# Offenses Against the Spiritual Master *The disciple must avoid committing offenses against the spiritual master.* ← Back to [[wiki/compile/spiritual-master-disciple|The Spiritual Master and the Disciple]] --- ## The Mad Elephant Offense ### Disobeying the instructions of the spiritual master—the mad elephant offense > "If the devotee commits an offense at the feet of a Vaiṣṇava while cultivating the creeper of devotional service in the material world, his offense is compared to a mad elephant that uproots the creeper and breaks it. In this way the leaves of the creeper dry up." > > PURPORT: One should always think of oneself as a servant of the servant of the *ācāryas,* and thinking this, one should live in the society of Vaiṣṇavas [*Cc Madhya* 13.80]. However, if one thinks that he has become very mature and can live separate from the association of Vaiṣṇavas and thus gives up all the regulative principles due to offending a Vaiṣṇava, one's position becomes very dangerous. Offenses against the holy name are explained in *Ādī-līlā* (Chapter Eight, verse 24). Giving up the regulative principles and living according to one's whims are compared to a mad elephant, which by force uproots the *bhakti-latā* and breaks it to pieces. In this way the *bhakti-latā* shrivels up. Such an offense is especially created when one disobeys the instructions of the spiritual master. This is called *gurv-avajñā.* The devotee must therefore be very careful not to commit offenses against the spiritual master. As soon as one is deviated from the spiritual master, the uprooting of the *bhakti-latā* begins, and gradually all the leaves dry up. —Cc. [[cc/madhya/19/156|Madhya 19.156]] Purport --- ### The mad elephant offense occurs when the disciple leaves the association of devotees > "The gardener must defend the creeper by fencing it all around so that the powerful elephant of offenses may not enter." > > PURPORT: While the *bhakti-latā* creeper is growing, the devotee must protect it by fencing it all around. The neophyte devotee must be protected by being surrounded by pure devotees. In this way he will not give the maddened elephant a chance to uproot his *bhakti-latā* creeper. When one associates with nondevotees, the maddened elephant is set loose... A so-called mature devotee, however, commits a great offense by giving up the company of pure devotees... By contacting nondevotees and engaging in nondevotional activities, a so-called mature devotee will fall victim to the mad elephant offense. —Cc. [[cc/madhya/19/157|Madhya 19.157]] Purport --- ## Gurv-Aparādha: Offenses at the Lotus Feet of the Spiritual Master ### The most grievous type of Vaiṣṇava-aparādha is called gurv-aparādha ![[sb/4/21/37#purport|The most grievous type of vaiṣṇavāparādha is called gurv-aparādha, which refers to offenses at the lotus feet of the spiritual master. In the chanting of the holy name of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, this gurv-aparādha is considered the most grievous offense]] —SB [[sb/4/21/37|4.21.37]] Purport --- ### Guror avajñā—the third offense against the holy name > The third offense at the lotus feet of the holy name, which is called *guror avajñā,* is to consider the spiritual master to be material and therefore envy his exalted position. —Cc. [[cc/adi/8/24|Ādi 8.24]] Purport --- ## Specific Offenses to Avoid ### The foolish disciple who tries to overtake his spiritual master immediately falls down ![[sb/5/12/14#purport|One cannot attain perfection without smearing the dust from the lotus feet of an exalted devotee on his head...As soon as a foolish disciple tries to overtake his spiritual master and becomes ambitious to occupy his post, he immediately falls down]] —SB [[sb/5/12/14|5.12.14]] Purport --- ### The disciple should never be disrespectful to or envy the spiritual master ![[sb/6/7/21#purport|one's guru should not be disrespected under any circumstances...Familiarity sometimes breeds contempt, but one should be very careful in one's dealings with the ācārya]] —SB [[sb/6/7/21|6.7.21]] Purport --- ### To envy a bona fide spiritual master is to envy the Supreme Personality of Godhead Himself > The bona fide spiritual master always engages in unalloyed devotional service to the Supreme Personality of Godhead. By this test he is known to be a direct manifestation of the Lord and a genuine representative of Śrī Nityānanda Prabhu. Such a spiritual master is known as *ācāryadeva.* Influenced by an envious temperament and dissatisfied because of an attitude of sense gratification, mundaners criticize a real *ācārya.* In fact, however, a bona fide *ācārya* is nondifferent from the Personality of Godhead, and therefore to envy such an *ācārya* is to envy the Personality of Godhead Himself. This will produce an effect subversive to transcendental realization. —Cc. [[cc/adi/1/46|Ādi 1.46]] Purport --- ### It is an offense to discipline or advise the spiritual master > It is an offense to consider an empowered Vaiṣṇava an object of disciplinary action. It is offensive to try to give him advice or to correct him. One can distinguish between a neophyte Vaiṣṇava and an advanced Vaiṣṇava by their activities. The advanced Vaiṣṇava is always situated as the spiritual master, and the neophyte is always considered his disciple. The spiritual master must not be subjected to the advice of a disciple, nor should a spiritual master be obliged to take instructions from those who are not his disciples. —Nectar of Instruction, Text 7, Purport --- ### A disciple should never try to instruct his spiritual master > Then Rāmacandra Purī was so foolish that he fearlessly dared to instruct his spiritual master. "If you are in full transcendental bliss," he said, "you should now remember only Brahman. Why are you crying?" > > PURPORT: As stated in *Bhagavad-gītā, brahma-bhūtaḥ prasannātmā:* [Bg 18.54] a Brahman realized person is always happy. *Na śocati na kāṅkṣati:* he neither laments nor aspires for anything. Not knowing why Mādhavendra Purī was crying, Rāmacandra Purī tried to become his advisor. Thus he committed a great offense, for a disciple should never try to instruct his spiritual master. —Cc. [[cc/antya/8/18|Antya 8.18-21]] Purport --- ### One should not criticize the bodily condition of the spiritual master > Being situated in his original Kṛṣṇa conscious position, a pure devotee does not identify with the body. Such a devotee should not be seen from a materialistic point of view. Indeed, one should overlook a devotee's having a body born in a low family, a body with a bad complexion, a deformed body, or a diseased or infirm body. According to ordinary vision, such imperfections may seem prominent in the body of a pure devotee, but despite such seeming defects, the body of a pure devotee cannot be polluted... If we consider the bodily defects of a Vaiṣṇava, we should understand that we are committing an offense at the lotus feet of the Vaiṣṇava. —Nectar of Instruction, Text 6, Purport --- ## Consequences of Offenses ### By disrespecting one's spiritual master, one becomes degraded ![[sb/6/7/22#purport|when one disrespects a respectable superior, one loses his longevity and the results of his pious activities, and in this way one is degraded]] —SB [[sb/6/7/22|6.7.22]] Purport --- ### The devotional service of a devotee who offends his spiritual master is spoiled > While instructing Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī about the many restrictive rules and regulations for Vaiṣṇavas, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu has very vividly described the effects of offenses at the lotus feet of a Vaisṇava. *Yadi vaiṣṇava-aparādha uṭhe hātī mātā* (*Madhya-līlā* 19.156). Offending or blaspheming a Vaiṣṇava has been described as the greatest offense, and it has been compared to a mad elephant. When a mad elephant enters a garden, it ruins all the creepers, flowers and trees. Similarly, if a devotee properly executing his devotional service becomes an offender at the lotus feet of his spiritual master or a Vaiṣṇava, his devotional service is spoiled. —Cc. [[cc/antya/3/213|Antya 3.213]] Purport --- ### If one offends the spiritual master, he falls down to the material platform to speculate > Rāmacandra Purī was thus denounced by Mādhavendra Purī. Due to his offense, gradually material desire appeared within him. > > PURPORT: The word *vāsanā* ("material desires") refers to dry speculative knowledge... If one becomes an offender to his spiritual master or the Supreme Personality of Godhead, he falls down to the material platform to merely speculate. —Cc. [[cc/antya/8/26|Antya 8.26]] Purport --- ### If a disciple offends the spiritual master, he is rejected and becomes fallen > If one's spiritual master rejects him, one becomes so fallen that he, like Rāmacandra Purī, commits offenses even to the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu did not consider the offenses of Rāmacandra Purī, for the Lord considered him His spiritual master. However, his character instructed everyone about the result of offending the spiritual master. —Cc. [[cc/antya/8/99|Antya 8.99-100]] Purport --- ## Disqualifications of a Disciple ### Duplicitousness, hypocrisy, unfaithfulness, disrespect, familiarity ![[sb/6/7/15#purport|A disciple should never be a hypocrite or be unfaithful to his spiritual master...one should not disrespect the ācārya at any time...Familiarity sometimes breeds contempt, but one should be very careful in one's dealings with the ācārya]] —SB [[sb/6/7/15|6.7.15]] Purport