Obstacles Bhakti - Kunjeshwari Home

Obstacles in Bhakti
je baishnab-sthane apardh hoy jar,
punah se khomile se ghuche nohe âr.”
Meaning – “The Lord said –I can instruct you on this matter, but I cannot
take away your Vaishnav-aparâdh. The only way to get rid of this aparâdh is
to beg forgiveness from the person against whom you have committed the
aparâdh. If he forgives then you are saved, there is no other way.” - (C.B.)
Therefore, we must please the one against whom we have committed an
aparâdh by glorifying him and showing him respect. It does not mean we
should go and angrily beat our head on the ground saying, “Sir! Please
forgive me. It is entirely my fault! I should have never spoken to you at all!
From now on I‘ll never talk to you and you mustn’t speak to me either.” In
this manner if we harbor anger against that person then it is of no use.
The best way to rid ourselves of aparâdh is to repent. “Alas! I am ignorant,
so I have committed aparâdh against a Vaishnav. Unknowingly I have hurt
the feelings of a Vaishnav, shame on me! I am not qualified to be called a
devotee at all. If my heart is blemished like this I shall never ever progress in
bhakti.” In this way, we should be ashamed of ourselves. Bow at the feet of
the one against whom we have committed aparâdh and cry out in misery for
forgiveness. Sri Vishwanath Chakravartipad has stated the same –
“tatashcha daivat tasminnaparâdhe jate ‘hanta pamarena maya sâdhushu
aparâdhâmiti’ anutapta janah ‘krishanou shâmyati taptang krishanano
evayam’ iti nyayena tatpadagra eve nipatya prasadayamiti vishannachetasa
pranatistuti samman-adibhis-tasyopashamah karyah.”
After much trying if we are unable to please the devotee, we should continue
to try to please him by doing things to please him. If we are still not
successful, we should chastise ourselves, be very much repentant and take
the shelter of Holy Name. We must also take an oath that we shall never
again commit am aparâdh like this. Then some day Sri Nâm-prabhu will take
mercy on us.
Vivek das –That's good. The Shâstras say, “If we take the shelter of Holy
Name we will be rid of all aparâdh.” So isn’t it better to follow Shâstra and
take the shelter of Holy Name rather than beg others repeatedly to forgive
us?
Gour kripa – In that case we will commit another aparâdh called
’to commit a sin on the strength of Holy Name’. We have to follow the
above-mentioned rule only when we don’t know against whom we have
committed an offence, or the person whom we have offended, is no more. It
leaves us with no option other than to take the shelter of Holy Name. Then
may be Holy Name will take mercy on us. Even then, we must remember
that we must repent enough and we must be especially careful about not
committing such an aparâdh again. Otherwise, Sri Nâm-prabhu will never be
pleased.
Many times, we see that great devotees do not take offence in spite of
behaving badly with them or insulting them. Instead, he considers it his own
fault and repents. Even if someone treats him unjustly, or expresses anger,
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