Chapter Eight

Offenses to Be Avoided

In the supplementary Vedic literature, there is the following list of 32 offenses in the matter of serving the Lord: 1) One should not enter the temple of the Deity in a car or palanquin or with shoes on the feet. 2) One should not fail to observe the various festivals for the pleasure of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, such as Janmāṣṭamī, Ratha-yātrā, etc. 3) One should not avoid bowing down before the Deity. 4) One should not enter the temple to worship the Lord without having washed his hands and feet after eating. 5) One should not enter the temple in a contaminated state. (According to Vedic scripture, if someone dies in the family the whole family becomes contaminated for some time, according to its status. For example, if the family is brāhmaṇa their contamination period is 12 days, for the kṣatriyas and vaiśyas it is 15 days, and for śūdras 30 days.) 6) One should not bow down on one hand. 7) One should not circumambulate in front of Śrī Kṛṣṇa. (The process of circumambulating the temple is that one should begin circumambulating from the Deity's right-hand side of the temple and come round. Such circumambulation should be performed outside the temple structure at least three times daily.) 8) One should not spread his legs before the Deity. 9) One should not sit before the Deity holding the ankles, elbows or knees with his hands. 10) One should not lie down before the Deity of Kṛṣṇa. 11) One should not accept prasādam before the Deity. 12) One should never speak a lie before the Deity. 13) One should not talk very loudly before the Deity. 14) One should not talk with others before the Deity. 15) One should not cry or howl before the Deity. 16) One should not quarrel or fight before the Deity. 17) One should not chastise anyone before the Deity. 18) One should not be charitable to beggars before the Deity. 19) One should not speak very harshly to others before the Deity. 20) One should not wear a fur blanket before the Deity. 21) One should not eulogize or praise anyone else before the Deity. 22) One should not speak any ill names before the Deity. 23) One should not pass air before the Deity. 24) One should not fail to worship the Deity according to his means. (In the Bhagavad-gītā it is stated that the Lord is satisfied if some devotee offers him even a leaf or a little water. This formula prescribed by the Lord is universally applicable, even for the poorest man. But that does not mean that one who has sufficient means to worship the Lord very nicely should also adopt this method and try to satisfy the Lord simply by offering water and a leaf. If he has sufficient means, he should offer nice decorations, nice flowers, nice foodstuffs and observe all ceremonies. It is not that one should try to satisfy the Supreme Lord with a little water and a leaf, and for himself spend all his money in sense gratification.) 25) One should not eat anything which is not offered first to Kṛṣṇa. 26) One should not fail to offer fresh fruit and grains to Kṛṣṇa, according to the season. 27) After cooking, no one should be offered any foodstuff unless it is first offered to the Deity. 28) One should not sit with his back towards the Deity. 29) One should not offer obeisances silently to the spiritual master; or in other words, one should recite aloud the prayers to the spiritual master while offering obeisances. 30) One should not fail to offer some praise in the presence of the spiritual master. 31) One should not praise himself before the spiritual master. 32) One should not deride the demigods before the Deity.

Chapter 8: Offenses to Be Avoided