CC Madhya 15.261
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
TEXT 261
- caitanya-gosāñira nindā śunila yāhā haite
- tāre vadha kaile haya pāpa-prāyaścitte
SYNONYMS
caitanya-gosāñira—of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu; nindā—blasphemy; śunila—I have heard; yāhā haite—from whom; tāre vadha kaile—if he is killed; haya—there is; pāpa-prāyaścitte—atonement for the sinful act.
TRANSLATION
“If the man who blasphemed Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu is killed, his sinful action may be atoned.”
PURPORT
The Hari-bhakti-vilāsa cites the following quotation from the Skanda Purāṇa concerning the blaspheming of a Vaiṣṇava:
- yo hi bhāgavataṁ lokam upahāsaṁ nṛpottama
- karoti tasya naśyanti artha-dharma-yaśaḥ-sutāḥ
- nindāṁ kurvanti ye mūḍhā vaiṣṇavānāṁ mahātmanām
- patanti pitṛbhiḥ sārdhaṁ mahā-raurava-saṁjñite
- hanti nindati vai dveṣṭi vaiṣṇavān nābhinandati
- krudhyate yāti no harṣaṁ darśane patanāni ṣaṭ
In a conversation between Mārkaṇḍeya and Bhagīratha, it is said, “My dear King, one who derides an exalted devotee loses the results of his pious activities, his opulence, his reputation and his sons. Vaiṣṇavas are all great souls. Whoever blasphemes them falls down to the hell known as Mahāraurava, accompanied by his forefathers. Whoever kills or blasphemes a Vaiṣṇava and whoever is envious of a Vaiṣṇava or angry with him, or whoever does not offer him obeisances or feel joy upon seeing him, certainly falls into a hellish condition.” Also, the Hari-bhakti-vilāsa (10.314) gives the following quotation from the Dvārakā-māhātmya:
- kara-patraiś ca phālyante su-tīvrair yama-śāsanaiḥ
- nindāṁ kurvanti ye pāpā vaiṣṇavānāṁ mahātmanām
In a conversation between Prahlāda Mahārāja and Bali Mahārāja, it is said, “Those sinful people who blaspheme Vaiṣṇavas, who are all great souls, are subjected very severely to the punishment offered by Yamarāja.” In his Bhakti-sandarbha (313), Jīva Gosvāmī quotes this statement concerning the blaspheming of Lord Viṣṇu:
- ye nindanti hṛṣīkeśaṁ tad-bhaktaṁ puṇya-rūpiṇam
- śata-janmārjitaṁ puṇyaṁ teṣāṁ naśyati niścitam
- te pacyante mahā-ghore kumbhīpāke bhayānake
- bhakṣitāḥ kīṭa-saṅghena yāvac candra-divākarau
- śrī-viṣṇor avamānanād gurutaraṁ śrī-vaiṣṇavollaṅghanam
- tadīya-dūṣaka-janān na paśyet puruṣādhamān
- taiḥ sārdhaṁ vañcaka-janaiḥ saha-vāsaṁ na kārayet
“‘One who criticizes Lord Viṣṇu and His devotees loses all the benefits accrued in a hundred pious births. Such a person rots in the Kumbhīpāka hell and is bitten by worms as long as the sun and moon exist. One should therefore not even see the face of a person who blasphemes Lord Viṣṇu and His devotees. Never try to associate with such persons.’” In his Bhakti-sandarbha (265), Jīva Gosvāmī further quotes from Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (SB 10.74.40):
- nindāṁ bhagavataḥ śṛṇvaṁs tat-parasya janasya vā
- tato nāpaiti yaḥ so ’pi yāty adhaḥ sukṛtāc cyutaḥ
“‘If one does not immediately leave upon hearing the Lord or the Lord’s devotee blasphemed, he falls down from devotional service.’” Similarly, Lord Śiva’s wife Satī states in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (SB 4.4.17):
- karṇau pidhāya nirayād yad akalpa īśe
- dharmāvitary asṛṇibhir nṛbhir asyamāne
- chindyāt prasahya ruśatīm asatīṁ prabhuś cej
- jihvām asūn api tato visṛjet sa dharmaḥ
“If one hears an irresponsible person blaspheme the master and controller of religion, he should block his ears and go away if unable to punish him. But if one is able to kill, then one should by force cut out the blasphemer’s tongue and kill the offender, and after that he should give up his own life.”