HH Bhakti Chaitanya Swami Maharaja spoke in detail as how offense to devotees brings great misfortune. Maharaj said that offense bring misfortune to not just a devotee but to entire community.
He was giving morning Chaitanya Charitamrita class at Iskcon Newtown Kolkata on 20th Feb 2026.
Before starting the class, Maharaja said that devotees should take notes during the class. He said, “Without taking notes, you retain 7%; with notes, 50%; and when you revise the notes, you retain 93%.”
Below is what Maharaj said in the class.
When a devotee makes an offense to an advanced devotee, then the entire temple is affected. We get the benefits of good things done, and similarly we get negative effects when someone does wrong. We all have the responsibility to at least help correct the situation.
Offense to Devotees – The Case of Ramachandra Khan ⚠️
Ramachandra Khan, a Hindu, was proud, arrogant, wealthy, influential, and the top man in his village. He had heard of Haridas Thakura and that Hindus were appreciating and glorifying him. Ramachandra Khan did not appreciate this. He thought Haridas Thakura was putting on a show.
So, he thought, “I must make arrangements so that people see what he really is.” He believed Haridas Thakura was not a real devotee and should not be appreciated or glorified as an advanced devotee because he was sure that he was not an advanced devotee.
Ramachandra Khan hired a prostitute and sent her to Haridas Thakura. When a beautiful girl comes and shows her physical features, he was sure that Haridas Thakura would fall upon seeing her. He had policemen behind the bushes and probably some reporters. The purpose was to inform others that Haridas Thakura was bad and should be treated like that.
The prostitute came and spoke in a certain way. She tried, but nothing happened to Haridas Thakura. He continued chanting. If you are approached, then do not follow what Haridas Thakura did and say that first you have to chant. He said, “I want to enjoy, but I have to chant my rounds.” In the middle of the night she fell asleep.
In the morning, when the rooster made sound, she asked Haridas Thakura, “Have you not finished your rounds?” Haridas Thakura said that it was yesterday’s rounds and he had to complete today’s rounds. She sat and began listening to the chanting. Her heart got purified, and she eventually became a transformed person.
Our chanting is not at that level. When we chant, we are distracted by so many things – what we have to do and what not to do. The propensity for getting distracted from japa is prominent. Haridas Thakura’s chanting was pure.
Work on your chanting
First lesson – we need to work on our chanting. It is an ongoing process.
Srila Prabhupada was once asked, “How long did it take you to perfect your chanting?” Srila Prabhupada said, “About 25 years.” He asked the students, “How old are you?” The students said, “20.” Srila Prabhupada answered, “You have time.”
We may think 25 years is fine, but it depends on whether we are working on it or not.
The prostitute became an advanced devotee in hours. Haridas Thakura left that place. The lady came and started living in the same hut and became a famous devotee. She asked him, “How will I maintain myself?” Haridas Thakura said, “Don’t worry. If you do so, Krishna will supply.” It was a fact. Many people saw that she had become a devotee, and local people supplied what she needed.
Later Maya Devi herself came with the complete potency of material energy, and the same thing happened. She could not bewilder Haridas Thakura.
Ramchandra Khan offends Lord Nityananda
Later on, Lord Nityananda, accompanied by a whole group of His disciples and devotees traveling around India, happened to pass through that area. They came to the town where Ramachandra Khan was living, and he was a big man in the town with wealth and influence.
Lord Nityananda and the devotees entered. Some asked local people if there was any place where their large group could be accommodated. They were advised to go to Ramachandra Khan’s place, as there was room there.
Lord Nityananda arrived there with devotee.
“Lord Nityānanda, who is omniscient because He is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, came to the house of Rāmacandra Khān and sat down on the altar of the Durgā-maṇḍapa.”
CC Antya-lila 3.150
When Lord Chaitanya had Mahaprakash lila at Srivas Thakura’s place, He moved the Saligram sila to the side and sat on the altar. Often Lord Chaitanya’s activities are exemplary, and sometimes they are not. It is called the Isvara principle. Srila Prabhupada said Lord Krishna does exemplary things which we should follow, but sometimes He does things that are not exemplary, such as dancing with the gopis. Because He is the Lord, if He wants to do something He can do it.
We should have transcendental intelligence to understand what to follow and what not to follow.
Srila Prabhupada was traveling for the first time with foreign devotees. There was no temple, and they were staying with devotees. But those devotees had some sahajiya ideas. They asked Srila Prabhupada to tell about rasa dance. Every day they asked the question, and Srila Prabhupada avoided it. When they kept on persisting then Srila Prabhupada said, “You may be qualified to hear it, but I am not qualified to speak about it.”
Ramchandra Khan suffers
As Lord Chaitanya did during the beginning of Mahaprakash lila, similarly Lord Nityananda sat on the Durga Mandap.
A servant came and asked what they could do. Lord Nityananda said, “Can we stay here tonight?” The servant went in and told Ramachandra Khan, but Ramachandra Khan did not come out.
Uninvited guests should be taken as God.
And here Lord Nityananda is God. Ramachandra Khan was so ignorant that he did not come out to meet or greet the Lord. The servant came out and said that Ramachandra Khan had asked him to accompany them to a local house, a cowshed, because this place was not spacious. It was very offensive.
Lord Nityananda said: “Rāmacandra Khān has spoken rightly. This place is unfit for Me. It is fit for cow-killing meat-eaters.” CC Antya 3.155
Ramachandra Khan ordered the servant to dig up the dirt in the place where Lord Nityananda had sat. He wanted to throw away the dirt. To purify the place, he sprinkled water and used cow dung. Ramachandra Khan went berserk. But Lord Nityananda is God. Because of making such offenses, things went downhill for Ramachandra Khan.
Ramachandra Khan was in the practice of hiding taxes. The Muslim minister of finance understood this and came to his place, the same place where Lord Nityananda was refused to stay. The minister arrested Ramachandra Khan, killed a cow there, and cooked the meat in that place. He continuously plundered their house and village for three days.
Ramachandra Khan lost his position, money, and followers, and the village became abandoned.
“Wherever an advanced devotee is insulted, for one man’s fault the entire town or place is afflicted.” CC Antya-lila 3.164
Because of Sringi’s fault whole Brahminical society suffered
Maharaj Parikshit was cursed by Sringi, the son of Samika Rsi. Samika Rsi was a devotee. Not only Maharaj Parikshit died, but the whole brahminical society gradually went downhill because of the fault of Sringi.
It takes a village to educate a child. Sringi was not qualified. He was proud and got carried away. Maharaj Parikshit was a pure devotee of the Lord and was ruling as a first-class Vaishnava. Like Ramachandra Khan, Sringi insulted Maharaj Parikshit.
At least locally everyone should have tried correcting Sringi.
Samika Rsi had not trained him properly. He had only trained him to curse. The village brahmanas were also negligent in correcting him.
One difficulty is how to deal with faults effectively. For example, when we see a senior breaking principles, if you are junior then do not try to correct them unless it is an emergency.
We should try to get a suitable devotee to correct the situation. If someone sincerely tries to correct, there may not be any reaction.
Lord Nityananda wanted to deliver Jagai and Madhai to glorify Lord Chaitanya. Since Lord Nityananda’s devotees were not properly treated, He behaved in this way with Ramchandra Khan.
