NITAAI-Veda.nyf > Compiled and Imp Scriptures > Shrimad Bhagavatam > Canto-6 > Ajamila |
Ajamila.
After hearing the description of the
hellish planets, Maharaja Parikshit, being a compassionate Vaishnava, became
very concerned about how the conditioned souls could attain liberation from
material entanglement. Therefore, he inquired from Shukadeva Gosvami, “O most
fortunate sage, please tell me how the human beings may be saved from having to
enter the hellish conditions that you have described, and thus suffer so
greatly.”
Shukadeva Gosvami replied, “My dear King,
before the time of death arrives, if one does not counteract whatever impious
acts he has performed with his body, mind, and words by means of proper
atonement, he will certainly have to enter the hellish planets and undergo
terrible suffering. Therefore, before death arrives, one should atone according
to the prescriptions that are given in shastra. Just as an expert physician
diagnoses a disease and then treats it according to its gravity, one should
undergo atonement according to the severity of his sins.”
Shukadeva Gosvami could have immediately
spoken to Maharaja Parikshit about the superior strength of devotional service,
but to test the intelligence of his disciple, he first of all described the
process of atonement according to karma-kanda. It is a fact that anyone who
does not take to devotional service must follow this system of atonement if he
wants to save himself from hellish life.
The intelligent king then said, “One may
know that sinful activity is injurious due to having seen how a criminal is
punished by the government and rebuked by people in general. Or, one may hear
from shastra about the hellish conditions that await the performer of sinful
acts. And yet, despite such knowledge, it is seen that even learned persons
commit sinful activities again and again, as if by force, even after having
undergone atonement. It appears that the process of sinning and then atoning is
like the bathing of an elephant. An elephant cleanses himself very nicely with
water, but then, after coming out of the river, it throws dust all over its
body. Therefore, I consider this process of atonement to be useless.”
It is a fact that regardless of how many
times he is punished, one who is attached to sense enjoyment will commit sinful
acts again and again, being forced to do so by habit. By pointing this out,
Maharaja Parikshit passed the test of his spiritual master and then waited to
hear more on the subject.
Shukadeva Gosvami continued, “My dear
King, because acts of atonement are fruitive by nature, they cannot free one
from the tendency to continue to act fruitively. In other words, people who are
in the mode of darkness may counteract the reaction of a particular sin by
means of atonement, but because they have not been elevated from their ignorant
condition, they will certainly continue to act sinfully. Even if an ignorant
person superficially adopts a life of piety, he will remain prone to sinful
acts because his material desires have not been uprooted. Therefore, real
atonement is enlightenment in perfect knowledge.”
“If a diseased person eats pure food as
prescribed by a physician, he gradually becomes cured. Similarly, if one
follows the regulative principles of knowledge, he gradually progresses towards
liberation from material contamination. For this purpose one must observe a
life of celibacy without falling down, and observe various austerities by
voluntarily giving up sense enjoyment. One must learn to control the mind and
senses, give in charity, and be truthful, clean and nonviolent. In this way,
one may become purified of all sins, just as dried leaves and creepers beneath
a bamboo tree may be burned to ashes by fire.”
Since Maharaja Parikshit was a great
devotee, this answer in terms of gyana-kanda also did not satisfy him. He knew
that, just as the burned creepers may grow up again because the roots have
remained in the ground, one may return to sinful life in spite of following the
process of acquiring knowledge as outlined above, because the roots of desire
have remained within his heart.
Shukadeva Gosvami could very well
understand his disciple’s mind, and so without even waiting for Maharaja
Parikshit’s rebuttal, he continued as follows: “Only the rare person who has
become a pure, unalloyed devotee of the Lord can uproot the weeds of sinful
life so that there is no possibility that they will once again revive. This is
accomplished by the execution of devotional service, just as the sun completely
dissipates fog by its powerful rays.”
“My dear King, if a sinful person
engages in the service of a bona-fide devotee, and thus learns how to dedicate
his life to the lotus feet of the Lord, he can become completely purified. Such
perfection is not possible for one who undergoes the other methods that I had
described, however, beginning with brahmacharya. Therefore, bhakti-yoga is the
most auspicious path, and it is fearless because success is guaranteed.”
“Just as a pot that had contained liquor
cannot be purified even if washed by the water of many rivers, nondevotees
cannot become purified by the process of atonement, even if it is performed
perfectly. On the other hand, even though they may not have perfectly realized
Krishna, the devotees who have fully surrendered, even once, unto His lotus
feet and thus have become attached to His name, form, qualities and pastimes
are completely freed from all sinful reactions, for they have accepted the true
means of atonement. Even in dreams, such surrendered souls never see Yamaraja
or his order carriers, the Yamadutas. In this connection, learned saintly
persons describe an ancient history, which I shall now narrate to you.”
There was once a brahmana named Ajamila
who lived in the city of Kanyakubja (modern Kanoja). In his youth, Ajamila was
a reservoir of all good qualities, and was firmly established in executing the
Vedic injunctions. Because of following the rules of perfect brahmacharya, he
was very mild and gentle, and he kept his senses under control. He was expert
in chanting the Vedic mantras, he was always truthful, and he would not indulge
in speaking nonsensically. Ajamila was very respectful to his superiors and
guests, and he acted in a benevolent way toward all living entities. He was
always very well behaved, non-envious, and freed from all kinds of false
prestige.
Once, on the order of his father, Ajamila
went to the forest to collect some fruit, flowers and two kinds of grass called
samit and kusha. While walking along the public road, Ajamila happened to come
upon a very lusty shudra shamelessly embracing and kissing a prostitute.
Because the couple was intoxicated, the shudra was smiling and singing, as if
this were proper behavior, and the dress of the prostitute, whose eyes were
rolling, had become loose.
Upon seeing this, the dormant lusty
desires within Ajamila’s heart were awakened, and he fell under their control
due to illusion. Ajamila tried very hard to suppress his lust and control his
mind, by remembering the instructions of shastra regarding the association of
women. Because the force of Cupid raged within his heart, however, he failed to
do so. Thus, just as the sun and moon are eclipsed by a low planet, the
brahmana’s good sense was taken away by lust.
Taking advantage of the situation, Ajamila
always thought of the prostitute. Then, after the death of his father soon
thereafter, he engaged her as a servant in his house. Having abandoned all
regulative principles of a brahmana, Ajamila began spending whatever money he
had inherited to satisfy the prostitute so that she would remain pleased with
him. Because his intelligence had been pierced by her lustful glance, the
victimized Ajamila gave up the company of his very beautiful young wife, who
was from a respectable brahmana family, and engaged in sinful acts in the prostitute’s
association.
After his inheritance became exhausted,
Ajamila began to earn money by any means possible, so that he could maintain
the prostitute and their children. Sometimes he would arrest someone and
plunder him, and sometimes he got money by cheating others in gambling. In this
way, after living a long life of extravagance, transgressing scriptural
injunctions, and eating food prepared by a prostitute, Ajamila arrived at his
88th year.
Ajamila had ten sons, and in spite of
his being an old man, his smallest child, who was named Narayana, was hardly
more than a baby. The youngest child is naturally very dear to his parents, and
so because of little Narayana’s broken language and awkward movements, Ajamila
became very attached to him. While taking very special care of his son, Ajamila
would regularly call out, “My dear Narayana, please come here and eat this
food. Narayana, please come and drink this milk.” Thus, although Ajamila had
completely forgotten Lord Narayana, the Supreme Personality of Godhead- due to
agyata-sukriti he had named his youngest son Narayana. By constantly calling
his son, Ajamila unknowingly became attached to the chanting of the holy name
of the Lord, and as a result, he steadily became purified. Although he was referring
to his small child, and not to the original Narayana, the holy name is so
powerful that his chanting was being counted and recorded.
While absorbed in taking care of his
little son, the foolish Ajamila could not understand that his allotted time had
become exhausted. When the moment of death arrived, Ajamila saw three very
hideous-looking persons with deformed features; fierce, twisted faces; and hair
standing erect all over their bodies. With ropes in their hands, these
Yamadutas had come to take Ajamila to the abode of Yamaraja.
Being extremely afraid, the
bewildered Ajamila began loudly calling out for his small son, Narayana, who
was playing nearby. Thus, although he was calling for his child, Ajamila
somehow or other offenselessly chanted the holy name of the Lord at the time of
death, in great anxiety, and with tears in his eyes.
In his youth, Ajamila had been accustomed
to worship the Narayana-shila, and as a reward for this service, the Lord
mercifully inspired him to name his youngest son, Narayana. Actually, when
Ajamila named his son Narayana, all the reactions of his sinful life became
neutralized. Then, as he continued to chant the name Narayana thousands of
times while calling his son, he unconsciously advanced in Krishna
consciousness. Then, at the time of death, when Ajamila concentrated his mind
on the holy name of Narayana, he remembered the original Narayana, whom he had
very faithfully worshiped in his youth.
After hearing the holy name of their
master from the mouth of the dying Ajamila, four Vishnudutas immediately
arrived upon the scene. The Yamadutas were just about to snatch the soul from
the core of the heart of Ajamila’s body, but with resounding voices, the
Vishnudutas forbade them to do so.
The Yamadutas had never before been
hindered in the execution of their duty, and thus with great surprise they
responded, “Who are you that you dare to challenge the jurisdiction of
Yamaraja? Whose servants are you, and where have you come from? Are you
demigods, sub-demigods, or devotees of the Supreme Lord? Your eyes are just
like lotus-petals, and your four long arms are adorned with bows, swords,
clubs, conch shells, discs and lotus flowers. With your beautiful dress and
ornaments, you appear very fresh and youthful, and your effulgence has
dissipated the darkness of this place. Why are you obstructing us from the
execution of our duty?”
Upon hearing the words of the Yamadutas,
the Vishnudutas smiled and then replied with voices that were as deep as the
sound of rumbling clouds: “If you are
actually servants of Yamaraja, then you must explain to us the meaning of
religious principles, as well as the symptoms of irreligion. Please tell us who
is actually fit for punishment- all of the fruitive workers in this world, or
only some of them?”
The Yamadutas said, “The Vedas emanate
directly from the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Narayana, and thus that which
is prescribed in them constitutes dharma, religious principles. On the other
hand, anything that is opposed to the Vedic principles is to be considered as
irreligion. Lord Narayana, as the all-pervading Paramatma (Supreme Soul),
witnesses the activities of the living entities, as do the demigods, the sun,
fire, air, moon, water, land, and the directions. Whoever these witnesses
confirm to have deviated from their prescribed duties becomes a candidate for
punishment. In proportion to the extent of one’s religious or irreligious acts
in this life, he must enjoy or suffer the corresponding reactions in the next.”
“Since everyone in this world is a fruitive
actor, working under the direction of the three modes of material nature,
sinful acts are inevitable. For this reason, everyone in this world becomes
punishable at some time or other. Just as springtime in the present indicates
the nature of spring in the past as well as the future, so the symptoms of
happiness, distress, or a mixture of the two that one exhibits gives evidence
regarding the religious and irreligious acts of his past and future lives.”
“Our master, Yamaraja is as good as Lord
Brahma, because while situated in his own abode, he can mentally observe the
activities of all living entities and thus understand their past and future
actions as well. In his youth, this Ajamila was a very good brahmana, but by
the association of a prostitute he became extremely degraded and performed
innumerable sinful acts. Because he never underwent the process of atonement
for his sins, we must take him to Yamaraja so that he can be punished for his
own purification.”
After hearing the statements of the
Yamadutas, the Vishnudutas, who are always very expert in logic and argument,
replied, “Oh, how painful it is that irreligion is being introduced into an
assembly where religion should be maintained! Those who are in charge of
maintaining religious principles are needlessly punishing a sinless person! A
ruler should be so well qualified that he acts just like a father while
instructing and protecting the citizens without partiality. If leaders become
polluted, however, and thus exhibit partiality by punishing the innocent, where
will the citizens be able to take shelter?”
“The innocent and unenlightened
citizen is just like an ignorant animal that is sleeping in peace with its head
upon the lap of its master. If a leader of society actually deserves to be the
object of one’s faith, then how can he punish a foolish person who has fully
surrendered in good confidence?”
“Ajamila has not only atoned for the sins
that he performed in this lifetime, but for those he had performed in millions
of previous births, for in a helpless condition he chanted the hole name of
Lord Narayana. Even though his chanting was not pure, it was offenseless. As a
result of this nama-abhasa chanting, Ajamila has become pure and eligible for
liberation. Even previously, while taking care of his son, Ajamila repeatedly
uttered the four syllables na-ra-ya-na and thus sufficiently atoned for the
sinful reactions that he might have accumulated throughout millions of lives.”
“The chanting of the holy name of Lord
Vishnu is the best process of atonement for one who kills a brahmana; murders
women, a king, or his own father; who slaughters cows; has sex with the wife of
his guru; and for all kinds of other sinful people. Simply by such chanting one
can attract the attention of the Supreme Lord, who therefore considers,
‘Because this man has chanted My holy name, My duty is to give him protection’.
Vedic ritualistic atonement is not as purifying as the chanting of the Lord’s
holy name, which reminds one of His fame, qualities and pastimes, and it does
not awaken devotional service unto the Lord.”
“Because Ajamila very loudly and
helplessly chanted the holy name of Lord Narayana, he has become freed from all
reactions to sinful life. Therefore, O servants of Yamaraja, do not try to take
him to your master for punishment in hellish conditions. One who chants the
holy name of the Lord is immediately freed from the reactions of unlimited
sins, even if he chants indirectly to indicate something else, or if he chants
jokingly, for musical entertainment, or even neglectfully.”
“Although sinful acts may be neutralized
by the performance of austerities and vows, and the giving of charity- such
pious acts cannot uproot the material desires within one’s heart. By rendering
service unto the lotus feet of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, however, one
can become completely purified. Even if one does not know the efficacy of a
certain medicine, it will act just the same. Similarly, even if one does not
understand the value of chanting the holy name of the Lord, his chanting will
nonetheless prove very effective.”
After saying this, the Vishnudutas
released Ajamila from the ropes of the Yamadutas. Since they were highly
disappointed at being baffled in their attempt to arrest Ajamila, the Yamadutas
hastily departed for the court of Yamaraja, so that they could describe to him
all that had taken place. After being released, Ajamila came to his senses and
became freed from all fear. Being extremely grateful to the Vishnudutas for
having saved him from the hands of the Yamadutas, Ajamila very respectfully
offered his obeisances by bowing his head at their lotus feet. Then, when the
Vishnudutas saw that Ajamila was about to say something, they immediately
disappeared from the scene.
Since Ajamila was now freed from all
sinful reactions, he was prepared to glorify the Lord. Just to increase the
depth of Ajamila’s feelings by separation, the Vishnudutas thought it best to
disappear from his presence. By hearing the discussion between the Vishnudutas
and Yamadutas, Ajamila became fully enlightened about the relationship between
the living entity and the Supreme Personality of Godhead, on the platform of
pure devotional service.
While remembering his past activities,
Ajamila greatly regretted his sinful life, and so he spoke as follows: “Oh! How
degraded I had become due to being a servant of my senses! I fell down from my
position as a duly qualified brahmana, and begot children in the womb of a
prostitute. How condemned I am for having given up my chaste and beautiful wife
to have sexual intercourse with a fallen prostitute who was accustomed to
drinking wine!”
“My old father and mother had no one else
to look after them, and because I neglected them, they had to live with great
difficulty. How ungrateful I was to have left them in that condition! It is now
clear that sinful persons like myself must be thrown into hellish conditions,
to suffer extreme miseries.”
“Did I see a dream, or was it a reality?
Where have the fearsome men with ropes in their hands gone? Where are the four
very beautiful, liberated persons who saved me from being dragged to hell? It
must be the result of my past devotional service that I was able to see the
four exalted personalities who came to rescue me, and also chant the holy name
of the Supreme Lord while dying. Otherwise, how would it have been possible?”
“I am a shameless cheater who has degraded
his family tradition and killed his brahminical culture. Because I am like sin
personified, what am I in comparison to the all-auspicious chanting of the holy
name of Lord Narayana? Now that I have gotten this opportunity to come to my
senses, I must completely control myself and engage in the devotional service
of the Lord, so that I may not once again fall down into the darkness of
ignorance which is material life.”
“Due to bodily identification, one becomes
subjected to desires for sense gratification, and thus engages in various pious
and impious acts. Now I shall disentangle myself from this material bondage,
which has been caused by the Supreme Lord’s illusory energy in the form of a
woman. Being most fallen, I became just like a dancing dog led around by the
hand of a woman. Now I shall give up my lusty desires and get freed from this
illusion by becoming a merciful, well-wishing friend to all living entities,
and absorbing myself fully in Krishna consciousness. Now that I have become
fixed in the Absolute Truth, I will henceforward no longer identify myself with
the body, but instead fix my mind at the lotus feet of Krishna.”
Because of a moment’s association with the
Vishnudutas, Ajamila became detached from all material attraction, and with
great determination he immediately set out for Hardwar, which is located on the
banks of the Ganga. There, he took shelter in a temple of Lord Vishnu and began
executing the process of devotional service with fully controlled mind and
senses. In this way, Ajamila became completely absorbed in meditation upon the
transcendental form of the Lord, and when his mind and intelligence were thus
fixed, he once again saw the same four Vishnudutas before him. After offering
his obeisances unto them, Ajamila gave up his material body. In his original
spiritual body, Ajamila boarded the Vishnuduta’s golden airplane and went
directly back to the abode of Lord Vishnu, Vaikuntha, where he was very
respectfully received and worshiped.
Meanwhile, the Yamadutas came before their
master in Samyamani-puri, and said, “O lord, how many controllers are there in
this material world? If there are many administrators of justice who disagree
about punishment and reward, their contradictory decisions will neutralize each
other, so that no one will be punished or rewarded. Or, if they do not
neutralize one another, then everyone will have to be both punished and
rewarded. Of course, due to the vast number of fruitive workers, there may be
many judges, but there must be one central authority over all of them.”
“We were under the impression that you
were the supreme judge and that your jurisdiction extends everywhere. Now,
however, we saw that four wonderful and perfect persons superceded your order.
As we were bringing the sinful Ajamila here, they forcibly cut our ropes. As
soon as Ajamila chanted the name, Narayana, these four beautiful personalities
arrived there and assured him of fearlessness.”
“Your lordship, if you think that we
are able to understand, we wish to know about these wonderful personalities.”
The frustrated Yamadutas had become
somewhat angry at having been impeded by the Vishnudutas, and so they more or
less questioned Yamaraja as to whether there was any use in serving such an
impotent master. The Yamadutas were very puzzled because the Vishnudutas had
excused someone whom Yamaraja had wanted to punish. In the universal court, how
could there be two different verdicts in the same case? Being very aggrieved
because of their defeat, the Yamadutas felt that unless Yamaraja could punish
the Vishundutas, their only recourse was to commit suicide.
As for Yamaraja, he was very pleased just
to hear his servants vibrate the holy name, Narayana, thus enabling him to
remember the lotus feet of the Lord.
To eradicate the doubts of his order
carriers, Yamaraja replied, “My dear servants, although you have accepted me as
supreme- factually, I am not. Above me, and all the other demigods is the
supreme controller, Lord Narayana. As the different limbs of the body cannot
see the eyes that direct them, the living entities cannot see the Supreme Lord,
even though He is situated as the Paramatma in everyone’s heart.”
“The Supreme Personality of Godhead is
fully independent and self-sufficient, and His order carriers, the Vishnudutas,
who possess similar bodily features, are on the same platform. The Vishnudutas
are worshiped even by the demigods, and they always wander within this world
with full independence, to protect the devotees of the Lord from the hands of
enemies, natural disturbances, and even from my jurisdiction.”
“Real religious principles are
established by the Supreme Personality of Godhead. These transcendental
principles, called bhagavata-dharma, or surrender unto the Supreme Lord, are
known to Lord Brahma, Narada, Lord Shiva, the four Kumaras, Lord Kapila,
Svayambhuva Manu, Prahlada Maharaja, Janaka Maharaja, Bhishma, Bali Maharaja,
Shukadeva Gosvami and myself. Although these religious principles are very
confidential, and thus difficult for ordinary persons to understand, if by chance,
one is fortunate to do so, he is immediately liberated and thus returns home,
back to Godhead. Devotional service, beginning with the chanting of the holy
name of the Lord, is the supreme religious principle for all human society.”
“My dear servants, just see how glorious
is the chanting of the holy name of the Lord. The greatly sinful Ajamila
chanted for the purpose of calling his son, and yet by that chanting he
remembered Lord Narayana and thus was saved from the ropes of death. Even if
one chants the holy name of the Lord with improper pronunciation, he will get
relief from material bondage, if he chants without offenses. Persons who chant
the holy name of the Lord and render devotional service are not within my
jurisdiction. Generally, they never commit sinful acts, but even if they do so
by mistake, or due to being illusioned, they are protected from sinful
reactions by their chanting.”
“My dear servants, from now on you should
not even go near the devotees of the Lord, for they are always protected by the
club of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. For this reason, Lord Brahma, I
myself, and even the time factor, are not competent to chastise them. Instead,
bring to me for punishment only those persons who are averse to drinking the
honey of the Lord’s lotus feet, who do not associate with devotees, and who are
attached to family life and material enjoyment as all in all. Bring those
persons whose tongues do not chant the holy name of the Lord, whose hearts do
not even once remember the lotus feet of Krishna, and whose heads have never
bowed down before the Lord. Please bring me all such fools and rascals.”
Due to the action of his servants,
Yamaraja felt himself to be an offender, and so he begged pardon from the Lord
as follows: “O my Lord, my servants have
certainly committed a great offense by attempting to arrest a Vaishnava.
Therefore, please forgive us, for out of ignorance we failed to recognize
Ajamila as one of your dear servants.”
After hearing from their master about the
extraordinary glories of the Lord and His holy name, the Yamadutas were struck
with wonder. Ever since that time, as soon as they see a devotee, they become
very afraid and so do not even dare to look at him.
Shukadeva Gosvami then said, “When
the great sage Agastya, the son of Kumbha, was residing in the Malaya Hills, I
approached him, and he explained this confidential history to me.”