The jīva has no wealth nor goal without kṛṣṇa-nāma. Pure jīvas constantly sing hari-nāma together in Śrī Vaikuṇṭha. When jīvas, bound by saṁsāra, become capable of contemplating the trajectory of their lives, then they consequently take exclusive shelter of hari-nāma. Without becoming free from offences, the Name will not arise, and one can never fully take shelter in the Name. Among the ten offenses, the inclination towards pāpa* (1) on the strength of chanting the Name is considered to be one of the biggest offences. Thus, it is the duty of those who take shelter of the Name to carefully avoid committing this offence.

What is pāpa? All inauspicious activities that have been mentioned in the Vedas as forbidden for jīvas in saṁsāra are termed as ‘pāpa.’ In the Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, in His instructions to Śrī Rūpa, Śrīman Mahāprabhu advises those persons aspiring for bhakti to renounce the fault of engaging in forbidden activities. The śāstra has termed pāpa as vikarma (prohibited acts). In many places, pāpa is referred to as ‘pātaka’ in the śāstra. Actions that deviate jīvas within saṁsāra from their prescribed duties (svadharma) and lead them downwards are considered as pātaka. All pātakas are categorised into three classes, on the basis of then being minor or major. The three classifications are mahā-pātaka (major), anu-pātaka (intermediate) and upa-pātaka (minor). Manu states:

brahma-hatyā surāpānaṁ steyaṁ gurvaṅganāgamaḥ
mahānti pātakānyāhuḥ saṁsargaścāpi taiḥ saha
(Manu Saṁhitā 11.54)

“Killing a brāhmaṇa, consuming alcohol, theft, and having relations with the guru’s wife – these four are mahā-pātakas. Associating with those who commit such acts is also a mahā-pātaka.”

anṛtaṁ ca samutkarṣe rājagāmi ca paiśunam
guroś cālīka-nirbandhaḥ samāni brahmahatyayā
(Manu Saṁhitā 11.55)

“Lying for self-aggrandisement, slandering others before the king, and giving up proper conduct in regards to the guru – these are almost equal to the mahā-pātaka of killing a brāhmaṇa. Thus, all these types of pātakas are anu-pātakas.”

According to Manu, the pātaka of killing a cow, illicit intercourse, harming one’s guru, neglecting one’s mother and father etc. are all upa-pātakas. All sins for which social exclusion and legal punishment are prescribed constitute upa-pātakas. In different dharma–śāstras, all pātakas are categorised separately. The main point is that any situation where there is harm to svadharma, which is fully virtuous, results in pāpa for everyone. Atheism, harming others, and selfishness – all these actions are considered to be pāpa. In short, what the Vedas have forbidden is pāpa. For worldly jīvas who are averse to the Lord, prohibition of pāpa and atonement are completely separate. There are prescriptions for auspicious works such as rituals, charity, sacrifice etc. Observing ritualistic karma is born from puṇya (material piety). When he renounces external objects, the jīva becomes inclined towards Kṛṣṇa, then it easily transcends puṇya and pāpa. This is because then, the dharma of a person within saṁsāra is transformed. Servitorship to Kṛṣna alone arises as one’s eternal svadharma. In regards to the worldly jīva averse to the Lord, there is atonement (prayaścitta). In the case of the jīva who is inclined towards Kṛṣṇa, there is no atonement. Acts of atonement are included within karma-kāṇḍa. A person who is inclined towards Kṛṣṇa does not depend upon karma. The Bhāgavata says:

tāvat karmāṇi kurvīta na nirvidyeta yāvatā
mat-kathā-śravaṇādau vā śraddhā yāvan na jāyate
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 11.20.9)

“Till the time the inclination for sons, prosperity and popularity in the jīva is not eradicated, indifference does not appear, or pure faith in hearing hari-kathā does not develop, then the jīva should certainly perform karma.”

When there is faith in hari-kathā, one will no longer engage in karma. If the execution of activities such as bodily maintenance, physical, mental and social actions are favourable to hari-bhakti, then they will be accepted; if they are unfavourable, they will be renounced. Even if all such activities are executed with commitment, still such activities are not considered to possess the characteristics of karma-kāṇḍa. Actually, they fall within the divisions of bhakti which destroy karma. Thus, in that state there is neither pāpa or puṇya and no necessity for atonement etc. No activity is performed for worldly pursuits or to gain prestige – actions are only performed to in order to live a virtuous life. Thus, when they don’t even possess any puṇya-karma, then a fallen person who engages in pāpa cannot approach one who is inclined towards Kṛṣṇa.

kṛṣṇonmukhaṁ svayaṁ yānti yamāḥ śaucādayas tathā
ity eṣāṁ ca na yuktā syād bhakty-aṅgāntara-pātitā
(Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu 1.2.261)

“O king, those engaged in ritualistic activities make great endeavours to follow rules and regulations and strictly adhere to the principles of cleanliness. Yet such rules and regulations, good qualities, proper behaviour and cleanliness accompany one who is inclined towards Kṛṣṇa. One who is inclined towards Kṛṣṇa does not have to endeavour to achieve these.”

Again, it is said:

etena hy adbhutā vyādha tavāhiṁsādayo guṇāḥ
hari-bhaktau pravṛttā ye na te syuḥ para-tāpinaḥ
(Skanda Puṛāṇa)

“O hunter, when you were previously worldly and averse to the Lord, then you naturally gave shelter to violent tendencies. Now you are inclined towards hari-bhakti. Thus, the tendency towards pāpa in the form of violence towards other jīvas cannot remain with you. The inherent nature of the jīva is kṛṣṇa-dāsya (servitorship to Kṛṣṇa); that is your eternal dharma. To the extent that this dharma arises, to that extent your naimittika-svadharma (temporary nature) will wane. Now, stimulated by your eternal nature, whatever you do will transcend the puṇya of your temporary nature and will manifest as Vaiṣṇava saṁsāra (the world of the devotees) which is the greatest puṇya. Thus, when your ordinary puṇya becomes insignificant, then your inclination for pāpa, such as causing harm to other beings etc., which is extremely inferior, can never arise. That you are leading a virtuous life and chanting kṛṣṇa-nāma is not surprising. This happens to everyone.”

Now see – the inclination towards pāpa cannot remain in a jīva who takes shelter of hari-nāma. Those who take exclusive shelter of the Name do not engage in pāpa. Kāma (desire), krodha (anger), lobha (greed), moha (bewilderment), mada (pride) and mātsarya (envy) – misuse of these six mental inclinations leads to pāpa. In the Vaiṣṇava world, which is rooted in the desire for kṛṣna-kathā and service to Kṛṣṇa, one does not engage in wicked activities such as engaging in extramarital affairs, excessive accumulation of wealth, attachment to fame, cheating, stealing etc. By engaging anger towards those who hate Kṛṣṇa and the Vaiṣṇavas, one removes the association of those who are averse to the Lord. In the case of anger, one should turn it into tolerance as is seen in the nature of a tree. One should apply greed to relishing kṛṣṇa-rasa, and not towards eating and drinking nicely, the company of beautiful women, and complaining about insufficient finances. By engaging bewilderment, one becomes captivated by the beauty of kṛṣṇa-līlā and the lives of the Vaiṣṇavas. Do not become bewildered by wealthy people and mundane pleasures. One should not mentally dwell upon bewildering mundane dogmas such as māyāvāda, atheism, or the pleasures of logic etc. Engage pride in identifying oneself as a servant of Kṛṣṇa, and completely reject the pride of high birth, the pride of wealth, the pride of physical beauty, the pride of knowledge, the pride of having many followers, and the pride of power. Envy, in other words, achieving self-promotion by exacting vengeance upon others must be thoroughly rejected. In this way, such a disciplined life prevents the rise of pāpa. The propensity towards pāpa will be eradicated. Yet, if some pāpa does happen to arise in someone, it can be subdued without any ritual atonement. When one criticises a Vaiṣṇava due to pāpa that has arisen due to divine providence, this constitutes nāma-aparādha. There is no inclination towards pāpa in his mind, but if some minor pāpa occurs suddenly due to unforeseen circumstances, it does not distance him from Vaiṣṇavism. That is why Kṛṣṇa, who is worshipped by the entire world, states:

api cet su-durācāro bhajate mām ananya-bhāk
sādhur eva sa mantavyaḥ samyag vyavasito hi saḥ
(Bhagavad-gītā 9.30)

“O Arjuna! The inclination for pāpa is not in there in My exclusive devotee. The transcendental activity of cultivating the Holy Name is constantly awake in the heart of My exclusive devotee. They cannot be lured into engaging in mundane pāpā due to their apprehension. Even if a sinful act suddenly occurs due to unforeseen circumstances, and although such pāpa may be deemed a grave transgression according to the dharma-śāstra, still, one should not criticise My exclusive devotee. That is because:

kṣipraṁ bhavati dharmātmā śaśvac-chāntiṁ nigacchati
kaunteya pratijānīhi na me bhaktaḥ praṇaśyati
(Bhagavad-gītā 9.31)

“O Arjuna! The person who has attained exclusive bhakti to Me may exhibit some minor pāpa in their character in only two specific ways. The first type is this – through extraordinary good fortune, a jīva develops a taste for kṛṣṇa-nāma in the association of sādhus. However, prior to that, they had associated with some serious pāpa such as Illicit connection with women, consuming fish and meat, intoxication etc. With the onset of exclusive bhakti then gradually, tendencies towards other types of pāpa diminished, but the diminution of this serious pāpa has been delayed for some time. Exclusive bhakti has been achieved, in other words, they deem all other processes to be insignificant, and they have taken refuge solely in kṛṣṇa-nāma. Yet this serious pāpa does not wish to go. It remains for a while. While that is not eradicated, do not neglect such an exclusive devotee for that reason.

The second type is this – the exclusive devotee engages in My bhajana, keeping away from all pāpa. Still, while the material body exists, sometimes due to some situation, some sinful activity may occur, such as the consumption of medicine which consists of impure constituents. This sin is extremely temporary because it is not intentional. Thus, being freed from these two types of pāpa, by the mercy of My bhakti, My exclusive devotee becomes a pure dharmātmā (righteous soul), and from pāpa he achieves peace. O Kaunteya! This is My promise. One who is My exclusive devotee will never perish!”

Now see – when there is exclusive bhakti, there is never any inclination towards pāpa; only some quantity of sinful activities may remain. Yet, day by day, weakened by declining strength, it deteriorates. In the tale of Jagāi and Mādhāi, it is seen that after they attained bhakti, the inclination for pāpa was no longer present in those two persons. The infinitely compassionate Mahāprabhu gave them the shelter of the Holy Name and said:

prabhu bale torā āra nā karis pāpa
jagāi-mādhāi bale āra nāre bāpa

The Lord said, “Do not engage in any more pāpa.” Jagāi and Mādhāi replied, “Never again, O Lord.” (Caitanya-bhāgavata, Madhya-khaṇḍa 13.225)

Our supremely worshippable Śrī Nityānanda Prabhu has shown mercy to the jīvas of this world by instructing everyone to live a life of dharma. Delivering a dacoit-brāhmaṇa, He said:

śuna dvija, yateka pātaka kaili tui
āra yadi nā karis saba nimu muñi
parahiṁsā, ḍākā-curi, saba anācāra
chāḍa giyā ihā tumi, nā kariha āra
dharma-pathe giyā tumi laha hari-nāma
tabe tumi anyere karibā paritrāṇa
yata saba dasyu-cora ḍākiyā āniyā
dharma-pathe sabāre laoyāo tumi giyā

Listen brāhmaṇa, so long as you do not engage in them again, I will deliver you from whatever sins you have committed. Abandon violence to others, theft, and other immoral acts and do not do them again. Travel on the path of dharma and chant hari-nāma, then you will be able to deliver others. Call all the dacoits and thieves together and make them all traverse the path of dharma. (Caitanya-bhāgavata, Antya-khaṇḍa 5.685-688)

The most merciful Nityānanda Prabhu is the avatāra of dharma Himself. That personification of dharma taught by this statement that when one is on the path of dharma and chants hari-nāma, only then can one become capable of saving people and become a Vaiṣṇava ācārya. Those who will accept the position of an ācārya must first themselves strictly follow the path of dharma and gather faith by showing their own exemplary character to other jīvas. The good conduct of an ācārya-puruṣa is always respected and accepted by everyone. They will renounce all misconduct such as violence against others, dacoitry, theft, talking improperly with women, eating impure food, intoxication etc. If one is a debauchee himself, what kind of instructions on dharma will one impart to a disciple? Although Śrī Nityānanda, the ācārya of all ācāryas, was an avadhūta, He never exhibited any discrepancy in His own character. Woe unto the lives of those who criticise the Lord, whose character is so pure, labelling Him as immoral! Such immoral individuals try to find fault with the character of the ācārya and attempt to show their own faults as virtues. O Kali! You have fulfilled what you had promised! Many persons who are deceitful ‘Vaiṣṇavas’ blaspheme Śrī Nityānanda claiming that He was a fish-eating, meat-eating drunkard, and moreover, they accuse Śrī Mahāprabhu, the very embodiment of dharma, of illicit connections with women and count Him amongst the nava-rasikas.*(2) They deceive the world by falsely accusing Śrī Rūpa Gosvāmī, Śrī Rāmānanda Prabhu, and others of immoral conduct, alleging that they engaged in improper association with women. All this is the evil work of Kali. The main point is that one cannot be righteous if one does not practice dharma before giving up deceit. Under the guise of dharma, one engages in pāpa and deceives the world. Can there be any doubt that those who take shelter in hari-nāma without any deceit, are devoid of any inclination towards pāpa?

Prahlāda has said:

yasyāsti bhaktir bhagavaty akiñcanā
sarvair guṇais tatra samāsate surāḥ
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 5.18.12)

“All the Devas and their great qualities arise within the body of those in whom unmotivated bhakti to Śrī Kṛṣṇa has arisen.”

The rise of bhagavad-bhakti and the elimination of the tendency towards pāpa both occur simultaneously. For this reason, Śrīman Nityānanda Prabhu instructed the brāhmaṇa to take shelter of hari-nāma, thus becoming free from all offences. Śrīman Mahāprabhu said:

niraparādha nāma laile pāya prema-dhana

By chanting the Name without offence, one will achieve the treasure of prema. (Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya-līlā 4.71)

Thus, if offences accumulate, there can be no Holy Name – there is only nāma-aparādha. Ultimately, due to nāma-aparādha, one completely falls down. Even if one chants nāmābhāsa, later, through sādhu-saṅga, one’s chanting can rise from the platform of nāmābhāsa and lead to the awakening of the Holy Name. Even if it is not immediate, pāpa is destroyed by nāmābhāsa, and one achieves all four goals of human life. However, nāma–aparādha is an extremely difficult thing. It is very unlikely that great auspiciousness will arise from this. Persons who chant nāmābhāsa should associate with sādhus and attain the pure Name. A nāma-aparādhī should abandon his offences, take shelter at the feet of a sādhu, and seek out the pure Name.

A fortunate person attains refuge in the Holy Name by the strength of their sukṛti. Now, he should see that by the power of the Name, his tendency for pāpa does not manifest. We have previously observed that even after taking shelter of the Holy Name, some remnants of past pāpa may linger for some time, and occasionally, sinful activities may occur. However, this tendency for pāpa cannot remain. The inclination for pāpa and attachment to pāpa are the same thing. If a taste for kṛṣṇa-nāma develops, then gradually that taste becomes pure, and attachment to kṛṣṇa-nāma manifests. If one is attached to other things or engaged in pāpa, then attachment to the Name may not develop. Attachment is an especially unique tendency. Thus, it should be towards Kṛṣṇa – not towards mundane things. One who possesses sincere śraddhā in Kṛṣṇa, will certainly possess niṣṭhā (determination), ruci (taste) and āsakti (attachment) in Śrī Kṛṣṇa. Then he will not possess the inclination towards pāpa or puṇya in relation to anything else. By the adjective ‘ananya’ (exclusive) it is indicated that all other attachments are being eradicated. Therefore, one who has the inclination to engage in pāpa, while possessing śraddhā in other things will not take shelter in the Name. Even if they display all other characteristics, still they will not accept exclusive shelter in the Name. A person who harbours tendencies for pāpa will be counted amongst deceitful Vaiṣṇavas if he sheds tears while chanting kṛṣṇa-nāma. That is because he is a nāma-aparādhī. A nāma-aparādhī is never a pure Vaiṣṇava. Hence, Śrī Mahāprabhu has differentiated them by stating that they are “not pure Vaiṣṇavas, but merely vaiṣṇava-prāya (almost Vaiṣṇavas).”

Such vaiṣṇava-prāya say, “One cannot commit as much pāpa in millions of lifetimes as can be eradicated by uttering kṛṣṇa-nāma once. So, when the Holy Name is near me, why should I still fear committing pāpa? I will chant hari-nāma and I will engage in pāpa! Having paid my tax, in the end no pāpa will remain!”

By coming to such a conclusion one who, after taking shelter of the Name, intentionally engages in new pāpa, is known as deceitful and a nāma-aparādhī. An example of this is when a householder takes shelter of the Name after renouncing violence. Later, one day, they desire to indulge in eating fish or meat in bad association. Then, when his tendency is satisfied, he decides, “Today I shall chant more than ten-thousand Names to remove the pāpa of eating fish!” Thinking like this, one who eats fish and chants the Name is a nāma-aparādhī. Another example is a Vaiṣṇava who has accepted the bhikṣu-āśrama (renunciation) and feels tempted upon seeing a beautiful young woman. Eventually, driven by the proclivity to engage in pāpa, he decides, “When I continuously chant hari-nāma, then I can take that young women as a hari-nāma disciple and accept her service. Any pāpa committed by both of us will surely be destroyed by chanting hari-nāma – especially when that woman becomes a Vaiṣṇavī. Association with Vaiṣṇavas is rare. Moreover, in her association, there will be many lessons to be learned about gopī-bhāva. Where can such rare association be found?” Considering this, he makes that woman a Vaiṣṇavī and accepts in Vaiṣṇava sevā from her. This particular case is the zenith of nāma-aparādha. One should consider these two examples. Householder Vaiṣṇavas and those who have accepted the garb of renunciates should be aware of this nāma-aparādha.

*****

NOTES

*(1) Throughout this article, we have mostly retained the Sanskrit/Bengali word pāpa which Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura originally used. Although this is commonly translated as ‘sin’ in English, technically speaking, pāpa and sin are not synonymous. The word ‘sin’ comes from the Old English word ‘synn’ meaning “a violation of divine law, an offence against God.” Pāpa is not an offence against God, but an offence against oneself. In other words, pāpa is an activity which is self-destructive and distances one from Divinity.

*(2) The nava-rasikas were a group of Bengali sahajiyās who claimed to follow the nine relishers of rasa (nava–rasikas) – Jayadeva, Vidyāpati, Caṇḍidāsa, Rājakiṇī, Bilvamaṅgala Ṭhākura, Rāya Rāmānanda, Svarūpa Damodāra, Rūpa Gosvāmī and Raghunātha Dāsa. They consider each of these rasikas to represent one of the nine material elements.

(‘Nāma Bale Pāpe Pravṛtti’ (The Inclination to Engage in Pāpa on the Strength of the Name) was first published in Sajjana Toṣaṇī, Vol. 8, Issue 9 in 1896, and translated into English by Swami B.V. Giri)