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Ten Offenses to be Avoided
(from Nectar of Devotion)
The offenses against chanting the holy name are as follows:

1) To blaspheme the devotees who have dedicated their lives for propagating the holy name of the
Lord.

2) To consider the names of the demigods like Lord Siva or Lord Brahma to be equal to, or
independent of, the name Lord Visnu.

3) To disobey the orders of the spiritual master.

4) To blaspheme the Vedic literature or literature in pursuance of the Vedic version.

5) To consider the glories of chanting Hare Krsna to be imagination.

6) To give some interpretation on the holy name of the Lord.

7) To commit sinful activities on the strength of chanting the holy name of the Lord.

8) To consider chanting of Hare Krsna one of the auspicious ritualistic activities offered in the
Vedas as fruitive activities (karma-kanda).

9) To instruct a faithless person about the glories of the holy name.

10) To not have complete faith in the chanting of the holy names and to maintain material
attachments, even after understanding so many instructions on this matter.

Every devotee who claims to be a Vaisnava must guard against these offenses in order to quickly
achieve the desired success.

Remember that even if one feels they are being offensive, there is no need to stop chanting. By
trying to chant sincerely and serving the spiritual master, we may be purified of our offenses and
may be able to chant purely. Chant Hare Krsna and Be Happy!

HARE KRSNA HARE KRSNA KRSNA KRSNA HARE HARE

HARE RAMA HARE RAMA RAMA RAMA HARE HARE
To continue with the morning program please chant Japa with Srila Prabhupada for at least an
hour, then greet the Deities.
 Chapter 6 - Putting On Tilak

Tilaka refers to the markings which Vaisnava devotees apply to their bodies, to remind
themselves and others that we are all eternal servants of Lord Krsna. The U-shaped mark
represents the heel of Lord Visnu, and the oval part represents the Tulasi leaf. Tilaka is applied
to twelve parts of the body, and the twelve names of the Lord are recited with each application.
To apply tilaka, start with a little Ganges or Yamuna water (if you don't have any, get some
water, and stirring it with your right middle finger, chant:

ganga cha yamune chaiva

godavari saravati
narmade sindho kaveri
jale 'smin sannidhim kuru
"O Ganges, O Yamuna, O Godavari, O Saravati, O Narmada, O Sindhu, O Kaveri, please
become present in this water."

Put the water in your left hand, and rub the hard tilak into the water, creating a wet paste out of
the clay. Begin by putting your ring finger of the right hand into the clay, and starting between
the eyebrows, bring the finger straight up to the hairline, making two straight lines. It should
look like a long, narrow U-shape. Then use some more tilak to make the Tulasi leaf on your
nose, it should extend about 3/4 of the way down your nose. As you apply the tilak to your body,
chant the following mantras:
 forehead om
keshavaya
namaha
om
 belly narayanaya
namaha
om
 chest madhavaya
namaha
om
 neck govindaya
namaha
om
 right belly vishnave
namaha
om
madhusudh
 right arm
anaya
namaha
om
 right shoulder trivikramay
a namaha
left belly om
vamanaya
 namaha
om
left arm shridharaya
namaha
om
left shoulder hrishikesha
ya namaha
om
upperback padmanabh
aya namaha
om
lower back damodaraya
namaha

Take the remaining tilak, and wipe it on the back of the head, in the area of the sikha, and chant om
vasudevaya namaha.

Lord Shiva says to Parvati that in the middle of the tilak marking there is a space, and in that
space reside Lakshmi and Narayana. Therefore the body that is decorated with tilaka should be
considered a temple of Lord Vishnu.