Offend (CC and other books)

Expressions researched:
"offend" |"offended" |"offending" |"offends"

CC Adi-lila

CC Adi 2.31, Translation:

After Brahmā had offended Kṛṣṇa by stealing His playmates and calves, he begged the Lord's pardon for his offensive act and prayed for the Lord's mercy.

CC Adi 7.144, Purport:

If one is envious of Kṛṣṇa, how can he understand the Vedānta-sūtra or Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam? The Māyāvādīs' primary occupation is to offend the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Kṛṣṇa. For example, although Kṛṣṇa demands our surrender in the Bhagavad-gītā, the greatest scholar and so-called philosopher in modern India has protested that it is "not to Kṛṣṇa" that we have to surrender. Therefore, he is envious. Since Māyāvādīs of all different descriptions are envious of Kṛṣṇa, they have no scope for understanding the meaning of the Vedānta-sūtra. Even if they were on the liberated platform, as they falsely claim, love of Kṛṣṇa is beyond the state of liberation—a fact stated by Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu and repeated here by Kṛṣṇadāsa Kavirāja Gosvāmī.

CC Adi 17.10, Purport:

One day Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu was sitting on the throne of Viṣṇu in the house of Śrīvāsa Prabhu, and in a mood of His own He said, "My mother has offended the lotus feet of Advaita Ācārya. Unless she nullifies this offense at the lotus feet of a Vaiṣṇava, it will not be possible for her to achieve love of Kṛṣṇa." Hearing this, all the devotees went to bring Advaita Ācārya there. While coming to see the Lord, Advaita Ācārya was glorifying the characteristics of mother Śacīdevī, and thus upon arriving He fell down on the ground in ecstasy. Then, under the instruction of Lord Caitanya, Śacīdevī took advantage of this situation to touch Advaita Ācārya's lotus feet. Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu was very much pleased by His mother's action, and He said, "Now My mother's offense at the lotus feet of Advaita Ācārya has been rectified, and she may have love of Kṛṣṇa without difficulty." By this example Lord Caitanya taught everyone that although one may be very much advanced in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, if one offends the lotus feet of a Vaiṣṇava his advancement will not bear fruit. We should therefore be very cautious not to offend a Vaiṣṇava.

CC Adi 17.51, Purport:

We should note herein that all our sufferings in this material world, especially from disease, are due to our past sinful activities. And of all sinful activities, actions directed against a pure devotee out of sheer envy are considered extremely severe. Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu wanted Gopāla Cāpāla to understand the cause of his suffering. Any person who disturbs a pure devotee engaged in broadcasting the holy name of the Lord is certainly punished like Gopāla Cāpāla. This is the instruction of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. As we shall see, one who offends a pure devotee can never satisfy Caitanya Mahāprabhu unless and until he sincerely regrets his offense and thus rectifies it.

CC Madhya-lila

CC Madhya 1.194, Purport:

The śāstras strictly forbid a brāhmaṇa to accept service under anyone. The idea is that by accepting a master, one accepts the occupation of a dog. In other words, a dog cannot thrive without having a master, and for the sake of pleasing the master, dogs offend many people. They bark at innocent people just to please the master. Similarly, when one is a servant, he has to perform abominable activities according to the orders of the master.

CC Madhya 1.218, Purport:

Śrīla Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura says, chāḍiyā vaiṣṇava sevā nistāra peyeche kebā: unless one serves a Vaiṣṇava, he cannot be delivered. The spiritual master initiates the disciple to deliver him, and if the disciple executes the order of the spiritual master and does not offend other Vaiṣṇavas, his path is clear. Consequently Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu requested all the Vaiṣṇavas present to show mercy toward the two brothers, Rūpa and Sanātana, who had just been initiated by the Lord.

CC Madhya 2.35, Purport:

In the Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu, the word dainya (humility) is explained as follows: "When unhappiness, fearfulness and the sense of having offended combine, one feels condemned. This sense of condemnation is described as dīnatā, humility. When one is subjected to such humility, he feels physically inactive, he apologizes, and his consciousness is disturbed. His mind is also restless, and many other symptoms are visible."

CC Madhya 3.70, Purport:

All the rich foods offered to Kṛṣṇa are given to the gṛhasthas, the householders. There are many nice things offered to Kṛṣṇa—garlands, bedsteads, nice ornaments, nice food and even nicely prepared pan, betel nuts-but a humble Vaiṣṇava, thinking his body material and nasty, does not accept such preparations for himself. He thinks that by accepting such things he will offend the lotus feet of the Lord.

CC Madhya 4.9, Translation:

I thus offer my respectful obeisances unto the lotus feet of Vṛndāvana dāsa Ṭhākura. I hope that I will not offend his lotus feet by this action.

CC Madhya 7.29, Purport:

All the accusations made by Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu against His beloved devotees actually showed His great appreciation of their intense love for Him. Yet He mentioned these faults one after another as if He were offended by their intense affection.

CC Madhya 14.197, Translation and Purport:

"'When the border of Her sari and the cloth veiling Her face are caught, She externally appears offended and angry, but within Her heart She is very happy. Learned scholars call this attitude kuṭṭamita.'"

This is a quotation from the Ujjvala-nīlamaṇi (Anubhāva-prakaraṇa 44).

CC Madhya 14.199, Translation:

"Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī externally displays a kind of dry crying, as if She is offended. Then She mildly smiles and admonishes Lord Kṛṣṇa."

CC Madhya 15.50, Translation:

"A mother is not offended by her mad son, and knowing this, My mother is not offended by Me."

CC Madhya 15.268, Translation:

"When one offends the Supreme Personality of Godhead, karma immediately takes effect." After saying this, he recited two verses from the revealed scripture.

CC Madhya 17.142, Purport:

Those who are actually on the platform of Brahman realization and who have not offended the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa can immediately become Vaiṣṇavas simply by smelling the aroma of the Lord's lotus feet. But those who are offenders or demons are never attracted to the Lord's personal feature, even though they may visit the Lord's temple many times.

CC Madhya 19.156, Purport:

One should always think of oneself as a servant of the servant of the ācāryas, and thinking this, one should live in the society of Vaiṣṇavas (CC Madhya 13.80). However, if one thinks that he has become very mature and can live separate from the association of Vaiṣṇavas and thus gives up all the regulative principles due to offending a Vaiṣṇava, one's position becomes very dangerous.

CC Madhya 22.131, Purport:

One should also avoid those who are averse to Lord Viṣṇu and His devotees, those who are Māyāvādīs, those who offend the chanting of the Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra, those who simply dress as Vaiṣṇavas or so-called gosvāmīs, and those who make a business by selling Vedic mantras and reciting Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam to maintain their families. One should not try to understand Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam from such materialistic people.

CC Antya-lila

CC Antya 3 Summary:

A person named Rāmacandra Khān, who was envious of Haridāsa Ṭhākura, sent a professional prostitute to attempt to defame him, but by the mercy of Haridāsa Ṭhākura, even the prostitute was delivered. Because of offending a pure Vaiṣṇava, Rāmacandra Khān was later cursed by Nityānanda Prabhu and ruined.

CC Antya 3 Summary:

From Benāpola, Haridāsa Ṭhākura went to the village known as Cāndapura, where he lived at the house of Balarāma Ācārya. Thereafter, Haridāsa Ṭhākura was received by two brothers known as Hiraṇya and Govardhana Majumadāra, but in the course of a discussion he was offended by a caste brāhmaṇa known as Gopāla Cakravartī. Because of this offense, Gopāla Cakravartī was punished by being afflicted with leprosy.

CC Antya 3.146, Translation:

Rāmacandra Khān was naturally a nondevotee. Now, having offended the lotus feet of Haridāsa Ṭhākura, he became just like a demoniac atheist.

CC Antya 3.213, Purport:

Offending or blaspheming a Vaiṣṇava has been described as the greatest offense, and it has been compared to a mad elephant. When a mad elephant enters a garden, it ruins all the creepers, flowers and trees. Similarly, if a devotee properly executing his devotional service becomes an offender at the lotus feet of his spiritual master or another Vaiṣṇava, his devotional service is spoiled.

CC Antya 5.137, Translation and Purport:

"(Lord Indra said:) 'This Kṛṣṇa, who is an ordinary human being, is talkative, childish, impudent and ignorant, although He thinks Himself very learned. The cowherd men in Vṛndāvana have offended me by accepting Him. This has not been greatly appreciated by me.'"

This verse is from Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (10.25.5).

CC Antya 8.26, Purport:

As confirmed in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (10.14.4), a person without devotional service who simply wants to know things (kevala-bodha-labdhaye) gains only dry speculative knowledge but no spiritual profit. This is confirmed in the Bhakti-sandarbha (111), wherein it is said:

jīvan-muktā api punar yānti saṁsāra-vāsanām

yady acintya-mahā-śaktau bhagavaty aparādhinaḥ

"Even though one is liberated in this life, if one offends the Supreme Personality of Godhead he falls down in the midst of material desires, of which dry speculation about spiritual realization is one."

CC Antya 8.100, Translation:

Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu did not consider the offenses of Rāmacandra Purī, for the Lord considered him His spiritual master. However, his character instructed everyone about the result of offending the spiritual master.

CC Antya 12.34, Translation:

Śivānanda Sena's nephew, Śrīkānta, the son of his sister, felt offended, and he commented on the matter when his uncle was absent.

CC Antya 14.28, Purport:

The woman was so eager to see Lord Jagannātha that she forgot she was offending the feet of a Vaiṣṇava by climbing the column of Garuḍa. She also neglected to consider that by putting her foot on the shoulder of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, she offended the Supreme Personality of Godhead. These are both grievous offenses that displease the Supreme Lord and Vaiṣṇavas. She was so eager to see Lord Jagannātha, however, that she committed all these offenses obliviously. Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu praised her eagerness; He regretted that Lord Jagannātha had not bestowed such great eagerness upon Him.

CC Antya 19.107, Purport:

How has Kṛṣṇa offended the gopīs so that they want to reject Him from their minds? The answer is given as follows:

sakṛd adhara-sudhāṁ svāṁ mohinīṁ pāyayitvā

sumanasa iva sadyas tatyaje ‘smān bhavādṛk

paricarati kathaṁ tat-pāda-padmaṁ tu padmā

hy api bata hṛta-cetā uttama-śloka-jalpaiḥ

"Kṛṣṇa no longer gives us the enchanting nectar of His lips; instead, He now gives that nectar to the women of Mathurā. Kṛṣṇa directly attracts our minds, yet He resembles a bumblebee like you because He gives up the association of a beautiful flower and goes to a flower that is inferior. That is the way Kṛṣṇa has treated us. I do not know why the goddess of fortune continues to serve His lotus feet instead of leaving them aside. Apparently she believes in Kṛṣṇa's false words. We gopīs, however, are not unintelligent like Lakṣmī."

Teachings of Lord Caitanya

Teachings of Lord Caitanya, Chapter 1:

The Lord is Supreme, and no one is equal to or greater than Him. Consequently if one thinks that the Lord's names are nondifferent from the names of demigods, he offends. The Supreme Lord and the demigods should never be considered on the same level.

Teachings of Lord Caitanya, Chapter 22:

Prakāśānanda also quoted another verse (SB 10.4.46) in which it is stated that one's duration of life, prosperity, fame, religion and the benediction of higher authorities are all lost when one offends a devotee.

Nectar of Devotion

Nectar of Devotion 21:

A person who does not express his mind to everyone, or whose mental activity and plan of action are very difficult to understand, is called grave. After Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa had been offended by Brahmā, Brahmā prayed to Him to be excused. But in spite of his offering nice prayers to Kṛṣṇa, Brahmā could not understand whether Kṛṣṇa was satisfied or still dissatisfied. In other words, Kṛṣṇa was so grave that He did not take the prayers of Brahmā very seriously.

Nectar of Devotion 29:

One day Yaśodā was chasing Kṛṣṇa in the yard after He had offended her. After a while, Yaśodā became very fatigued, and therefore she was perspiring, and her bunched hair became loosened. This is an instance of becoming fatigued because of working too much.

Nectar of Instruction

Nectar of Instruction 6, Purport:

When one thus criticizes a pure devotee, he commits an offense (vaiṣṇava-aparādha) that is very obstructive and dangerous for those who desire to advance in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. A person cannot derive any spiritual benefit when he offends the lotus feet of a Vaiṣṇava. Everyone should therefore be very careful not to be jealous of an empowered Vaiṣṇava, or a śuddha-vaiṣṇava.

Krsna, The Supreme Personality of Godhead

Krsna Book 14:

Lord Brahmā therefore compared himself to a little child within the womb of his mother. If the child within the womb plays with his hands and legs, and while playing touches the body of the mother, is the mother offended with the child? Of course she isn’t. Similarly, Lord Brahmā may be a very great personality, and yet not only Brahmā but everything that be is existing within the womb of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

Krsna Book 14:

Since everything is existing within the energy of the Lord, the Brahmā of this universe and the Brahmās of the many other millions and trillions of universes are existing within the energy of the Lord; therefore the Lord is considered to be the mother, and everything existing within the womb of the mother is considered to be the child. And the good mother is never offended with the child, even if he touches the body of the mother by kicking his legs.

Krsna Book 16:

"Our dear Lord, every living creature is Your offspring, and You maintain everyone. This serpent is also Your offspring, and You can excuse him once although he has offended You, undoubtedly without knowing Your supremacy. We are praying that he may be excused this time."

Krsna Book 27:

"My dear Lord," Indra said, "being puffed up by my false prestige, I thought that You had offended me by not allowing the cowherd men to perform the Indra-yajña, and I thought that You wanted to enjoy the offerings that were arranged for the sacrifice. I thought that in the name of a Govardhana sacrifice You were taking my share of profit, and therefore I mistook Your position. Now by Your grace I can understand that You are the Supreme Lord, the Personality of Godhead, and that You are transcendental to all material qualities."

Krsna Book 56:

Not only Satyabhāmā but also Jāmbavatī, the daughter of Jāmbavān, was married to Kṛṣṇa on account of the Syamantaka jewel. These two marriages took place before the appearance of Pradyumna, which was described in the last chapter. How King Satrājit offended the Yadu dynasty and how he later came to his senses and offered his daughter and the Syamantaka jewel to Kṛṣṇa are described as follows.

Krsna Book 56:

King Ugrasena then called for a meeting of all important kings and chiefs. He also invited Satrājit, and before the whole assembly Kṛṣṇa explained the incident of the recovery of the jewel from Jāmbavān. Kṛṣṇa wanted to return the valuable jewel to King Satrājit. Satrājit, however, was ashamed because he had unnecessarily defamed Kṛṣṇa. He accepted the jewel in his hand, but he remained silent, bending his head downwards, and without saying anything in the assembly of the kings and chiefs, he returned home with the jewel. Then he thought about how he could clear himself of the abominable act he had performed by defaming Kṛṣṇa. He was conscious that he had offended Kṛṣṇa very grievously and that he had to find a remedial measure so that Kṛṣṇa would again be pleased with him.

Krsna Book 57:

Understanding Kṛṣṇa's plan to kill him, he immediately went to take shelter of Kṛtavarmā. But Kṛtavarmā said, "I shall never be able to offend Lord Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma, for They are not ordinary persons. They are the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Who can be saved from death if he has offended Balarāma and Kṛṣṇa? No one can be saved from Their wrath."

Krsna Book 57:

When Śatadhanvā was refused help by Kṛtavarmā, he went to Akrūra and implored him to help. But Akrūra also replied, "Balarāma and Kṛṣṇa are Themselves the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and anyone who knows Their unlimited strength would never dare offend Them or fight with Them."

Krsna Book 67:

Dvivida, being thus intoxicated with his limited strength, began to tear off all the valuable clothes worn by Balarāma and the accompanying young girls. He was so puffed up that he thought Balarāma could not do anything to chastise him, and he continued to offend Balarāmajī and His companions.

Krsna Book 89:

After being saved from the anger of Lord Śiva, Bhṛgu Muni went directly to the planet Śvetadvīpa, where Lord Viṣṇu was lying on a bed of flowers in the company of His wife, the goddess of fortune, who was engaged in massaging His lotus feet. There Bhṛgu Muni purposely committed the greatest sin by offending Lord Viṣṇu by his bodily activities. The first offense committed by Bhṛgu Muni was mental, the second offense was vocal, and the third offense was corporal. These different offenses are progressively greater in degree. An offense committed within the mind is a positive offense, the same offense committed verbally is comparatively more grave, and when committed by bodily action it is superlative in offensiveness. So Bhṛgu Muni committed the greatest offense by kicking the chest of the Lord with his foot in the presence of the goddess of fortune.

Renunciation Through Wisdom

Renunciation Through Wisdom 2.3:

On the other hand, offending such pure devotees finishes all possibility of salvation. If one offends the Supreme Lord, only His pure devotees can save the offender, but if one offends the pure devotee, then even the Supreme Lord will not save the offender from doom. For this reason alone, pure devotees never feel offended. When Jesus Christ was being crucified, he did not blame anyone for it. Haridāsa Ṭhākura was severely lashed in twenty-two marketplaces by the Muslim Kazi's sentries. Still he prayed to the Lord not to punish his tormentors. Lord Nityānanda was wounded by the two rascals Jagāi and Mādhāi, yet the Lord stood His ground, bleeding profusely. He delivered the two notorious brothers and thus brilliantly exemplified the title patita-pāvana. Such is the profound compassion of the pure devotees.

Renunciation Through Wisdom 2.8:

The sad fact is that although Kṛṣṇa reveals the truth about Himself throughout the Bhagavad-gītā and other Vedic literatures, the luckless populace cannot regard Him as the Supreme Lord. In particular, the impersonalistic philosophers, who make tall claims of being bastions of religiosity, reduce the Supreme Lord to the level of a mediocre mortal and thereby accrue heavy sins. Such atheistic offenders can never approach the subject of God on their own merit. The Supreme Lord and His surrendered servitors have in various ways clarified and transmitted the knowledge of the Supreme Absolute, but those who offend the Supreme Lord and His devotees can never comprehend such topics.

Renunciation Through Wisdom 2.12:

The single-minded devotee who never offends the Supreme Lord or His devotees is to be considered a saintly soul. Even if it seems that such a saint is not yet rid of all sinful propensities, he will never be destroyed, as are the yogīs and karmīs in a similar situation. This the Supreme Lord Himself has declared.

Renunciation Through Wisdom 2.13:

The impersonalists and empiric philosophers consider the unalloyed devotees of the Lord sentimental fools, and thus they deride them. This is a big offense. Such offences cause the impersonalists and pseudo-devotees to slowly become demoniac. Having lost good sense and a stable mind, they gradually develop animosity toward the Supreme Lord and find all their life's endeavors reduced to suffering and futility. If one of these deluded demoniac impersonalists comes in contact with a pure devotee and by his mercy regains his lost insight, then he can begin to understand that the pure devotees he offended are exchanging spiritual mellows with Lord Kṛṣṇa and are thus forever free from ignorance and illusion.

Renunciation Through Wisdom 3.1:

Only a liberated, highly evolved soul can utter the Lord's name purely and thus achieve the highest realization, untainted love of Godhead. The speculative philosopher brāhmaṇa, who was very much addicted to sophism, could not fathom the saint's instructions and so ended up offending him.