(comprehensive), The Thousand Holy Names of ... - Mandhata Global

Introduction
cannot understand how offering prayers and water to a plant
can bestow spiritual advancement. If we follow the instruction
without argument, we will gain the benefit. When we become
spiritually qualified, Kåñëa will reveal the purpose of all
devotional instructions and practices from within our hearts.
Our duty is to follow in the footsteps of the great souls in
Kåñëa consciousness.
The fourth offense is to vilify the scriptures or Vedic
knowledge. Although there are many statements in the
scriptures that are difficult for us to comprehend, we should
not adopt a critical attitude because these are not ordinary
books. The Çrémad-Bhägavatam tells us that the Vedas are
originally manifested from the breathing of the Supreme Lord
Näräyaëa. And in Bhagavad-gétä, Kåñëa declares that He alone
is the true knower of the deep import of the Vedas. The Vedic
literature is extremely elevated and pure. Its purpose is the
salvation of all living entities from the suffering of material
existence. Thus it is meant for our eternal benefit, and we
should be careful not to underestimate its value.
The fifth offense is to define the Holy Name of the Lord in
terms of one's mundane calculation. The Holy Name of the
Lord is identical with the Lord Himself, therefore one should
understand the Holy Name to be nondifferent from Him. We
have discussed this point elaborately with evidence from the
Vedic scriptures in the Preface of this work. Nevertheless, in
the beginning stage of devotion, it is often difficult to see how
this is so. The best policy is to accept provisionally that the
Holy Name of the Lord is identical with Him, on the strength
of the word of the great souls who have passed this truth down
to us, and trust that when we are sufficiently purified we will be
able to realize it for ourselves.
The sixth offense is to interpret the Holy Name. The Lord is
not imaginary, nor is His Holy Name. There are persons with a
poor fund of knowledge who think the Lord to be an
imagination of the worshiper and therefore think His Holy
Name to be imaginary. Such a chanter of the Name of the Lord
cannot achieve the desired success in the matter of chanting
the Holy Name. There is no material significance or hidden
meaning to the Holy Names of the Lord. To speculate
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