Krishna devotees normally show great compassion towards conditioned souls. Without even being invited, they will go door to door to enlighten people and remove them from the darkness of ignorance, infusing them in various facets with the knowledge of their intrinsic nature, which is to be engaged in devotional service, Krishna consciousness. These devotees of the Lord are invested by him with the power to impart devotional consciousness, or Krishna consciousness to the masses. Recognized as proven spiritual masters, it is by their grace that the conditioned soul obtains the seed of devotional service. The unmotivated mercy of God can first of all be appreciated when one meets a genuine spiritual master, able to elevate the conditioned soul to the highest devotion. This is why Lord Chaitanya says that the grace of the authentic spiritual master acquires us that of the Lord, and vice versa. By the grace of the spiritual master and Krishna, one receives the seed of devotion. Then it remains to plant it in the garden of his heart, like a gardener planting the seed of a precious tree. Once the seed is sown, it must be watered by singing and listening to the Holy Name of the Supreme Lord, or by taking part in exchanges on the science of devotion in the company of pure devotees. When the seed germinates, the devotional plant begins to grow freely. Fully blossomed, she crosses the limits of our galaxy to enter the spiritual world, the realm of Transcendence where everything is bathed in the radiance of the Lord. Little by little, she reached the planet Goloka Vrindavane, to take refuge there at the lotus feet of Krishna. This is the ultimate goal of devotional service. Accessing this position, the plant produces the fruit of love for God. However, it is required of the devotee, gardener of the Absolute, to water the plant every day by singing and listening. If it does not water its root in this way, the plant risks drying out.

The Lord then informed Roupa Gosvami of another threat related to the cultivation of the devotional plant. Indeed, when it has grown somewhat, an animal can come and eat its leaves or destroy it. When a plant loses its leaves in this way, it frequently dries up and dies. It is therefore necessary to ensure that the animals do not disturb the devotional plant, the animals in question being the offenses committed against the pure devotees of the Lord. Such offenses are compared to a raging elephant which, if it does enter a garden, causes serious damage to the plants and trees therein. Likewise, an offense against a pure devotee of God can significantly hinder our progress in devotional service. It is therefore advisable to protect the plant from devotion by surrounding it with an adequate fence, that is to say by avoiding any offense against pure devotees. There are ten of these offenses against pure devotees, or the Holy Name of Krishna.

The first is to blaspheme against the great devotees who strive to spread the glories of the Holy Name throughout the world. The wretch who, without foundation, shows himself hostile to a devotee seeking to spread the Holy Name throughout the world, in accordance with the directives of his spiritual master, commits the worst offense at the feet of the Holy Name. Krishna and his Holy Name being identical, the Lord does not tolerate that one denounces a pure devotee who spreads his Name everywhere.