In truth, one man's misbehavior affects his entire family.

Whoever offends a great soul will have to pay the price, but also the members of his family.

It is for this reason that a virtuous, worthy and noble man wishes to suffer his punishment alone. Not wishing for a calamity to fall on him and his family, he wants to bear the weight of his fault alone, without any detour. He hopes that his personal sufferings will lead him to abstain in the future from any new ineptitude, and that the fault of which he was guilty will thus be redeemed in such a way that his descendants will not have to suffer from it.

This is how a responsible holy being thinks. In return, the members of his family also share the fruits of the service of love and devotion he offers to Lord Krishna, God, the Supreme Person. In fact, the greatest benefit or blessing that the Lord can bestow upon a family is to bring a saint into it.

Are called “great souls”, the wise scholars, the authentic spiritual masters servants of Krishna, the devotees of the Lord and the spiritual guides.

Narayana, the plenary emanation of Krishna, addressing Siva said: “O Lord, he who commits offenses against great souls, cannot continue his existence. He sees himself annihilated by his own sinful acts.”

The ten offences not to be committed are:

1) Blaspheme a devotee of the Lord.

2) Put the Lord and celestial beings on the same plane or believe in the existence of many gods.

3) Disregard the spiritual master’s orders.

4) To minimize the authority of the Vedas, the original holy scriptures.

5) To interpret the Holy Name of the Lord.

6) Knowingly committing reprehensible acts by sympathizing with the chanting of the Holy Name in order to nullify its consequences.

7) Speak to unbelievers of the glories of the Name of the Lord.

8) Compare the song of the Holy Name to material piety.

9) Be inattentive during the chanting of the Holy Names.

10) To remain attached to matter despite the chanting of Holy Name, and to have heard so many instructions.

All those who commit an offence, and who, possessing great intelligence, are aware of its effects, must imperatively ask forgiveness. Everyone should do so, and take care not to offend great souls.

Indeed, he who ventures to insult a great soul can be sure to fall from his spiritual position. No one can protect the one who blasphemes a great soul, least of all God. Even if he is as powerful as Lord Siva, he who commits an offence is bound to fall. And if one does not care for this judgment and dares to blaspheme a learned sage, a genuine spiritual master servant of Krishna, a devotee of the Lord or a spiritual guide, he will have to suffer life after life.

To save ourselves from all this, let us surrender to Krishna, obey Him, do His divine will, renew our bond with Him, link our desires and interests with His and serve Him with love and devotion, then the Lord will take us under His protection.

Let us engrave this truth in golden letters in our memory.

“What we do to others, good or bad, will be done to us already at the end of our present life, and for sure in the next one.”

“So let us do no harm to anyone, human, animal or vegetable.”

“Let us not make the mistake of rejecting God, or worse, of denying his existence, because otherwise we will have to suffer the wrath of the illusory energy of the Lord.”