Srimad-Bhagavatam 6.2.47
Bhakti Vijnana Goswami · San Diego · 2022
Chapters
Mangalacarana and recitation of verses
Oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya, oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya. Oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya, bhagavate.
Nārāyaṇaṁ namaskṛtya naraṁ caiva narottamam, devīṁ sarasvatīṁ vyāsaṁ tato jayam udīrayet, naṣṭa-prāyeṣv abhadrēṣu nityaṁ bhāgavata-sevayā, bhagavaty uttama-śloke bhaktir bhavati naiṣṭhikī. yad-anujanyataṁ kṛtyaṁ dvaipāyano viraha-kātaro juhūva, putreti tan-mayatayā tarubhin nudaṁ sarva-bhūt hṛdayaṁ munim nato 'smi.
We're reading Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, Canto six, chapter two, Ajamila delivered by the Viṣṇudūtas, text forty-seven to forty-nine.
Ya etam iti-itihāsam, aghāpaham, śṛṇuyāc chraddhayā yukto yaś ca bhaktyānukīrtayet, na narakam yāti nekṣeta nekṣeta yama-kiṅkarān.
sorry yay tam paramamguyam yayam yaitam paramamguhyam, paramguya, hitihasamapa aghapatam, itihasam, ithihasam agha paham Gham. Srinuya Chadayukto, Srinuya Chradayukto, Yatto. Yascha Bhaktianu kirtaye, Yashabhakya Nu kirsabhtianu kirtaye, yashabactanu kirtaye, yay tamparamamamguhyamitam Paramudya Vitihasam Aghapaham Tihasam Srinuyachradayukto Sriasra Yaschabaktyanukirtayaschanu kirtayha anyone who anyone who etam etam this paramam very ghouhyam confidential hitihasam historical narration Agha Apaham which frees one from all reactions of sins. Srinyat hears Shradaya with faith yuktaha in doubt yaha one who cha also bhaktia with great devotion anukirtayed repeats Na not why indeed Saha such a person narakam to hell yati goes na not Ikshitaha is observed Yamakinkarahi by the order carriers of Yamaraja, Yamaraja.
Yadi Api although Amangalaha inauspicious a living entity with a material body vishnoke in the spiritual world Mahiyate is welcomed and respectfully received. So I will change the second verse.
Reading translations and purport on Ajamila
48 Navait Sanarakam Yati Nekshito Yamakinkarahi Yadi Apya Mangalomartyovishnu Loki Mahiate.
Translation because this very confidential historical narration has the potency to vanquish all sinful reactions. One who hears or describes it with faith and devotion is no longer doomed to hellish life.
Regardless to this to his having a material body and regardless of how sinful he may have been. Indeed, the Yamadutas who carry out the orders of Yamaraja do not approach him even to see him.
After giving up his body, he returns home back to Godhead, where he is very respectfully received and worshipped text number forty nine.
Mriyamano Harer Nama Grinan Putro Pacharitam Ajamilo Pyagat Dhamma Kim Uta Shradhaya Grinan translation and purport by his divine grace is Sibhaktivanta Sila Prabhupada Gija.
While suffering at the time of death, Sajamila chanted the holy name of the Lord. And although the chanting was directed toward his son, he nevertheless returned home back to Godhead.
Therefore, if one faithfully and inoffensively chants the holy name of the Lord, where is the doubt that he will return to Godhead?
At the time of death, one is certainly bewildered because his bodily functions are in disorder.
At that time, even one who throughout his life has practiced chanting of the holy name of the Lord may not be able to chant the Hare Krishna mantra distinctly.
Nevertheless, such a person receives all the benefits of chanting the holy name. While the body is fit, therefore why should we not chant the holy name of the Lord loudly and distinctly?
If one does so, it is quite possible that even at the time of death he will be properly able to chant the holy name of the Lord with love and face.
In conclusion, one who chants the holy name of the Lord constantly is guaranteed to return home back to Godhead without a doubt.
Supplementary note to this chapter. It's quite long. Silva Visvanata Chikaravati Thakur's commentary to text 9 and 10 of this chapter.
Form a dialogue concerning how one can become free from all sinful reactions simply by chanting the holy name of the Lord.
Someone may say it may be accepted that by chanting the holy name of the Lord one becomes freed from all the reactions of sinful life.
However, if one commits sinful acts in full consciousness, not only once but many, many times, he is unable to free himself from the reactions of such sins, even after atoning for them for twelve years or more.
How is it possible, then, that simply by once chanting the holy name of the Lord one immediately becomes freed from all from reactions of such sins.
Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura replies by quoting verse 9 and 10 of this chapter. The chanting of the holy name of Lord Vishnu is the best process of atonement.
For a thief of gold or other valuables, for a drunkard, for one who betrays a friend or relative, for one who kills a brāhmaṇa or for one who indulges in sex with the wife of his guru or another superior.
It is also the best method of atonement for one who murders women, the king or his father or one who slaughters cows or for all other sinful men.
Simply by chanting the holy name of Lord Vishnu, such sinful persons may attract the attention of the Supreme Lord who therefore considers because this man has chanted my name, my duty is to give him protection.
One may atone for sinful life and vanquish all sinful reactions by chanting the holy name, although this is not called atonement.
Ordinary atonement may temporarily protect a sinful person, but it does not completely cleanse the heart of deep rooted desire to commit sinful acts. Therefore, atonement is not as powerful as the chanting of the holy name of the Lord.
In the Shastras it is said that if a person only once chants the holy name and completely surrenders under the lotus feet of the Lord, the Lord immediately considers him his ward and is always inclined to give him protection. This is confirmed by Sridharaswami.
Thus, when Ajamila was in great danger of being carried off by the order carriers of Yamaraja.
The Lord immediately sent His personal order carriers to protect him. And because Ajamila was freed from all sinful reactions, the Viṣṇu-dūtas spoke on his behalf.
Ajamila had named his son Nārāyaṇa, and because he loved the boy very much, he would call him again and again, although he was calling for his son.
The name itself was powerful because the name Nārāyaṇa is not different from the Supreme Lord Nārāyaṇa. When Ajamila named his son Nārāyaṇa, all the reactions of his sinful life were neutralized.
And as he continued calling his son and thus chanting the holy name of Nārāyaṇa thousands of times, he was actually unconsciously advancing in Krishna consciousness.
Very nice phrase. Unconsciously advancing in Krishna consciousness.
One may argue, since he was constantly chanting the name of Narayana, how was it possible for him to be associating with a prostitute and thinking of wine?
And therefore, one may say that his ultimate chanting of Nārāyaṇa was the cause of his being freed. However, his chanting would then have been a nāmāparādha, nam no balatya sypapa buddhi.
One who continues to act sinfully and tries to neutralize his sins by chanting the holy name of the Lord is a nāmāparādhī, an offender of the holy name.
In response, it may be said that Ajamila's chanting was inoffensive because he did not chant the name of Nārāyaṇa with the purpose of counteracting his sins.
He did not know that he was addicted to sinful actions, nor did he know that his chanting of the name of Nārāyaṇa was neutralizing them.
Thus he did not commit a nāmāparādha and his repeated chanting of the name of Nārāyaṇa while chanting his sons, calling his son may be called pure chanting.
Because of this pure chanting, Ajamila unconsciously accumulated the results of bhakti. Indeed, even his first utterance of the holy name was sufficient to nullify all the sinful reactions of his life.
To cite a logical example, a fig tree does not immediately yield fruits, but in time the fruits are available.
Similarly, Ajamila's devotional service grew little by little and therefore although he committed very sinful acts. The reaction did not affect him.
In the Shastra it is said that if one chance the holy name of the Lord even once, the reactions of past, present, of future sinful life do not affect him.
To give another example, if one extracts the poison fangs of a servant, this saves the serpent's future victims from poisonous effect. Even if the serpent bites repeatedly.
Similarly, if a devotee chants the holy name even once inoffensively, this protects him eternally. He need only wait for the result of the chanting to mature in due course of time. Srila Prabhupada Kjaya.
Structure and purpose of the Sixth Canto
That send the Bhaktividanta Purpose of the 6th of the 2nd chapter of the Shrimad Bhagavatam entitled Ajamilaiver Deled by the Vishnu Dutas.
Tamam Vishnu Padaya Krishna Prashtaya Bhutale, Srimati Bhaktividanta Swami, Tinamina, Inamaste Saraswati Devi Gauravani Pracharini Nirvi Sha Sunyavati Paschatades Sri Krishna Chaitanya Prabhunitananda Sjadva Gadatara sivasudi gora bhakta Vrinda, Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare, Hari Ram Hari Ram
Rama Rama Hare Hare Pishwi Mamamprasupt sanji baya ta kila shakti darah swadam nanyam shahasta charanam sravanatma gadi.
Pranan namaw bhavatei purushayatu nam swasya st vishwasi kalah prasida tam dyantu butani Shivam Mithodiamanaschavadram Bajatata Dopsaj Avasha Damati Rat Bhy Duki.
So that's the conclusion of one of the most prominent and important stories of the whole Srimad Bhagavatam, Ajamila Katha.
The sixth canto of Srimad Bhagavatam according to Krama understanding of the structure of Srimad Bhagavatam is related to Porshanam topic of Mahapurana. Poshnam means nourishment.
Mahapurana is described or is presenting actually the most important topic which, is Ashre, the Lord, who is the ultimate shelter of all living entities, is describing this ultimate shelter through different topics, describing different topics, giving us impetus to surrender to this ultimate shelter, Ashraya.
And one of the topics, Atrasarga Visarga sya, stanam poshanamutaya. One of the ten topics, the fourth topic to be exact, is poshanam, which is nourishment.
How all the living entities ultimately are being nourished by the Supreme Lord even now. Even at this present time, we sustain our life because of the mercy of the Lord.
And Shri Shukadev Goswami, while glossing this Porshanam topic, he says, Toshanam tadanugraha.
It basically means that poshanam uh what we are uh what is the uh living force which sustains our life is the mercy of the Lord. Tadanugraha.
So the sixth canto of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is exactly describing how the mercy of the Lord is coming to the living entities of this world.
And the two most prominent stories of the sixth canto of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, the Ajāmila story and Vṛtrāsura story is the illustration of this fact.
Inherent energy and power of divine sound
It's actually the description of the mechanism, how the nourishment comes to our life, how we can sustain our life by the mercy of the Lord. And the two stories which are
most prominent in the second in the sixth canto of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, one is story of Ajāmila, where the nourishment is coming to the living entities of this world through the means of the holy name.
That's the real mercy of the Lord. The availability of the contact with the Lord through his holy name. Availability of this most powerful means of purifying the heart is the mercy of the Lord.
Without this availability, without this facility, without the Lord being readily available for us in the form of the holy name, the whole world would go to hell long ago.
Because by nature we are prone to sinful activities. It's a very natural inclination of conditioned living entity. It's just so natural that we don't even feel that it's sinful.
Like Prabhupāda explains this in the purport that Ajāmila was doing all kinds of sinful activities, but he didn't even realize that it's sinful. Because it's natural.
It's just some manifestation, some expression of my freedom, of my nature.
So, and exactly this natural tendency which is in the ultimate consideration if we really very carefully consider it, it's un-natural. Sinful activity is unnatural.
Meat eating is unnatural, intoxication is unnatural, but because
of this acquired nature, because of the conditioned nature which we acquired in the long run of associating with this material energy, it became very natural, very spontaneous.
You know, you don't have to teach Russian people to drink vodka because it's so natural. It's just it's their svabhāva. It's in drinking water.
Yeah. It's just it's in the blood. It's in the genes, so to speak. Because if you practice something for a long time it becomes your nature.
And since we all practice this for a long time it became our nature, and we don't really consider it unnatural.
From the point of view of spirit soul, it's totally unnatural, it's completely obnoxious and it's uh it's disgusting. But uh and you know when you practice for a little while devotional service, it becomes like this.
So the point is that if this facility was not there, facility of purifying association with the holy name in different traditions, in different uh spiritual traditions. The holy names are there.
And uh as Chaitanya Mahaprabhu says Namnamakari Bahuda Nijas Sarvashakti there are so many names and all the names are carriers of uh Krishna's Shakti. Actually it is said uh by uh Srila Jiva Goswami that
you know like uh uh if you take the sugar syrup, which is very uh condensed, and if you want to, he says that the sugar syrup of the bliss, eternal spiritual bliss, was poured into two molds.
One mold was two-handed form of Lord Krishna. And another mold was his holy name. So this two molds are there. And but the same content is there.
Therefore, we say, binatvam Nama Naminov, the Nama and Nami are not different from each other. The name is the Lord, and the Lord is the name. There is no difference between Shabda Brahman and Parabrahman.
There are two different two twin manifestations. So, but the difference is that it's very difficult to obtain the association of Param Brahman, Supreme Lord in his full form.
But it's very easy to obtain association of the Supreme Lord in his full form, in a form of sound. And that's actually why this story is there in the very beginning of the sixth canto of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. Bhagavatam.
So that we know how to nourish our spiritual inclination because it's also there.
Despite the fact that the material tendencies, sinful tendency are very strong, still being spirit-soul in the ultimate issue, in the ultimate consideration, we are also inclined to something spiritual.
So, how to nourish the spiritual nature, the spiritual tendency which is there. For that, this story is there in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. That's the way. That's the only way. I mean, there are some other ways to do it.
There is karma-yoga and there is jñāna-yoga and there are so many different forms of spiritual practices. But uh the message of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is very clear. Other things do not work especially in Kali Yuga.
Actually they don't work in in any other Yuga as well, but at least there is some hope that some some sort of influence will be there because people are more pure.
But in Kali Yuga, harer nāma harer nāma harer nāmaiva kevalam kalau nāsty eva nāsty eva nāsty eva gatir anyathā. It's uh It's difficult to imagine more
emphatic statement than this particular statement from Bṛhad-nāradīya Purāṇa. Harer nāma harer nāmaiva kevalam, you know, three times hare nāma and then Hare Nama Eva and then
Kevalam in case you didn't understand yet w what you're supposed to do. Just chant the holy name. Only the holy name and nothing else should be done. So that's um that's the more or less the context why this story is there.
But the details of this story, the very plot of the story is actually very important, and Śrīla Prabhupāda indicates or explains the purport of the story in this additional supplementary notes to this chapter.
And the idea is that why holy name is so powerful? Because it has vastu-śakti. Vastu-śakti every vastu, vastu means the substance, has vastu-śakti, very specific śakti, which is inherent in this vastu.
So the vastu-śakti and vastu-śakti, the definition of vastu-śakti is that vastu-śakti vastu vastu-śakti na hi buddhim apekṣate.
Vastu-śakti to act upon something, the vastu-śakti is not dependent on the buddhi or on the consciousness of a person who is associating with this particular substance.
It doesn't matter what is your consciousness, whether you are fancy or not, whether you're sinful, well, yeah, still vastu-śakti will act upon you. The example, the simple example is the vastu-śakti of the fire is to burn.
And it doesn't matter whether you believe in Vastu Shakti of the fire or you don't believe. You may say, I don't believe that fire will burn.
And you put your hand and lo and behold, it still burns. Because that's the nature of Vastushakti. Vastushakti does not depend on your Buddha, on your intelligence, does not depend on your consciousness.
It acts in every condition while you are associating with them. And this whole story, this initial part of the story is illustrating this.
In fact, Sukhadev Gaswamy, while describing this story, he even says that whether you believe or not in the power of the medicine, the powerful medicine will act upon you.
That's that's the illustration, another illustration of Vastu Shakti.
You know, you may not believe in some very powerful drug, in some allopathic medicine, you take it and you know you may not believe in it but it still will uh change your consciousness or you know change the chemical composition of your body.
So that's one part very important. That Vastu Shakti of the Holy Name is there, and the Holy Name will act whether you believe it on it or not, it will act. Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī was—śrīla Jīva, no, Sanātana Gosvāmī.
He gives another example from Varāha Purāṇa. There are so many stories in different Puranas which illustrate this point that you don't have to believe in the holy name, you still will be subject of its mercy.
And that's how people get the mercy of the whole of Krishna in the form of the holy name.
So the funny story which is there in Varāha Purāṇa is that once a brāhmaṇa was chanting the holy name while standing in Ganges in the river Ganga. And he was chanting the holy name being purified.
And at that time from the jungles the tiger came and he thought it's a very nice piece of meat chanting the holy name. So he was ready to jump and to commit sinful.
Well, for tiger it's not so sinful to kill brāhmaṇa, for tiger it's just normal food.
But at that very moment while he was ready to jump on the brāhmaṇa, the hunter from the other side, you know with his arrow, he killed this tiger.
And because at the moment of death, the tiger was hearing the sound of the holy name emanating from the lips of a brāhmaṇa who he didn't have time to eat yet. Of course, maybe eating would also be purifying for him because it's such a meat free from simple reactions. But anyway, because he heard this dim reflection of the holy name touch his ears, he immediately was liberated.
The tiger became, I don't know, Manjari. I don't know if that was the case. But anyway, he went to Vaikuṇṭha to the spiritual world.
Difference between liberation and love of God
So this story and many other stories, innumerable other stories in Purāṇas, they illustrate this point that there is Vastu Śakti.
But in case of Ajāmila, why this story why this story didn't end? This is the specialty of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. In other Purāṇas, the story ends there.
In other Purāṇas, the whole story is that, you know, you want liberation? Here is the way to get liberated. Just chant the holy name even once, no problem. So just try to do it wholeheartedly, you are saved.
But this is not the case of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is not satisfied with liberation. The very point of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is not to provide liberation from the sinful activities, but to give the love of God.
And therefore, the story of Ajāmila didn't end when Viṣṇu-dūtas and Yamadūtas quarreled a little bit with each other and ultimately Viṣṇu-dūtas free Ajāmila and Ajāmila came back to his body.
So, you know, in case of tiger, or, you know, the crow or whatever, or little rat who lit the, you know, the diya for the Lord, They were immediately liberated.
But Ajāmila, while having this near-death experience, very vivid near-death experience, you know, and actually it is said in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam that Ajāmila wanted to say something, but he couldn't because he was about to die.
So he was returned to body, and Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura, they explained that while he was returned to body,
actually, that was the proper moment of his death, which was according to the sinful activities he created. But because what happened with him? So we are born with a certain allotted lifespan.
And when the time of our death comes, nothing can actually stop uh the death from uh coming to us and taking us from this body. When we commit sinful activities, we shorten our lifespan.
The allotted lifespan is shortened by sinful acts which we commit. So it's not that this lifespan which we're supposed to live here cannot be shortened. It can be shortened. It is effectively shortened by sinful activities.
So Ajamila committed sinful activities. So his allotted lifespan was shortened and at that time Yamadutas, who are very nicely calculating his lifespan, came and said, you know, this is the time for you to leave the body.
But then Vishnu Dutas came and said, no, no, wait a second. Actually, his life is not shortened by his sinful activities because he doesn't have any sinful activities.
So he has to live the full life with uh you know according to his karma uh how he is born. And therefore some extra uh period of time uh was given to him, and therefore he had this near-death experience.
It's actually a very interesting explanation of this phenomenon, why this near-death experience takes place because of some mistakes in calculation of the Yamadutas,
you know, so because they miscalculated this, they didn't take into consideration this sort of stuff. Uh uh but uh why again why this uh addendum uh to the uh to the happy end uh is there?
Why this additional happy end is added to this story? Is that because even though the Holy Name has the inherent power to free us from the sinful activities, still, if we want to obtain love of God, it's not enough.
It's not enough because to obtain love of God or to experience the full effect of bhakti, we need to
completely absorb ourselves in bhakti, this occasional bhakti, unintentional bhakti, uh the bhakti uh uh without uh as as Prabhupada says uh unconscious bhakti will not help us to obtain love of God.
Unconscious bhakti is fine when we are talking about liberation.
Bhakti is so powerful that it can give us liberation without, you know, if we unconsciously perform Krishna consciousness as Prabhupada beautifully and very ironically, humorously says this. It's enough for us to obtain liberation.
But unconscious performance of Krishna consciousness is not enough to give us love of Godhead. Actually, Jīva Gosvāmī makes a very interesting point at this in this regard. He says that for that you need śraddhā.
If you want to obtain the full power, if you want really to take advantage of the full power of Bhakti process, you need śraddhā because Shraddha is the instrument by which you can concentrate your full consciousness on the process of bhakti.
This is what you need. And uh, what Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī makes a very interesting point, very important point.
He says if you perform bhakti without Shraddha, and so many people, you know, they don't have really deeply rooted Shradha, just in case, you know, in case it works, you know, let's do it.
They don't know the purport of the scriptures, they don't study scriptures deeply, they don't have this inclination, they don't have faith.
Because they don't have faith, as Śrī Jīva Gosvāmī says, uh, they just practice bhakti for a short time and they give it up. And that's what we see in case of devotees. Sometimes devotees come.
But they don't work hard enough to develop śraddhā, śāstrīya-śraddhā, scriptural faith, not just sentimental faith, not just conventional faith, laukika-śraddhā.
Because they don't have—and Śrīla Prabhupāda himself even says in uh in Bhagavad-gītā in this purport to the verse uh 9.3, aśraddadhānāḥ puruṣā dharmasya syāḥ paraṁtapa, uh, he
says that uh th those people who don't have uh śraddhā, they practice that the bhakti will die very soon. The eternal bhakti will die in your heart very soon because śraddhā is the uh nourishment for bhakti.
It's the initial and uh yeah, it's uh initial uh condition by which uh bhakti can flourish within our heart. And śraddhā again, why it is necessary? Because having śraddhā we will take bhakti seriously.
Otherwise, it will be just you know some recreation point. We will dance a little bit and then eat some prasāda and then you know and then go away and continue with our Ajamila life in the material world.
Definition and external marks of true faith
So and therefore, this story is described in this way, and actually, the purport of this verses which describeман the life of Ajamila after this near-death experience, explaining what Shraddha means.
Because again, you know, we hear śraddhā, śraddhā, śraddhā, and we hear faith, faith, faith, everyone is talking about faith. But what how does it manifest? And the repentance of Ajamil, his
thinking process, which Śrīla Śukadeva Gosvāmī describes so beautifully and vividly in the verses of this chapter is explanation what it means to have Shraddha.
You know, the word śraddhā, the faith, is completely meaningless if it doesn't invoke the same mentality which is depicted in this chapter.
If it doesn't invoke in you the sincere regret of the sinful activities which you committed, if it doesn't really give you very strong hope that here is the means by which I can be completely purified and obtain some higher realm.
You know, Shraddha it's quite complex emotional state. Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura in his Amnāya Sūtra he gives a definition of Shraddha.
He says, "Śraddhāṅgūpāya varjam citta-vṛtti-viśeṣaḥ." That's the first part of his definition.
Śraddhā, the phase in the process of bhakti, is citta-vṛtti-viśeṣaḥ, is a special state of your consciousness, is a special state of vriti visha, is a special state of your consciousness, is a special state of your heart.
You know, it definitely, this definition definitely rings the, you know, creates the connotation with the definition, the definition of yoga. In Patanjali Yoga Sutras, it is said that Yoga's
citta-vṛtti-nirodhaḥ. Yoga is the complete elimination of citta-vṛtti, the complete elimination of your mental activity.
Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura says no, no, bhakti-yoga does not imply and does not even require any citta-vṛtti- nirodha. Bhakti-yoga for its performance requires citta-vṛtti-viśeṣaḥ.
Very special sort of your citta-vṛtti, very special sort of your consciousness, of your heart, condition of your heart.
And Bhaktivinoda then explains in the next sutra, he explains what is this special inclination or special condition of your consciousness which uh which can be called Shraddha.
And you know, for us aspiring practitioners, those who are trying to practice bhakti, uh this definition is very important. He says he gives a very simple definition. He says, "Sa-śaraṇāpati-lakṣaṇaḥ."
This definition of this because see uh here uh yeah uh it's very difficult to define the condition of your heart. How do you define he says it's a special condition of your heart, special state of your consciousness.
So but then he says how this internal state of your consciousness manifests externally in the next sutra, he says, Sasharanapati Lakshana, the external manifestation of faith by which you can judge whether you yourself or other people have faith has this laksanah of Saranapati or Saranagati, which we know there are six limbs of Saranagati. The six limbs of Saranagadi starting with accepting everything favorable and rejecting everything unfavorable, accepting the Lord as protector
and as a nourisher, as somebody who helps us to sustain our life and the utter humility and the desire to dedicate your whole life and whole time and life energy
to the service of the Lord, this is the external manifestation of Śaraṇāgati, of the face. And that's exactly what is being depicted in this addendum to the story
where Ajamila goes to Haridwar and he repents and he is sitting in the temple of Vishnu in Haridwar. Actually, there is still a place in Haridwar where Aja Where Ajamila was performing his bhajan for the rest of his life.
So, again, why it is so important to very carefully study this part of this Ajamila story. Usually we were very much inspired and concentrated on the first part of Ajamila
story because it's kind of free ticket to the spiritual world, you know, kind of lucky, lucky ticket, lucky number.
But actually for us, the second part of Ajamila's story is more important because that's uh while studying it deeply we can emulate the same sort of chitavriti vishesha, the same sort of condition of our consciousness which will help us to practice bhakti in a proper way.
Otherwise, you know, we always count, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, that you know, I chant holy name so many times, at least once I must have chanted nicely, so everything is fine.
That's not the point of the story because again the story is, yes, we can get little installment of Krishna's mercy by chanting the holy name, the dim reflection of the holy name, nāma-bhāsa once.
But the full installment of Krishna's mercy we can only get if we chant it with faith. And what happened to finish it now. And there are so many things to be said more about this.
But just one little thing I will and I will finish the class.
Transformation of mind through constant chanting
So Śrīla Prabhupāda explains while paraphrasing and shortening very elaborate elaborate purport, very mighty and powerful purport of Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura, the verses 9 and 10 of this chapter, he's condensing this very much and giving the gist.
So, one very interesting point which is raised by Śrīla Prabhupāda here in the purport, how is that possible that Ajamila chanted the holy name in a pure way and, still continued with his sinful life. And what is the mechanism of this? And you know how does it go together? And we know Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura explains that this is just you know the analogy with the tree which doesn't bear the fruit immediately and there is some you know he was not really doing it in a sinful way.
So Jīva Gosvāmī explains it slightly differently but in a very beautiful way. It's a very beautiful explanation.
He says that you know how does the two things, one is bhakti, which is completely spiritual, and another one is our material mind full of sinful tendencies. How do they combine together?
And what is the mechanism of their combining together? And how ultimately the bhakti becomes victorious over the sinful tendencies in the mind.
And that's very important for us, which can clearly see this phenomenon within our heart, we have some faith, we're practicing bhakti, at the same time sinful tendencies are still there in the mind.
So Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī explains, answering the question, how do they mix the bhakti and the sinful tendencies? He says they don't mix.
He says the bhakti exists in your consciousness and the sinful tendencies also exist in your consciousness, in your consciousness simultaneously. But two consider two things at the same time happen.
First of all, the sinful tendencies which are still there in your mind, they lose the power to overpower you. They are not taking over your consciousness.
And even though they are still there, they're like the example which Śrīla Prabhupāda gives about the poisonous fangs which are removed from the serpent. They're still there, but they don't have the power to overpower your consciousness completely.
And then he says the next point he says that uh while uh and and he gives the example of the process which is uh the process Ayurvedic process which is called Kajjali-karaṇa, the process of uh turning the sulfur uh of mixing uh mixing mercury with sulfur.
If you just put mercury and sulfur together, they will not mix. Sulfur is separate and mercury is separate. But then what you should do, you should take your pestle, pestle, right? Pestel.
And you you you start rubbing it again and again and again and again and again and again and again. And after so much rubbing, uh you know all of a sudden the miracle happened. And it happens quite miraculously.
Uh there is no sulfur, there is no mercury, there is uh mercury sulfide. Employing my uh sinful propensities of being a chemist will enlighten you in this regard.
But the chemical reaction takes place and Shilaji Gaswami explains this is exactly what is happening within our mind. Initially bhakti is separate and our senses are separate.
And the sinful tendencies of our mind are still there.
But if you continue rubbing it with the pestle of your chanting beats and you're chanting again and again and again, Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna, Krishna Hare Hare Hare Ram Hare Ram Ram Ram Hare Hare while trying to concentrate your mind on the sound and on the Lord Himself, then at one point the
Mercury of the holy name combines together with the sulphur of your senses and mind and completely spiritualize your senses and mind. And that moment in time only the sinful tendencies will disappear completely.
While before that, the sinful tendencies may be there, but they're not so dangerous. And that's that's the point of the story.
Chanting with conscious intention and surrender
And actually, this last verse, this is the very one minute give me. The last verse of this story, which is supposed to be the you know which is actually explaining what we should do, why this story is there?
The story is not for us to chant the holy name unconsciously or practice Krishna consciousness, being totally unconscious of Krishna consciousness, and being even unconscious of the effect of Krishna consciousness as Ajamila was.
The story is there, it's very beautifully in a roundabout way, in a poetical way, explained in this verse, in the last verse of this chapter. putro putropacharitan adjamila api agat dhama kimu tashradhayagrinan.
It is said the very peculiar condition of Ajamila are explained in this verse. He was dying and he chanted the holy name. He didn't mean Krishna, he meant his son, Grinan Putrapacharitan.
And uh he didn't have any face. And what else? There was something else. No, maybe it's a maybe it's enough. Maybe only three, but I think it was four conditions. But anyway.
So but Kimuta, this is Kimutnyai, what to speak of. This is the certain expression. So actually the point of this story is that you're not dying, you're still alive. Please chant the Holy Name.
Please don't chant the Holy Name by calling your son, please chant the holy name by calling Shishirada Giridari. And please don't do it without face, Sajamila, but please do it with face.
So that's the point of this last verse. And the whole story. You know, here is the facility. But what is the purport? We should practice this holy name, you know,
not counting that we will chant the holy name while we are dying. Please don't count on this.
Please don't count that you unconsciously or by calling somebody else, some you know, some, some of your fellow brahmacārīs, you know, you chant his holy name at the moment of this, and you will be free.
Don't count on this. Please don't count on the chanting of holy name without Shraddhaya, Sajamil. That's not the purport.
The purport is that please do it while you're still alive, with full consciousness of whom you're calling, with a very specific form of whom you are calling, and with complete shradhao face in this process.
So sorry for being so late. Hold on in the ether world. What to do? I mean that was an excellent class. It generated so many questions.
Now I have the good fortune of meeting with you this afternoon and I've noted a whole set of things I want to ask you. But uh doesn't matter. But but that doesn't give the facility for the devotees who may have questions.
Vijay, I don't mean to put you on the spot. Continue.
Role of Vritrasura in illustrating divine mercy
But well. I think we could take questions for maybe another ten minutes. Because I'm do the devotees have questions? I've got a second chance. I mean no one intended.
But um anybody else who has to leave have a question? You don't have to leave. Anybody else who has to leave? Raise your hand. Well we let others speak as well. No no no I know what I'm doing here.
Do any of you who have to leave on Sancreton have a question? Alright then. If you have to leave on Sankerton, you can go ahead and go. And then we'll take another 10-15 minutes for questions.
So who has a question who does not have to go? I have one. All right.
You know, um you mentioned that the in the 6th canto there's two stories and are manifestations of the nourishment of the Lord, how the amazing way the nourishment of the Lord sustains and delivers the living entity.
And you said Ajamila shows that that nourishment comes via the holy name. The other was Vritrasura. How does the nourishment come via Vritrasura? Is that also via the holy name?
It seemed to indicate that there was another form of nourishment manifest by destroying the story.
The story of Vritrasura depicts very beautifully is that bhakti is not really dependent on on the form of your body it doesn't depend on the on your previous karma, or whatever. Bhakti is so powerful.
That's that's another manifestation of the nourishment that, uh, no matter who you are, you may be the most, you know, horrible demon, you still can be delivered by this process of bhakti.
The bhakti can be practiced despite of any material conditions, that's the next point of this. Quite moving, thank you. Who's next? Hare Krishna Maharaj. Uh thank you for the wonderful class.
Um I was uh meditating on this point that you said about uh external manifestation
of internal faith is, uh, the the six limbs of sharanagati. As a as a neophyte, I tend to I can only judge someone's faith by looking at their externals. Um and so in in my practice I try to practice
the six limbs, um, even though I don't have faith, so is it that at the in the vaidhi-sadhaka level, especially in the beginning, one practices externally those six limbs so that internal faith comes or
how does that internal faith? See, you cannot practice, uh, it externally if you don't have any faith. You must have some faith.
It's just, sharanagati is such a, uh, sharanagati it's a very deep thing. It it's multidimensional.
You know, this you can practice sharanagati having little faith and you know, while while having this huge faith like gopis, gopis have totally completely unbelievable faith, they also practice Sharanagati.
So but your practice of sharanagati and their practice of sharanagati will be slightly different, right? But still it's Saranagati. Uh, you know, according to the level of your faith you will practice Śaraṇāgati.
You know, if you—if your faith is very deep, you will practice it in a very deep level, you know, by perfecting all the limbs of Saranagati to complete excellence.
But, you know, in the initial stages we also practice śaraṇāgati. Yes, yes, I—yes, I—I—I don't drink tea, you know, that's Śaraṇāgati. That's uh that's uh great sacrifice, you know, what to speak about vodka,
so that's—that's already Śaraṇāgati. For somebody that's a great sacrifice. How do you practice rakṣiṣyatīti viśvāso without any faith? It's the definition of faith.
That's what, you know, uh, convinced that Krishna will protect. Yeah. You have to have faith.
Overcoming material desires through holy name practice
Anyone else? Yeah, I was wondering um you're talking about the two tendencies existing independently within the mind, mercury and sulfur. And simultaneously, not exactly independently, but you know simultaneously touching.
And the indication was that by chanting the holy
name, that's an example of, you know, grinding in the pestle and eventually there'll be a point that one, over, you know, supersedes, consumes, overpowers the other, and when it's no longer affected by those sinful tendencies or inclinations or recollections.
But does it work the other way also, if one while chanting contemplates material? Can it work the other way?
Some, like, you know, the old example of the angel and the devil on two shoulders. So now we're giving the example of the holy name winning over in due course of time.
Does it work the other way if one contemplates sinful desires?
Can it also consume, what, you know, it can in c—what happens, as I said, when the bhakti is present in the mind, then we really can't control our sinful tendency, we are not being overpowered by them.
But despite this bhakti not being overpowered by them, if we surrender to them just for, not necessarily curiosity's sake, but because of the lack of faith, we still hope that by performing sinful activities we become happy.
If this sort of idea comes to our mind and we start practicing sinful life even though we are not really pushed, we are not really forced to do it.
The difference is that, you know, the normal, quote-unquote, people, uh, they're forced to do it. They have no chance. They they have no choice. You know that they have to do it. Devotee has the choice and if he chooses
to practice sinful life again without really being pushed in a very strong way and gradually gives up this bhakti process. Yes, it happens. But that's exactly the point which I made.
That only happen if you don't have shraddha. If the sraddha is very strong, then you know that I will not be hoping, exercising my sinful nature, the happiness is a completely different ball game.
It's a completely different stuff. So it's having the fate, because I'm thinking about what's the difference I'm thinking what's the difference between an accidental fall down and like a willful fall down.
So I this let me say it because I want to I want you to clear um so it's if the Shraddha, one of the aspects of Shraddha is thinking, no, you may have the inclination or the remembrance, but you know that there's really no taste there. There's nothing happening there.
But if one doesn't have that shraddha or fate conviction and thinks, well, you know, maybe I left something behind there, or maybe there's something in there. Then that is a a willful intention that can generate that cycle of spiral down.
Exactly. Exactly. Thank you very much. Do we have someone on managers?
Development of respect and avoidance of offense
Yep. Sorry for stuff. My basis says thank you. Um In English we just have this one word faith and it can represent the faith by which one takes to the path, enough faith to at least begin practice it.
And then when one begins to practice with that faith, then the faith can deepen, it can be nourished, and one can develop a taste for the holy name, and that reciprocation can further and further deepen one's faith.
And then there's the verse in the Gita where Krishna cautions Arjuna: If you act through false ego, not hearing me, you will be lost.
So in this example, we're giving someone is still a little bit enticed by the sinful desires, and he thinks, well, let me just examine a little bit, like Madhu Sevi prabhu just mentioned it. Let me just experiment and just see, make sure that there really is no happiness there.
That could be enough to derail us for some time, as we saw in the case of Prahlad, have very unpleasant experiences.
So one question I have is, uh, there appears to be this one word faith, but there's various levels and it can have different connotations, the impetus to take up the process, and then the deepening and further deepening of faith.
Where where can we study more about this phenomenon of deepening faith and and how that happened thing?
Again in Bhakti-sandarbha Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī explains what is the specific meaning of the word faith in this particular case or in this regard.
He says that faith here it's not exactly the same concept or understanding which is there in Western culture or in English world faith or in Russian world vera.
The meaning of śraddhā is respect. Respect towards the spiritual practice, towards the process of bhakti, towards those people who are practicing bhakti.
So the deepening of faith in this particular case or in this framework, conceptual framework, means the deepening of our respect and you know understanding of what bhakti
in the ultimate sense can bring us. So that's uh that's the thing, you know. If this respect is there. Like Prabhupāda, he also explained this. He says, you know, you come to devotees for the first time.
And you kind of like these people, they are innocent people, you like their faces, bright faces, you like prasāda. He says that's when śraddhā comes to your heart. Because you feel the respect towards these people.
You're respectful to them. And the opposite of faith in this understanding, in this framework, is the offense because offense is the opposite of respect. If you respect somebody, then you don't offend.
So and the offense is something which destroys your faith or makes it less and less profound, more and more shallow, you know.
You know, like you know in our relationship, if we develop some relationship, but when then we start offending this person, then relationship becomes distant.
So in the same way we develop some relationship with bhakti is through the chanting of the holy name, but if we willfully commit offenses uh towards bhakti or towards those who are carrying bhakti within their mind and spreading bhakti and preaching bhakti, then the faith will dwindle in this regard.
But Bhakti-sandarbha is definitely a very interesting description of this phenomenon. Thank you both so much. I think we should wrap up there, Mahārāja. It's fine. It's fine. We have one more question.
Can you ask later or, um, one quick question and then you can decide whether we have time. Just ask one question. All right.
Well, uh, I I really like the spiritual ticket analogy that you used. And uh so we know that there are various levels at which we can practice Krishna consciousness. The two big distinctions that you gave is unconsciously and consciously, right?
One will not necessarily give you love of God, the other will give you love of God.
And then you also made the point that if it doesn't take the intellect or the consciousness by which we are acting for the dharma or the shakti of that aspect to act upon us. So in this regard uh what if we
want to really convince someone that the spiritual ticket will really take us somewhere. What are the different levels of this practice of Krishna consciousness that will take us to the different levels of the spiritual world.
Can we really describe that to someone who is interested in knowing if I practice this form I will go to this destination, if I practice that form I will go to that destination.
So it's just a motivation for the person to if we're taking a flight, I think it's a good idea.
So, yes, this uh, as I said, vastu-śaktiḥ na hi buddhir apekṣate, the intelligence is not involved in the process of interacting with vastu-śakti of vastu, but uh
the also there is something which is called uh vyāvadāna which is blocking uh vastu-śakti. You know then there is certain things which can block vastu-śakti from You know then there is certain things which can block Vastu Shakti from affecting you or from acting upon you.
Like definitely the fire has the power to burn, but if the wood is very wet, then this wetness is the blocking
vastu-śakti of the of the fire. The vastu-śakti is still there, but it cannot really act upon you because of this blocking power which is there.
So the blocking power of vastu-śakti is a fence and the grace which is there is the faith which is respect. So these two opposites are there.
You know, if you try to deepen your faith and meaning deepen your respect towards the process of bhakti, towards Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam scriptures, towards the people who are practicing bhakti, then your practice of bhakti will become more and more effective and will become more and more powerful.
And then of course there is different, you know, and faith means uh śāstrīya-śraddhā and you may have different levels of faith and you may have different again different uh understanding or different levels of shastra which you have faith in.
You know, there are very profound śāstras which preach the love of God. And if you develop faith in them, then your practice of bhakti will bring
much more impressive result than as if you develop the faith in something which is which kind of is trying to stimulate your somewhat conditional propensities, you know.
Try to say, you know, you practice this and you you will become very rich and you know and then ultimately you will go to, you know, to but it's very important to, so that it's also śraddhā.
It's also there are some śāstras which try to stimulate in you this. Dharuma projjhita kaitavo 'tra paramo nirmatsarāṇāṁ satāṁ vedyṁ vāstavam atra vastu śīmad-bhāgavatam Dharma projjhita kaitava.
If you develop faith in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, in the message of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, and, uh, deepen your faith in the message of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, then your practice of bhakti will give the most impressive results. Okay.
Thank you. Śrīla Prabhupāda ki jaya! Grantha-rāja Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam ki jaya!