Fix your mind on Krishna's lotus feet, and all senses will be automatically controlled and purified.Listen — Srila Prabhupada Uvaca
Initiations — July 18, 1971, Detroit 710718IN-DETROIT [68:45 Minutes] Initiations_710718IN-DETROIT Prabhupāda: The ten offenses, explain. [japa] Jagadīśa: [explains ten offenses] So there are 10 offences. One must be very careful to avoid in chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra, explained here. The first, to blaspheme the devotees who have dedicated their lives for propagating the holy name of the Lord. This means one must be free from envy—especially of the spiritual master.
In the Nectar of Devotion, it is explained that one may not envy the spiritual master as he would an ordinary man. One may not be envious of the spiritual master, this enviousness of the spiritual master—blaspheme the spiritual master's position. The spiritual master being an emissary of Kṛṣṇa. An ambassador, just like if the ambassador of United States, suppose France was insulted then it is taken as an insult by the president.
It is taken as an insult, by the leader of the country. So the ambassador is just a representative, but the offence to the ambassador is not forgiven, in the case of a pure devotee Kṛṣṇa never forgives this offence. Because the pure devotee, the spiritual master is so dear to Kṛṣṇa performing the most beneficial activity to reform souls in the material world and thereby as Kṛṣṇa explains in the 18th chapter of the Bhagavad-gītā. There He explains this science of devotional service, the devotee is the most dear to the Lord. So therefore anyone who blasphemes or insults the spiritual master, the pure devotee is automatically becoming greatly hindered in his advancement in devotional service. In fact it is called a 'mad elephant' offence to offend a pure devotee.
Just as in a garden there are so many nice flowers and plants growing but if an elephant gets into the garden. If a 'mad elephant' gets into the garden then all the vines and flowers are torn, torn away from the roots. And so with devotional service, the creeper of devotional service can be completely destroyed by this offence to the pure devotee. This must be avoided. The second offence.
"To consider the names of the demigods like Lord Śiva or Lord Brahmā to be equal to or independent of the name of Lord Viṣṇu." Sometimes the atheistic class of men take it that any demigod is as good as the Supreme Personality of Godhead Viṣṇu but one who is a devotee knows that no demigod no matter how great he may be is independently as good as the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Therefore if somebody thinks that he can chant, "Kālī, Kālī," or "Durgā, Durgā," and it is the same as Hare Kṛṣṇa, that is the greatest offence. So, also in the Nectar of Devotion it is described that one who thinks of the demigods on an equal level with Kṛṣṇa or he thinks that it is alright that if you worship the demigods you will get to Kṛṣṇa, he is considered an atheist. He is not understanding the Supreme Personality of Godhead and his position as the supreme over all the spiritual world and material world. The demigods are merely living entities like ourselves, emanations from Kṛṣṇa. They cannot be accepted as God.
Sometimes they are accepted by foolish men, these foolish men are accepting, this is atheistic. So we should be careful to avoid comparing the demigods with the Lord placing them on any kind of equal level with the Supreme Personality Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa is the source of the demigods, as He explains in the Bhagavad-gītā and in the 9th chapter all about spiritual knowledge, Kṛṣṇa says, "Whatever is offered to the demigods is actually meant for Me. Albeit without due understanding—for I am the source of the demigods." "The third offence is to disobey the orders of the spiritual master." The spiritual master's instructions are given explicitly to the devotees so that he may make advancement so if the devotee neglects to follow these instructions of the spiritual master, his advancement will be in trouble.
In the Bhagavad-gītā Lord Kṛṣṇa tells Arjuna, "Never mind, don't consider loss or gain, victory or defeat, just fight for the sake of fighting—just fight." So one must... In the purport Śrīla Prabhupāda explains, one must execute the instructions of the spiritual master as if in military discipline, that may seem troublesome [indistinct]. But the troubles will preposter[?] tapasya, the difficulty will only go on by the disciples because he is following the instructions of the spiritual master. This is the key, this is the key to advancement in Kṛṣṇa consciousness.