Tattva-viveka
Aparadha
Madhavendra Puri Dasa - September 19, 2007 1:02 pm
Very basic thing but recently I realised that I wouldnt know how to explain it to others. Vaisnava aparadha- it can be easly understood- Krsna doesnt tolerate any offences aginst his devotees. However why Krsna accepts offences against himself? For example in Diety worship? What's the reason that being all mercifull and the most generous he doesnt overlook it, knowing how stupid we are? I have feeling that this is a silly question, but I couldnt help and had to ask. 
Syamasundara - September 19, 2007 6:51 pm
My feeling is that Vaisnava aparadha is spiritual suicide, it affects one as a soul. A Vaisnava represents all we are striving for. This is the path of devotion, and to be hostile to someone who embodies that devotion will burn the brige between us and our goal.
Krsna aparadha is probably more because we have a mind, just for us to learn what is conducive and what is not. Krsna taking offense for something is the same as a parent grounding you for having done something improper, so you learn. We are all about pleasing Krsna, so he sometimes kindly tells us what he likes and dislikes, most of the times with humor, he is such a joker.
Or sometimes we suffer the repercussions of an offense to Krsna because a Vaisnava cares. If a Vaisnava is disturbed by what we may have done willingly or not, then Krsna can not overlook.
Swami - September 19, 2007 7:11 pm
If you do something that is displeasing to the object of your love, such an action gets in the way of loving that object. Love is all about pleasing the object of one's love. So displeasing that object is the antithesis of this and hardly conducive for the cultivation of such love.
Prema-bhakti - September 19, 2007 8:59 pm
Very basic thing but recently I realised that I wouldnt know how to explain it to others. Vaisnava aparadha- it can be easly understood- Krsna doesnt tolerate any offences aginst his devotees. However why Krsna accepts offences against himself? For example in Diety worship? What's the reason that being all mercifull and the most generous he doesnt overlook it, knowing how stupid we are? I have feeling that this is a silly question, but I couldnt help and had to ask.
Here's a few thoughts I had on the topic.
Arcana implies strict adherence to regulation and therefore it is recommended in the sastra that householders perform arcana as they require strict regulation and should engage their wealth is the service of the deity. In terms of avoiding offenses to the deity it implies a certain required reverance. Such offenses are rooted in disrespect and therefore one should be respectful and reverant when performing arcana. This attitude will eventually foster genuine love for the object of one's worship when done in the proper mood under the guidance of a sad guru. When one develops such genuine affection then there is only pleasing the Lord. When we have no love to offer Him then we must follow the regulations given in the sastras as guidelines and try to avoid offenses.
It is described in Bhakti-sandarbha that one who inadvertantly commits an offense to the Lord should engage in an action pleasing to the Lord such as reading a chapter of Bhagavad-gita or by performing tulsi worship. Here the emphasis is placed on pleasing the Lord which is the ultimate aim of our worship. So in a sense our offenses are overlooked simply by pleasing Him in some way.
Madhavendra Puri Dasa - September 19, 2007 11:00 pm
Thank you for the comments. It is much clearer now.
Gandiva Dasi - September 20, 2007 4:14 pm
I didn't think it was a silly question at all thanks for asking it. And I appreciated the all the responses. We learn to love Krsna by learning what pleases him and how to please him and carefully and consciously make an effort and pray.
I especially appreciated Prema's point" When one develops such genuine affection then there is only pleasing the Lord. When we have no love to offer Him then we must follow the regulations given in the sastras as guidelines and try to avoid offenses.When we have no love to offer Him then we must follow the regulations given in the sastras as guidelines and try to avoid offenses.
It made me think of Vidura offering of banana peels and I found this in the Pancaratra Pradipa (ISKCON Deity Worship manual)
The following prayer from the Stava-mälä, Srila Rüpa Gosvämi aptly expresses the devotional attitude one should adopt in making an offering to the Lord:
O enemy of the Mura demon, as You happily accepted the eatables from the wives of the brähmanas of Mathurä, the banana peels of Vidura, the butter, yogurt, and milk of the cows of the Vraja area, the handful of chipped rice from your friend Sudämä, the milk from the nipples of mother Yaçodä, and the sweets offered with love by the gopis of the Vraja area, please accept my gift with the same pleasure.
Prema-bhakti - September 20, 2007 7:48 pm
The following prayer from the Stava-mälä, Srila Rüpa Gosvämi aptly expresses the devotional attitude one should adopt in making an offering to the Lord:O enemy of the Mura demon, as You happily accepted the eatables from the wives of the brähmanas of Mathurä, the banana peels of Vidura, the butter, yogurt, and milk of the cows of the Vraja area, the handful of chipped rice from your friend Sudämä, the milk from the nipples of mother Yaçodä, and the sweets offered with love by the gopis of the Vraja area, please accept my gift with the same pleasure.
Sweet!
Syamasundara - September 20, 2007 8:07 pm
That's a really nice prayer. It kind of corners him in a charming way.
Babhru Das - September 20, 2007 9:54 pm
What a wonderful prayer! Like Syamu, I like the way it sort of corners Krishna. I'll try to track down the Sanskrit, unless Bhrigu or Swami might have it.
I'd like to echo the assurances that Madhavendra's question is not at all silly; in fact, I'd guess we're all grateful for it, considering the nice responses it brought.
Nanda-tanuja Dasa - September 20, 2007 11:39 pm
dvija-strINAM bhakte mRduni vidurAnne vraja-gavAM
dadhi-kSIre sakhyuH sphuTa-cipita-muSTau mura-ripo
yazodAyAH stanye vraja-yuvati-datte madhuni te
yathAsId Amodas tam imam upahAre 'pi kurutAm
Babhru Das - September 21, 2007 12:44 am
Cool! Thanks, Nanda-tanuja.
Syamasundara - September 21, 2007 4:35 am
Weird meter indeed, I'll never memorize it, but thanks