Shloka 5
The Lord’s Apology to the Kumāras and the Fall of Jaya and Vijaya
यन्नामानि च गृह्णाति लोको भृत्ये कृतागसि । सोऽसाधुवादस्तत्कीर्तिं हन्ति त्वचमिवामय: ॥ ५ ॥
yan-nāmāni ca gṛhṇāti loko bhṛtye kṛtāgasi so ’sādhu-vādas tat-kīrtiṁ hanti tvacam ivāmayaḥ
When a servant commits a wrong, people blame the master; such reproach destroys the master’s fame, as white leprosy taints the whole skin.
A Vaiṣṇava, therefore, should be fully qualified. As stated in the Bhāgavatam, anyone who has become a Vaiṣṇava has developed all the good qualities of the demigods. There are twenty-six qualifications mentioned in the Caitanya-caritāmṛta. A devotee should always see that his Vaiṣṇava qualities increase with the advancement of his Kṛṣṇa consciousness. A devotee should be blameless because any offense by the devotee is a scar on the Supreme Personality of Godhead. The devotee’s duty is to be always conscious in his dealings with others, especially with another devotee of the Lord.
FAQs
This verse compares unholy talk about an offender to a disease: it spreads and destroys one’s good name, indicating that gossip and slander are spiritually and socially harmful.
In the Vaikuṇṭha gate incident, the Kumāras address the fault of the gatekeepers and the ripple effects of wrongdoing—highlighting how public blame and harsh speech can ruin a person’s standing.
Avoid repeating others’ faults, especially publicly; correct mistakes with truth and compassion, and don’t amplify scandals—because harmful speech quickly erodes trust and character.