…one should not lie down in front of the Deity, nor eat in His presence; one should not speak lies nor speak loudly in front of the Deity. nor talk about mundane topics with others..

(19)
nigrahānugraha yuddha abhakti rodana
krūra bhāṣā para nindā kambalāvaraṇa

…one should refrain from chastising or showing mercy to others in front of the Deity; one should not argue and fight; one should not cry for some mundane reason; one should not use harsh words, criticise others; one should not wear a blanket in front of the Deity…

(20)
para stuti, aślīlatā, vāyu-vimokṣaṇa
śakti sattve gauṇa upacārera yojana

…one should not praise others, nor swear or speak about indecent things; one should not pass air in front of the Deity; one should not use inferior paraphernalia for the Deity if one has the capacity to offer something better…

(21)
devānivedita dravya bhakṣaṇe svīkāra
kālodita phalādira anarpaṇa āra

…one should not eat anything that is not offered to the Deity; one must offer seasonal fruits etc. to the Deity…(3)

(3) Eating or drinking food or drink that has not been offered to the Deity is a sevāparādha for everyone.

(22)
anya bhukta avaśiṣṭa khādya nivedana
deva prati pṛṣṭha kari sammukhe āsana

…one should not offer the Deity someone else’s food remnants; one should not sit with one’s back to the Deity…(4)

(4) Offering a portion of food to the Deity that someone else has already partaken is an offence.

(23)
devāgre anyera abhivādana pūjana
guru prati mauna nija stotra ālocana

…one should not offer respects and worship to someone else in front of the Deity; one should not remain silent and not offer some praise of the guru, and one should not praise oneself…(5)

(5) One should not offer praise to anyone in the temple in front of the Deity, except to one’s guru.

(24)
devatā nindana ei dvātriṁśa prakāra
sevā aparādha mahā purāṇe pracāra

..one should also not slander the Devas. These are the thirty-two kinds of sevāparādha described in the mahā–purāṇas.

Anya śāstra mate prakāra varṇana (A Description in Another Śāstra)

(25)
anyatra āchaye aparādha anyatama
saṁkṣepe baliba prabhu tava icchā mata

“O Lord, according to Your wish, I will briefly describe another list of offences from another source.

(26)
rājānna bhojana āra andhakāra ghare
praveśiyā deva mūrti saṁsparśana kare

“One should not eat opulently, or enter a dark room and touch the Deity…

(27)
avidhi pūrvaka hari mūrtyapasarpaṇa
vinā vādye mandirera dvāra udghāṭana

…one should not touch the Deity of Hari without the proper rituals; one should not open the doors of the temple without any sound…

(28)
sārameya dṛṣṭa khādya deve samarpaṇa
arcana samaye mauna bhaṅga akāraṇe

…One should not offer food to the Deity which has been seen by dogs etc; one should not break silence at the time of worship…

(29)
bahirdeśe gamanādi pūjāra samaye
gandha mālya nāhi diyā dhūpana karaye

…during pūjā one should not go outside; one should not avoid offering fragrant garlands and incense…

(30)
anarha-puṣpete kṛṣṇa pūjādi karaṇa
adhauta vadane kṛṣṇa pūjā ārambhana

…one should not offer scentless flowers during pūjā to Kṛṣṇa; one should clean one’s teeth before starting the worship of Kṛṣṇa…

(31)
strī saṅga kariyā kimbā rajaḥsvalā nārī
dīpa, śava sparśiyā, ayogya vastra pari

…One should not enter the temple immediately after sexual union with one’s wife, nor after touching a woman during her menstrual cycle, a lamp or a dead body. One should not wear unclean cloth…

(32)
śava heri adhovāyu kariyā mokṣaṇa
krodha kari śmaśānete kariyā gamana

…one should not enter the temple after seeing a dead body, nor pass gas in the temple. One should not be angry in front of the Deity, nor enter the temple after visiting a crematorium…

(33)
ajīrṇa udare āra kusumbha paināka
sevana kariyā āra tāmbula guvāka

…one should not enter the temple until one’s food has been digested; one should not worship the Deity after eating safflower, asafoetida, tāmbula or betel-nut…

(34)
taila mākhi kari hari-śrī-mūrti-sparśana
eraṇḍa-patrastha puṣpe karaya arcana

…one should not touch the Deity of Hari after taking an oil-bath; one should not perform worship with flowers that have been placed on the leaves of the castor oil plant…

(35)
āsurika kāle pūje pīṭhe bhūme basi
snapana samaye mūrti vāma haste sparśi

…one should not perform pūjā during an inauspicious period (asura–kāla); one should not perform worship while sitting directly on the floor (without a seat); one should not touch the Deity with the left hand at the time of bathing Him…

(36)
vāsi vā yācita phule devatā arcana
pūjā kāle garva ukti ayathā niṣṭhīvana

…one should not worship the Deity with old flowers or flowers gained by begging; one should not show arrogance at the time of pūja, nor spit…

(37)
tiryak puṇḍra dhare āra adhauta caraṇe
mandire praveśa kare pūjāra kāraṇe

…one should not wear tripuṇḍra (three horizontal lines on the forehead), nor enter the temple to do pūjā with unwashed feet…

(38)
avaiṣṇava pakva kare deve nivedana
avaiṣṇave dekhāiyā karaye pūjana

…one should not offer foodstuff cooked by non-Vaiṣṇavas to the Deity, nor perform pūjā in front of non-Vaiṣṇavas… (6)

(6) Cooked grains prepared by a pure Vaiṣṇava can be offered to Kṛṣṇa. Non-Vaiṣṇavas should not be present at the time of kṛṣṇa-pūjā.

(39)
viśvaksene nā pūjiyā kāpāli dekhiyā
hari pūje nakha jale śrī mūrti smariyā

…one should not offer pūjā without first worshipping Viśvaksena; one should not offer worship after seeing a Kāpāli (a tantrika mendicant); one should not perform pūjā of Hari by bathing the Deity with water touched with one’s fingernails…

(40)
gharmāmbu-saṁspṛṣṭa jale karaye arcana
kṛṣṇera śapatha kare nirmālya laṅghana

…one should not engage in worship while profusely sweating; one should not make an oath in the name of Kṛṣṇa, nor step over nirmalya (flower remnants of the Deity).

(41)
ei saba kāryye haya sevā aparādha
sevākārī janera yāhāte bhakti bādha

…all these are sevāparādhas which obstruct bhakti for those persons engaged in service.

Sevāparādha yāhāra pakṣe yāhā, tāhā tini varjjana karibena (One Should Give Up these Offences in Sevā)

(42)
śrī-mūrti sambandhe yāra bhajana pūjana
sevā aparādha teṅha karuna varjjana

“In relation to bhajana and worship of the Deity, one should give up these offences in sevā.

(43)
vaiṣṇava sarvadā nāma sevā aparādha
varjiyā śrī-kṛṣṇa-sevā karuna āsvāda

“By giving up all offences to the Name and sevāparādha, a Vaiṣṇava relishes serving Śrī Kṛṣṇa.

(44)
ei saba aparādha madhye yāṅra yāhā
sambandhe paḍibe tāṅra varjjanīya tāhā

“If one commits any amongst these offences, one should give them up.

Nāmāparādha sakala vaiṣṇava-mātrerai varjjanīya (All Vaiṣṇavas Reject Nāmāparādha)

(45)
kintu nāma aparādha sakala vaiṣṇava
sarva kāla tyaji labhe bhaktira vaibhava

“However, in order to attain the opulence of bhakti, all Vaiṣṇavas avoid nāmāparādha at all times. (7)

(7) Vaiṣṇavas must give up the ten offences to the Name. Whenever there is a chance for a sevāparādha to be committed, it must be avoided. It is essential to understand that the avoidance of such offences is the main duty of a Vaiṣṇava.

Bhāva-sevāya sevāparādha vicāra svalpa (At the Stage of Bhāva-sevā, Sevāparādha is Negligable)

(46)
śrī-mūrti virahe yini nirjjanete basi
bhajana-kāraṇe bhāva mārge aharniśi

“One who is not engaged in the worship of the Deity, who resides in a secluded place, performing bhajana, is situated on the path of bhāva, day and night.

(47)
nāma aparādha sadā varjjanīya tāṅra
nāma aparādha daśa sarva kleśādhāra

“He constantly avoids nāmāparādha because those ten offences to the Name are the repository of all miseries.

(48)
nāma aparādha gate bhāva-sevā haya
ataeva aparādha tāhe nāhi raya

“When nāmāparādha has vanished, bhāva–sevā emerges. Thus, offences do not occur at that point on. (8)

(8) On the path of bhāva, mānasa–sevā (service in a transcendentally purified mind) is prevalent. In this state there is no sevapārādha. In relation to the service of govardhana–śilā, Mahāprabhu told Śrī Raghunātha Dāsa Gosvāmī:

prabhu kahe, — “ei śilā kṛṣṇera vigraha
iṅhāra sevā kara tumi kariyā āgraha

ei śilāra kara tumi sāttvika pūjana
acirāt pābe tumi kṛṣṇa-prema-dhana

eka kuṅjā jala āra tulasī-mañjarī
sāttvika-sevā ei — śuddha-bhāve kari

dui-dike dui-patra madhye komala mañjarī
ei-mata aṣṭa-mañjarī dibe śraddhā kari’ 

śrī-haste śilā diyā ei ājñā dilā
ānande raghunātha sevā karite lāgilā

eka-vitasti dui-vastra, piṅḍā eka-khāni
svarūpa dilena kuṅjā ānibāre pāni

ei-mata raghunātha karena pūjana
pūjā-kāle dekhe śilāya ‘vrajendra-nandana’

(“The Lord said – ‘This stone is the form of Kṛṣṇa. You should render service to Him with enthusiasm. You should perform sāttvika–pūjā (worship in the mode of goodness) to this stone and very soon you will attain the wealth of kṛṣṇa–prema. In order to offer sattvika–sevā in a mood of pure bhāva, you only need one jug of water and some tulasī-mañjarīs. With śraddhā, you should offer eight soft tulasī–mañjarīs, each with two leaves on either side.’ Upon giving these instructions, the Lord gave the stone with His divine hand and Raghunātha began to offer service to the stone in a blissful mood. Svarūpa Dāmodara gave him two cloths of six inches, a wooden platform and a water jug. In this way, Raghunātha offered pūjā, and while worshipping, he saw the stone as Vrajendra-nandana.” – Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya–līlā 6.294-300)

jala-tulasīra sevāya tāṅra yata sukhodaya
ṣoḍaśopacāra-pūjāya tata sukha naya
tabe svarūpa-gosāñi tāṅre kahilā vacana
aṣṭa-kauḍira khājā-sandeśa kara samarpaṇa

(“The happiness that he experienced in offering service with water and tulasī was beyond comparison, more than one could attain by offering pūjā with ṣoḍaśopacāra [sixteen articles of worship]. After he had offered worship for some days, Svarūpa Gosvāmī spoke to him as follows – ‘You should offer eight kauḍis worth of khājā and sandeśa.’ – Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya–līlā 6.302-304)

Nāma smaraṇa kārīdera bhāva-sevāi kartavya (One Who is Engaged in Meditation on the Name Should Perform Bhāva-sevā)

(49)
śrī nāma smaraṇe bhāva sevāra udaya
tomāra kṛpāya prabhu jīve bhāgyodaya

“When one meditates on the Name (nāma–smaraṇa), bhāva–sevā manifests. O Lord, Your mercy makes this good fortune arise within the jīvas.

(50)
bhaktira sādhana yata āchaya prakāra
se saba carame deya nāme prema sāra

“The various aspects of sādhana–bhakti all essentially culminate in nāma-prema.

(51)
ataeva nāma laya nāma rase maje
anya ye prakāra saba tāhā nāhi bhaje

“Therefore, one should chant the Name and immerse oneself in nāma–rasa. One should not take up other types of bhajana.”

(52)
hari-dāsa ājñā bale akiñcana jana
hari-nāma-cintāmaṇi karilā kīrtana

By the power of Hari Dāsa’s teachings, this beggar performs kīrtana of Hari-nāma Cintāmaṇi.

iti śrī-hari-nāma-cintāmaṇau sevāparādha-vicāro nāma
caturdaśaḥ paricchedaḥ

Thus ends the Fourteenth Chapter of Śrī Hari-nāma Cintāmaṇi entitled,
‘A Deliberation on Sevāparādha, Offences in Sevā.’