(Continued)

 

Chapter 15

Atonement

 

The Visnudutas continued: "Ajamila has already atoned for all his sinful actions. Indeed, he has atoned not only for sins performed in one life but for those performed in millions of lives, for in a helpless condition he chanted the holy name of Narayana. Even though he did not chant purely, he chanted without offense, and therefore he is now pure and eligible for liberation.

"Even previously, while eating and at other times, Ajamila would call his son, saying, 'My dear Narayana, please come here.' Although calling the name of his son, he nevertheless uttered the four syllables na-ra-ya-na. Simply by chanting the name of Narayana in this way, he sufficiently atoned for the sinful reactions of millions of lives.

"The chanting of the holy name of Lord Visnu is the best process of atonement for one who steals gold or other valuables, for a drunkard, for one who betrays a friend or relative, for one who kills a brahmana, or for a man who indulges in sex with the wife of his guru or another superior. It is also the best method of atonement for a man who murders his father, the king, or women, for one who slaughters cows, and for all other sinful men. Simply by chanting the holy name of Lord Visnu, such sinful persons attract the attention of the Supreme Lord, who then considers, 'Because this man has chanted My name, My duty is to give him protection.' " (Srimad-Bhagavatam 6.2.7-10)

 

Absolute Absolution

 

The Visnudutas charged that the Yamadutas did not know whom to arrest and whom not to arrest. The Yamadutas regularly arrest sinful persons, but in this case the Yamadutas came to arrest Ajamila, who had been released from all sinful reactions simply by chanting "Narayana!" The Visnudutas criticized the Yamadutas, saying, "You do not know whom to punish and whom not to punish. Even though Ajamila committed so many sinful activities, he is now freed from the reactions to his sins. He has completely counteracted all those sins by chanting the holy name of Narayana. Why are you now attempting to arrest this person as if he were a criminal? Although he had no intention of chanting the holy name, still he has chanted it, and therefore he is now free of sin."

The Yamadutas had considered only the external situation of Ajamila. Since he was extremely sinful during his life, they thought he should be taken to Yamaraja. They did not know that he had become free from the reactions of all his sins. The Visnudutas thus instructed them that because he had chanted the name Narayana at the time of his death--and also throughout his life--he was freed from all sinful reactions. In this regard Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura quotes the following verses from the scriptures:

 

namno hi yavati saktih

papa-nirharane hareh

tavat kartum na saknoti

patakam pataki narah

 

"Simply by chanting one holy name of Hari, a sinful man can counteract the reactions to more sins than he can commit." (Brhad-visnu Purana)

 

avasenapi yan-namni

kirtite sarva-patakaih

puman vimucyate sadyah

simha-trastair mrgair iva

 

"If one chants the holy name, even in a helpless condition or without desiring to do so, all of one's sinful reactions immediately depart, just as a lion's roar causes the small animals in the forest to flee in fear." (Garuda Purana)

 

sakrd uccaritam yena

harir ity aksara-dvayam

baddha-parikaras tena

moksaya gamanam prati

 

"A person who once chants the holy name of the Lord, consisting of the two syllables ha-ri, guarantees his path to liberation." (Skanda Purana)

These are some verses explaining why the Visnudutas stopped the Yamadutas from taking Ajamila to Yamaraja.

There are different kinds of sins, one of which is stealing. Thieves and burglars are very sinful. Another sinful activity is drunkenness. Those who are addicted to intoxication and stealing are condemned by the Visnudutas. Other examples of sins are being unfaithful to one's friends, killing a brahmana or Vaisnava, dishonoring one's spiritual master or teacher, killing a woman, killing a king, and killing a cow. These are among the worst sins. But the Visnudutas say that even though a person has committed many such sins, if he utters the holy name of Narayana even once, he at once becomes free from sinful reactions.

Sridhara Svami says, "Chanting the holy name of Narayana, Lord Hari, not only counteracted all of Ajamila's sinful reactions, but it made him eligible to become liberated, and therefore at the time of death he was transferred to the spiritual world." Chanting the holy name of Krsna counteracts all sins--more than one can possibly commit. Because Ajamila had chanted the holy name without offense, and because he chanted sincerely, he completely freed himself from all sinful reactions. This is why we are stressing the chanting of Hare Krsna so much. Pious activities, austerity, sacrifice--everything is done simply by chanting the Hare Krsna mantra. There is no need of any other process of yoga, atonement, or austerity and penance. Simply by chanting without offense one achieves the results of all other ritualistic performances prescribed in the Vedas.

Previously, when engaged in sinful activities to maintain his family, Ajamila chanted the name of Narayana, but he did so without offense. To chant the holy name of the Lord just to counteract one's sinful activities, or to commit sinful activities on the strength of chanting the holy name, is offensive (namno balad yasya hi papa-buddhih). But although Ajamila engaged in sinful activities, he never chanted the holy name of Narayana to counteract them; he simply chanted the name Narayana to call his son. Therefore his chanting was effective. Because he chanted the holy name in this way, he had already vanquished the accumulated sinful reactions of many, many lives. The conclusion is that one who always chants the holy name of the Lord without offense is always pure. As confirmed in these verses, Ajamila was already sinless, and because he chanted the name of Narayana he remained sinless. It did not matter that he was calling his son; the name itself was effective.

Foolish persons say that one can chant any name, even a demigod's name, and get the same result as chanting the holy name of the Lord. This is Mayavada philosophy. The Mayavadis think that everyone is God; they say, "The demigods are God, I am God, you are God." Therefore they say one can chant any name and become liberated. In Bengal it is very popular to hold a kali-kirtana. A party of people meet and chant, "Kali! Kali! Kali!" or the names of so many so-called avataras. One rascal added his wife's name to the chanting, and his foolish followers accepted it. In this way Mayavadi philosophers are leading their followers straight to hell. Caitanya Mahaprabhu has therefore strongly warned against hearing from the Mayavadi philosophers, lest one's spiritual life be spoiled and the path of devotional service blocked. We should always remember this when there is any question of chanting other names. We should chant the holy name of Visnu, the holy name of Krsna--no one else's name.

The scriptures advise us to chant only the name of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Krsna. There are thousands of names of Visnu, and in once sense Krsna and Visnu are the same, yet the scriptures explain that chanting a thousand names of Visnu gives the result of chanting the name Rama just once, and chanting Rama three times gives the result of chanting Krsna once. In other words, one automatically gets all good results just by chanting the holy name of Krsna.

Caitanya Mahaprabhu therefore recommends this chanting process, according to sastric injunction:

 

harer nama harer nama

harer namaiva kevalam

kalau nasty eva nasty eva

nasty eva gatir anyatha

 

"In this age of quarrel and hypocrisy, the only means of deliverance is chanting the holy name of the Lord. There is no other way. There is no other way. There is no other way." (Brhan-naradiya Purana)

By taking up this chanting process, we are immediately freed from all sinful reactions. Thus we begin our spiritual life. Without being freed from sinful life, there is no possibility of becoming a pure Vaisnava.

 

Offenses Against the Holy Name

 

Even a devotee may sometimes commit some sinful activity, either unknowingly or due to past sinful behavior. But if he sincerely repents, thinking, "I should not have done this, but I am so sinful that I have again committed this sin," the Supreme Lord will excuse him on the basis of his genuine repentance. However, if he intentionally commits sinful activities, expecting that the Lord will forgive him because he is chanting Hare Krsna, that is inexcusable.

If one commits sinful activities on the strength of chanting the holy name, he commits nama-aparadha, or an offense against the holy name. Of the ten kinds of offenses, committing sins on the strength of chanting is the most serious. If after being freed from all sinful reactions by chanting Hare Krsna one again commits the same sins, he is guilty of a grievous crime. For an ordinary man, that sinful activity may not be regarded so seriously, but for one who is chanting Hare Krsna, it is a dangerous offense, just as it is a serious crime for a government officer in a high post to take advantage of his position and accept a bribe. Such men are the most punishable criminals. If a policeman steals, his crime and subsequent punishment are greater than that of an ordinary man who steals. That is the law. Similarly, one who takes gross advantage of the Hare Krsna mantra, thinking, "I am chanting Hare Krsna, so even if I commit some sin I'll be excused," will not achieve the ultimate goal of chanting the holy name. He becomes entangled in a cycle: he is freed, then he again commits sin, then he is freed and again commits sin, freed and again commits sin. In this way he is never liberated.

Nevertheless, one should not think that one's sinful reactions will fail to be counteracted by the chanting of Hare Krsna. One of the ten offenses against the holy name of the Lord is to think that the holy name cannot eradicate sinful reactions. Those who cultivate offenseless chanting of the Hare Krsna maha-mantra should have firm faith in the words of the sastra that declare the chanting of the holy names of Krsna to be supremely powerful. As the Visnudutas say here, "The chanting of the holy name of Lord Visnu is the best process of atonement for all kinds of sinners." But very often the difficulty is that one will chant Hare Krsna and again commit sin.

 

The Perfection of Chanting

 

The key to successful chanting, therefore, is to carefully avoid sin altogether. By chanting the Hare Krsna maha-mantra, a person is freed from all reactions to his previous sins, and if he avoids sinning again, he very quickly becomes an advanced devotee. His mind becomes fixed upon the lotus feet of Krsna. If we regularly chant Hare Krsna without offense, we shall remain free from all sinful reaction, and our attachment for the Supreme Lord in devotional service will increase.

Once there was an argument between Thakura Haridasa and an ignorant so-called brahmana concerning the power of the holy name of Krsna. In an assembly of Vaisnavas, Haridasa Thakura said, "Not only does a person become situated on the spiritual platform (brahma-bhutah) by offenselessly chanting the holy names of the Lord, but his dormant love of Godhead manifests and he becomes liberated automatically."

The brahmana protested, "Don't exaggerate the effects of chanting in this way. One becomes liberated only after performing many austerities and penances. But you say that simply by chanting Hare Krsna one becomes liberated. If that is not the case, I shall certainly cut off your nose."

Haridasa Thakura replied, "If chanting Hare Krsna does not produce liberation as a by-product, then I shall cut off my nose."

The members of the assembly witnessing this argument became extremely agitated upon seeing the great offense the brahmana had committed against Haridasa Thakura, and they immediately expelled the offender. Shortly thereafter, the brahmana contracted leprosy, and his beautiful nose melted away. This incident is narrated in Sri Caitanya-caritamrta.

There are three stages of chanting the holy name: chanting with offense, chanting as a liberated person, and chanting with full love of God. These progressive stages of chanting are like the ripening of a mango. An unripe mango tastes sour, but when the fruit is fully ripened, it tastes very sweet. Initially we may be reluctant to chant, but when we become liberated the chanting is so sweet that we cannot give it up. In this regard, Srila Rupa Gosvami has composed a beautiful verse describing the sweetness of the holy name of Krsna:

 

tunde tandavini ratim vitanute tundavali-labdhaye

karna-kroda-kadambini ghatayate karnarbudebhyah sprham

cetah-prangana-sangini vijayate sarvendriyanam krtim

no jane janita kiyadbhir amrtaih krsneti varna-dvayi

 

"I do not know how much nectar the two syllables Krs-na have produced. When we chant the holy name of Krsna, it appears to dance within the mouth, and we then desire many, many mouths. When the name of Krsna enters the holes of the ears, we desire many millions of ears. And when the holy name dances in the courtyard of the heart, it conquers the activities of the mind, and therefore all the senses become inert."

These are the symptoms of one who is on the liberated platform of chanting. At that stage, called prema, one has a great relish for chanting Hare Krsna, Hare Krsna, Krsna Krsna, Hare Hare. Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare. But this stage is attainable only if one follows the regulative principles. We have to be cautious. After being cured of a diseased condition, we first enter the convalescent stage. If we do something wrong, the disease may return. It is not that we become liberated and can do anything and everything. At all times we have to stick by the regulative principles of devotional life.

 

Accumulated Benefits from Chanting the Holy Name

 

Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura provides additional insight into the power of the holy name in his commentary to verses 9 and 10. He writes this commentary in the 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 a person 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 the reactions of such sins?' "

Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura replies by quoting verses 9 and 10 of this chapter: " 'The chanting of the holy name of Lord Visnu is the best process of atonement for one who steals gold or other valuables, for a drunkard, for one who betrays a friend or relative, for one who kills a brahmana, or for a person who indulges in sex with the wife of his guru or another superior. It is also the best method of atonement for a person who murders his father, the king, or women, for one who slaughters cows, and for all other sinful men. Simply by chanting the holy name of Lord Visnu, such sinful persons attract the attention of the Supreme Lord, who then considers, "Because this man has chanted My holy name, My duty is to give him protection.' "

"One may atone for sinful life and vanquish all sinful reactions by chanting the holy name, and this is beyond ordinary atonement. Ordinary atonement may temporarily protect a sinful person, but it does not completely cleanse his heart of the 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 sastras it is said that if a person only once chants the holy name and completely surrenders unto 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 Sridhara Svami. 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 Visnudutas spoke on his behalf.

"Ajamila had named his son Narayana, 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 Narayana is not different from Lord Narayana. When Ajamila named his son Narayana, all the reactions of his sinful life were neutralized, and as he continued calling his son and thus chanting the holy name of Narayana thousands of times, he was actually unconsciously advancing in Krsna consciousness.

"One may argue, 'Since Ajamila was constantly chanting the name of Narayana, how was it possible for him to be associating with a prostitute and thinking of wine?' By his sinful actions he was bringing suffering upon himself again and again, and therefore one may say that only his chanting of the holy name of Narayana at the time of death--and not his chanting during his lifetime--was the cause of his being freed. However, his chanting during his life would then have been a nama-aparadha. Namno balad yasya hi papa-buddhih: one who continues to act sinfully and tries to neutralize his sins by chanting the holy name of the Lord is a nama-aparadhi, an offender to the holy name.

"In response it may be said that Ajamila's chanting throughout his life was inoffensive because he did not chant the name of Narayana with the purpose of counteracting his sins. He was in so much illusion that he did not realize he was addicted to sinful actions, nor did he know that his chanting of the holy name Narayana was neutralizing them. Thus during his life he did not commit a nama-aparadha, and his repeated chanting of the holy name of Narayana while calling his son may be called pure chanting.

"Because of this pure chanting, Ajamila unconsciously accumulated the results of bhakti, devotional service. 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 reactions did not affect him. In the sastras it is said that if one chants the holy name of the Lord even once, the reactions of past, present, or future sinful life do not affect him. To give another example, if one extracts the poison fangs of a serpent, this saves the serpent's future victims from poisonous effects, 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 results of the chanting to mature in due course of time."

 

Chapter 16

Awakening Love of God

 

The Visnudutas continued: "By following the Vedic ritualistic ceremonies or undergoing atonement, sinful men do not become as purified as by once chanting the holy name of Lord Hari. Although ritualistic atonement may free one from sinful reactions, it does not awaken devotional service, unlike the chanting of the Lord's names, which reminds one of the Lord's fame, qualities, attributes, pastimes, and paraphernalia.

"The ritualistic ceremonies of atonement recommended in the religious scriptures are insufficient to cleanse the heart absolutely because after atonement one's mind again runs toward material activities. Consequently, for one who wants liberation from the fruitive reactions of material activities, the chanting of the Hare Krsna mantra, or glorification of the name, fame, and pastimes of the Lord, is recommended as the most perfect process of atonement because such chanting completely eradicates the dirt from one's heart.

"At the time of death, Ajamila helplessly and very loudly chanted the holy name of Narayana. That chanting alone has already freed him from the reactions of all 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 the holy name jokingly, for musical entertainment, neglectfully, or even to indicate something else. This is accepted by all learned scholars of the scriptures.

"If a person somehow or other chants the holy name of Hari while dying because of an accident, such as falling from the top of a house, slipping and suffering broken bones while traveling on the road, being bitten by a snake, being afflicted with pain and high fever, or being injured by a weapon, he is immediately absolved from having to enter hellish life, even if he was sinful throughout his life.

"Learned scholars and sages have carefully ascertained that one should atone for the heaviest sins by undergoing a heavy process of atonement and one should atone for lighter sins by undergoing lighter atonement. But chanting the Hare Krsna mantra vanquishes all the effects of sinful activities, regardless of whether heavy or light.

"Although one may neutralize the reactions of sinful life through austerity, charity, vows, and other such methods, these pious activities cannot uproot the material desires in one's heart. However, one who serves the lotus feet of the Personality of Godhead is immediately freed from all such contaminations.

"As a fire burns dry grass to ashes, so the holy name of the Lord, whether chanted knowingly or unknowingly, unfailingly burns to ashes all the reactions of one's sinful activities.

"Even if a person is unaware of the potency of a certain medicine, if he takes that medicine or is forced to take it, it will act even without his knowledge, for its potency does not depend on the patient's understanding. Similarly, even though one does not know the value of chanting the holy name of the Lord, if one chants the holy name--knowingly or unknowingly--the chanting will be very effective."

Sri Sukadeva Gosvami continued speaking to King Pariksit: My dear king, having thus perfectly judged the principles of devotional service with reasoning and arguments, the order-carriers of Lord Visnu released the brahmana Ajamila from the bondage of the Yamadutas and saved him from imminent death. Then the Yamadutas went to Yamaraja and explained to him everything that had happened.

The brahmana Ajamila was now free from fear, having been released from the nooses of Yamaraja's servants. Coming to his senses, he immediately offered obeisances to the Visnudutas by bowing his head at their lotus feet. He was extremely pleased by their presence, for he had seen them save his life from the hands of the servants of Yamaraja. But when the Visnudutas saw that Ajamila was attempting to say something, they suddenly disappeared from his presence. (Srimad-Bhagavatam 6.2.11-23)

 

Atonement vs. Chanting the Holy Name

 

Here the Visnudutas say that the Vedic scriptures recommend various means of atonement, by which a person may be delivered from the reactions of his sinful activities. In Christianity there is also a means of atonement. If a Catholic commits a sin, for example, he is instructed to go to a priest and confess: "I have committed such-and-such sin." The priest is supposed to be an authorized representative of God, and so if he excuses the sinner, the sin becomes nullified.

However, such atonement cannot purify the sinful man as much as the purifying process of chanting the holy name of Lord Krsna. The man who confesses to having sinned leaves the church and often commits the same sin again. In other words, there is no question of becoming purified by this process of atonement.

Still, atonement of various kinds is recommended in the Vedas for those who are not ready to take up the process of pure devotional service. These methods of atonement are proportional to the the severity of the sin they are meant to counteract. For example, if we fall sick with a cough or influenza, the cost of medicine prescribed by the doctor may be little, but if we are stricken with tuberculosis, the medicine will be more costly. Likewise, prayascitta, or the ritualistic ceremonies for counteracting sinful activities, is proportionately less or greater according to the gravity of the sin. If we commit a grievous sin, then the penance will be severe. These are the prescriptions given by great sages like Parasara Muni and Manu. The sages have composed twenty kinds of scriptures, constituting the dharma-sastra, and these scriptures are meant for atoning for one's sins and elevating one to the heavenly planets. For example, it is said that if one has committed certain crimes, he must vow to fast for a certain number of days or give charity. Or, a businessman who has earned a million dollars by sinful activities must give in charity accordingly.

There are many such prescribed methods of atonement, but here the Visnudutas say, "Although these prescribed methods of atonement are authorized and true, they cannot purify the heart." We can see that even though the adherents of Hinduism, Mohammedanism, and Christianity perform such rituals of atonement, they cannot refrain from again committing the same sins. One who practices these principles of atonement is like a rascal patient who goes to a physician for treatment. The physician gives him medicine and instructs him how to take it, but the foolish patient takes the medicine according to his own whims, and so his condition worsens. Again he goes to the physician, crying "Doctor, please give me more medicine."

In this regard, Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura describes an incident that took place when Samba, one of Lord Krsna's sons, was rescued from the punishment of the Kauravas. Samba fell in love with Laksmana, the daughter of Duryodhana, and since according to ksatriya custom one is not offered a ksatriya's daughter unless he displays his chivalrous valor, Samba abducted her. Consequently Samba was arrested by the Kauravas. Later, when Lord Balarama came to rescue him, there was an argument about Samba's release. Since the argument was not settled, Balarama showed His power in such a way that all of Hastinapura trembled and would have been vanquished as if by a great earthquake. Then the matter was settled, and Samba married Duryodhana's daughter. The purport is that one should take shelter of Krsna and Balarama, whose protective power is so great that it cannot be equaled in the material world. However powerful the reactions of one's sins, they will immediately be vanquished if one chants the name of Hari, Krsna, Balarama, or Narayana.

Therefore such rituals of atonement as fasting and giving charity are not accepted by the Visnudutas. They say, "Such prescribed ritualistic ceremonies cannot purify a man as effectively as chanting the holy name of God." Undoubtedly one becomes free from all contamination of sinful life by executing particular religious principles, but these are ultimately insufficient, because the mind is so disturbed that even after being freed from the contamination of sinful reactions, the mind again becomes attracted to sinful activity.

The purificatory power of devotional service to Krsna, beginning with the chanting of the holy name, is stated in the Srimad-Bhagavatam (11.2.42): bhaktih paresanubhavo viraktir anyatra ca. "Devotional service to the Lord is so powerful that one who performs it is immediately freed from all material desires." All desires within this material world are sinful because material desire means sense gratification, which always involves action that is more or less sinful. But pure devotional service is anyabhilasita-sunya, free from material desires. One who is situated in devotional service no longer has material desires, and thus he is beyond sinful life. Material desires should be completely stopped. Otherwise, although one's austerities, penances, and charity may free one from sin for the time being, one's desires will reappear because his heart is impure. Thus he will act sinfully and suffer. The special advantage of devotional service is that it frees one of all material desires.

One cannot purify one's heart by atonement alone. A patient suffering from syphilis goes to the doctor, who gives him an injection and charges a high fee. Yes, he may be cured, but when he again engages in illicit sex, he once again contracts syphilis. So his heart was not purified of the desire for illicit sex. But if one takes to Krsna consciousness, he forgets illicit sex. That is the test of one's Krsna consciousness. A sincere devotee never commits sin, because his heart has become purified by chanting the holy name and engaging in devotional service.

Of course, there are pseudodevotees who commit sinful activities on the strength of chanting Hare Krsna. They are great offenders against the holy name. We should not use the holy name like a machine, thinking that because the chanting process consumes sinful reactions we can freely commit more sin. This is the greatest offense against the holy name of Krsna. Whatever sins we may have previously committed are immediately eradicated by offenseless chanting of the holy name of the Lord, even just once. But we must not sin again. Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu forgave the sinful Jagai and Madhai, who had been drunkards, woman-hunters, meat-eaters, and gamblers. But these two sinners fell down at the lotus feet of Lord Caitanya and Nityananda Prabhu and cried, "Sirs! We are so sinful! Kindly deliver us." Lord Caitanya agreed on the condition that they promise not to commit any more sins. He said, "Whatever you have done I shall excuse, but do not do it again." Thus Jagai and Madhai vowed, "This is the end of our sinful activities. We shall not do them anymore." When a person is initiated by a spiritual master, the reactions of his sins immediately become nullified. But that does not mean he can again commit sins.

Krsna consciousness means following in the footsteps of Lord Caitanya, and so we initiate disciples according to the principle he showed in the case of Jagai and Madhai. We accept many people into our Society as duly initiated disciples, but only if they vow to observe these regulations: no more illicit sex, no more gambling, no more intoxication, and no more animal-killing or meat-eating. These regulations are necessary, because if one takes up spiritual life and at the same time goes on committing sinful activities, he will never be able to make progress. As Krsna clearly says in the Bhagavad-gita (7.28),

 

yesam tv anta-gatam papam

jananam punya-karmanam

te dvandva-moha-nirmukta

bhajante mam drdha-vratah

 

"Persons who have acted piously in previous lives and in this life and whose sinful actions are completely eradicated are freed from the dualities of delusion, and they engage themselves in My service with determination."

If we are actually serious about entering into the kingdom of God, Vaikuntha, then we should be very careful to follow the four regulative principles mentioned above. One must not have any sex except to have children within marriage. One must not indulge in intoxication. One must not gamble. And one must not eat meat, fish, or eggs or anything else beyond the foods established for human beings--grains, fruits, vegetables, milk, and sugar. Such foodstuffs are sattvika, or pure and good, and they are allotted for human consumption. One should not imitate the cats and dogs, reasoning that because the animals are eating meat, human beings can do likewise. If everything eatable is food, why not eat stool? Stool is also food--hogs eat stool. But human beings should not eat like hogs, who will eat all kinds of unclean foods. We have to discriminate. If we want to enter into spiritual life, we must observe these four principles of restriction. This may mean undergoing some austerity, but this is the purpose of human life. When we have purified our existence through austerity, we will be eligible to enter into the kingdom of God, but without being purified, we can never enter.

 

Meditation on Krsna's Form

 

If one chants the holy name of God--Hare Krsna, Hare Krsna, Krsna Krsna, Hare Hare. Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare--eventually he will see Krsna's form, realize Krsna's qualities, and remember Krsna's pastimes. That is the effect of the pure chanting of the Hare Krsna maha-mantra.

Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura comments that the chanting of the holy name of the Lord has special significance that distinguishes it from the Vedic ritualistic ceremonies of atonement for severe, more severe, or most severe sins. There are twenty types of religious scriptures called dharma-sastras, beginning with the Manu-samhita and Parasara-samhita, but herein it is stressed that although one may become free from the reactions of the most sinful activities by following the religious principles of these scriptures, this cannot promote a sinful man to the stage of loving service to the Lord. On the other hand, chanting the holy name of the Lord even once not only frees one immediately from the reactions of the greatest sins, but also begins to raise one to the platform of rendering loving service to the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Thus one serves the Lord by remembering His form, attributes, and pastimes.

Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti explains that it is because of the Lord's omnipotence that this is all possible simply by chanting His holy name. What cannot be achieved through the performance of Vedic rituals can easily be achieved through the chanting of the Lord's holy name. To chant the holy name and dance in ecstasy is so easy, sublime, and effective that one can readily achieve all the benefits of spiritual life simply by following this process. Therefore Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu declares, param vijayate sri-krsna-sankirtanam: "All glories to the congregational chanting of Lord Krsna's holy name!" The sankirtana movement we have started offers the best process for immediately becoming purified of all sinful reactions and coming to the platform of spiritual life.

Although Ajamila became fallen in his later days, in his youth he was a brahmacari and was properly trained by his father. He knew the name, form, and pastimes of Narayana, but by bad association he forgot them. However, as soon as he chanted the name of Lord Narayana on his deathbed, he again remembered all his past pious activities, and therefore he was saved.

That chanting and hearing the Lord's name and glories is the best means of purifying the heart of sinful propensities is confirmed at the beginning of the Srimad-Bhagavatam (1.2.17):

 

srnvatam sva-kathah krsnah

punya-sravana-kirtanah

hrdy antah stho hy abhadrani

vidhunoti suhrt satam

 

"Sri Krsna, the Personality of Godhead, who is the Supersoul in everyone's heart and the benefactor of the truthful devotee, cleanses desire for material enjoyment from the heart of the devotee who relishes His messages, which are in themselves virtuous when properly heard and chanted."

It is the special mercy of the Supreme Lord that as soon as He sees a person glorifying His name, form, and pastimes, He personally cleanses the dirt from that person's heart. Even if one does not understand the meaning of the Lord's name, form, and pastimes, one is purified simply by hearing or chanting them.

One's main purpose in human life should be to purify one's existence and achieve liberation. As long as one has a material body, one is understood to be impure. In such an impure, material condition, one cannot enjoy a truly blissful life, although everyone seeks it. Therefore everyone requires purification. As Lord Rsabhadeva says in the Srimad-Bhagavatam (5.5.1), tapo divyam putraka yena sattvam suddhyed yasmad brahma-saukhyam tv anantam: "My dear sons, you must perform tapasya, austerity, to purify your existence; then you will come to the spiritual platform and enjoy unending spiritual happiness." The tapasya of chanting and glorifying the name, form, and pastimes of the Lord is a very easy purifying process by which everyone can become happy. Therefore everyone who desires the ultimate cleansing of his heart must adopt this process. Other processes, such as karma, jnana, and yoga, cannot cleanse the heart absolutely.

Mayavadis, or impersonalists, cannot glorify the name, form, and pastimes of the Lord because they think that God has no form and that His pastimes are maya, illusory. Why should God not have a form? We have a form because our father has a form. So why should the supreme father not have a form? In the Bhagavad-gita (14.4) Krsna says, aham bija-pradah pita: "I am the seed-giving father of all beings." The Christians also believe that God is the supreme father. If the sons all have forms, how is it that the father has no form? We cannot be born of a father who is formless. Isvarah paramah krsnah sac-cid-ananda-vigrahah: "Krsna is the supreme controller and the cause of all causes, and He possesses an eternal form of knowledge and bliss." (Brahma-samhita 5.1) Vigraha means "form." If God is the cause of all causes, the creator, and He is creating all these forms, how can He be formless?

God has a form, but it is not a form like ours. His form is sac-cid-ananda, but ours is just the opposite. God's form is sat, eternally existing, while man's form is asat, temporary. God's form is cit, full of knowledge, but ours is acit, full of ignorance. And His form is full of ananda, bliss, but ours is full of nirananda, misery. It is only because we cannot conceive of a form so different from ours that sometimes it is said God is nirakara, without form.

God's form is transcendental. That means His body is not material but spiritual. His form is of a different nature than that to which we are accustomed. In the Vedas it is said that God sees but that He has no eyes. This means that God's eyes are unlike ours--they are spiritual, not material. We can see only so far, whereas God can see everything because He has eyes everywhere. His eyes, His form, His hands and legs are of a different nature than ours.

Unlike our knowledge, Krsna's knowledge is unlimited. As He says in the Bhagavad-gita (7.26), "I know past, present, future--everything." Earlier (Bhagavad-gita 4.5) He reminds Arjuna, "Both you and I have taken many births. I remember them all, but you have forgotten them." Thus there is no limit to His knowledge. His knowledge, His body, and His happiness are completely different from our knowledge, body, and happiness. Therefore it is only out of ignorance that some people say the Absolute Truth is nirakara, formless.

Thinking that God has no form is just imagination. It is material thought. We have a form, so He must have a form, though not a form like ours. Only fools think God is ultimately formless. Krsna declares this in the Bhagavad-gita (7.24): avyaktam vyaktim apannam manyante mam abuddhayah. "Unintelligent men think that I was impersonal before and have now assumed this personality." In another place in the Bhagavad-gita, those who deride the personal form of God are called mudhas, or asses. God certainly has a form, but His form is entirely different from ours. That is the real understanding of nirakara.

And just as Krsna's form is not like our material forms, so His pastimes are also not of this material nature. Anyone who knows this is immediately liberated. Krsna confirms this in the Bhagavad-gita (4.9),

 

janma karma ca me divyam

evam yo vetti tattvatah

tyaktva deham punar janma

naiti mam eti so 'rjuna

 

"One who knows the transcendental nature of My appearance and activities does not, upon leaving the body, take his birth again in this material world, but attains my eternal abode." Simply by chanting the holy name of Krsna purely, one can come to understand the pastimes of the Supreme Lord and thus become liberated. Chanting is easy and sublime. One who offenselessly chants Hare Krsna will always remember Krsna's form, pastimes, qualities, and entourage, and that remembrance will liberate him from all sinful reactions and all material bondage.

The Visnudutas here declare that although there are many methods prescribed in the Vedas for attaining liberation from sinful reactions, these methods are all insufficient, because they cannot elevate a person to the standard of absolute purity. Those who practice other methods of purification mentioned in the Vedas generally desire some material benefit, such as elevation to the heavenly kingdom. But a devotee does not care for elevation to the heavenly planets. A devotee doesn't care a fig for any planet in this material world, because he knows that the benefit of entering into the heavenly kingdom is temporary. We may live for thousands of years on a higher planet and enjoy a very high standard of life, complete with beautiful wife, abundant wealth, and the finest wine, but there is no permanent benefit. For a devotee, such a life is hellish, because he does not wish to live without Krsna. That is genuine spiritual realization.

We simply care for Krsna and how Krsna will be happy. That is real happiness. We try to please Krsna. Kamsa was also Krsna conscious, insofar as he was always thinking of Krsna, but his meditation was unfavorable. His meditation was on how to kill Krsna. He was thinking of Krsna, but he thought of Him as his enemy. That is certainly not bhakti, or devotion. Thinking of Krsna but being opposed to His desire, opposed to satisfying Him, is not bhakti. One must act favorably in Krsna consciousness. Arjuna was a devotee because he acted favorably, for the satisfaction of Krsna. Materially speaking, Arjuna's actions appear unfavorable, but they were favorable as far as Krsna was concerned. Therefore they were perfect and free from all sin.

 

Lord Krsna's Transcendental Pastimes

 

It is important to understand the difference between activities of bhakti and ordinary pious activities. Cultivation of knowledge and pious activities is on the material platform. Piety does not amount to liberation. A pious man is situated on the platform of goodness, but he remains a conditioned soul, bound up by good reactions. One may even become a brahmana, a very pious man, but that does not mean he has become a devotee. And sometimes a devotee appears to act against the rules of mundane piety. Arjuna, for example, was an exalted devotee of Lord Krsna, but he killed his relatives. Ignorant people may say, "Arjuna is not a good man. Look, he killed his grandfather, his teacher, and his nephews, devastating the entire family." But in the Bhagavad-gita (4.3) Krsna says to Arjuna, bhakto 'si me: "You are My very dear friend." In the estimation of the material world Arjuna may not be a good man, but because he is a soul surrendered to the desire of the Supreme Lord, he must be accepted as a devotee. While it is true that Arjuna killed his own kinsmen, in the eyes of Krsna he remained a dear friend and devotee. That is the difference between a devotee and a good man of this world: A good man of this world tries to always act piously, for he knows that if he acts badly he will suffer sinful reactions; but a devotee, although naturally a very good man, can act like a bad man on Krsna's order and still not fall down: he remains a pure devotee and is very dear to the Lord.

As mentioned above, hearing Krsna's pastimes is very purifying, but such hearing has to be done with the right attitude. Some persons with material vision are very much attracted to Krsna's rasa-lila--His pastimes with His cowherd girlfriends--but they do not appreciate His fighting and killing the demons. They do not know that the Absolute Truth, Krsna, is good in any and all circumstances. Whether He is enjoying in the company of His devotees or killing the demons, He remains the Absolute Truth, and therefore all His pastimes are equally purifying to hear.

Generally people go to hear the Srimad-Bhagavatam from professional reciters, who are especially fond of describing the rasa-lila. The people think, "Oh, Krsna is embracing a girl--this is very nice." At times ten thousand people will gather to hear the rasa-lila, and in this way the reciters earn a nice profit. Thus people come to think that the Srimad-Bhagavatam means the Tenth Canto, which contains the rasa-lila and other pastimes, but what they don't realize is that there are so many important instructions in the other cantos as well. Lord Krsna, the summum bonum, is described in the Tenth Canto, and the other nine cantos are especially meant for purifying the heart so that one may understand Krsna.

Therefore we instruct everyone first of all to read the first nine cantos of the Srimad-Bhagavatam very carefully. Then one may read the Tenth Canto with proper understanding. Those who hear about Krsna's rasa-lila and take it as an ordinary story cannot know Krsna in truth. The rasa-lila is not an affair of lust. It is a transcendental pastime of love between Radha and Krsna. According to Caitanya Mahaprabhu, the chapters of the Srimad-Bhagavatam describing the rasa-lila are not meant for ordinary persons; they are meant for liberated persons only. Therefore these descriptions of the rasa-lila should not be described to ordinary people. Those who are advanced devotees, liberated from material contamination, can try to understand Krsna's rasa-lila. One must not try to imagine the rasa-lila of Radha and Krsna in mundane terms.

But even though ordinary hearers of Srimad-Bhagavatam do not know the deep significance of Krsna's rasa-lila, because they hear about Krsna's pastimes they become purified. And if they hear from authorized sources, they will be promoted to the transcendental devotional platform. The disease within the heart is lust, the desire to enjoy, and by hearing from authorized sources about Krsna's pastimes of loving exchanges with the gopis, the deep-rooted lusty desires in the heart will be completely eradicated.

Unfortunately, most people do not hear the Srimad-Bhagavatam from authoritative sources. They hear only from professional reciters. Therefore they remain materially diseased, full of lusty desires. Some become sahajiya, pretending to be Krsna and Radharani and Her gopi friends. In this way they behave as if they were the supreme enjoyer.

The pure devotee's business is to satisfy Krsna, and as soon as he chants the Hare Krsna maha-mantra, he remembers how to do so. In the material world, the living entities are inclined to go astray. The mind and senses generally become attracted to material objects of desire. But one should draw one's mind to the eternal by the practice of bhakti-yoga. Otherwise, one's mind and senses will force one to perform karma, activities for personal sense gratification. And as soon as a person engages in sense gratification, he commits sin. Therefore to avoid karmic activities, which quickly entangle one in the process of repeated birth and death, one must take to the process of Krsna consciousness.

Here the Visnudutas advise us in the same way: If we want to be freed from the reactions of karma, we should glorify the Supreme Lord twenty-four hours a day. That will purify us. Srila Sridhara Svami says, "Instead of taking to prescribed ritualistic ceremonies, simply engage your mind in describing or glorifying the Supreme Personality of Godhead." This is the process of Krsna consciousness.

In Krsna consciousness, or devotional service, there are nine processes: hearing about the transcendental name, form, qualities, and pastimes of the Lord, chanting about these, remembering these, serving the lotus feet of the Lord, offering Him respectful worship, offering Him prayers, becoming His servant, considering Him one's friend, and surrendering everything to Him. One who practices one or more of these processes of devotional service throughout his life is sure to remember Krsna at the time of death. That is the art of Krsna consciousness. We cannot abandon all activities and simply chant Hare Krsna; therefore we keep ourselves constantly engaged in practical devotional service so that our mind is fixed upon Krsna. Then, at the time of death, we are sure to attain total liberation from material existence.

One who is not practiced in devotional service cannot all of a sudden chant the holy name of Narayana at the time of death. He must have prior practice in order to chant effectively. Therefore Caitanya Mahaprabhu has recommended, kirtaniyah sada harih: "One should chant the holy name of the Lord constantly." This is the best way of remembering Krsna in this age, and always remembering Krsna ensures our return home, back to Godhead. As the Lord promises in the Bhagavad-gita (8.8),

 

abhyasa-yoga-yuktena

cetasa nanya-gamina

paramam purusam divyam

yati parthanucintayan

 

"He who meditates on Me as the Supreme Personality of Godhead, his mind constantly engaged in remembering Me, undeviated from the path, is sure to reach Me."

That Ajamila remembered Krsna was not accidental. He had chanted the name of Lord Narayana earlier in his life, but he forgot the Lord due to bad association. Nevertheless, the transcendental effect of his earlier practice was there at the time of his death, even though he was calling out the name of his youngest son, not intending to call for Krsna.

Indiscriminate Mercy

As stated in the Bhagavad-gita (8.6):

 

yam yam vapi smaran bhavam

tyajaty ante kalevaram

tam tam evaiti kaunteya

sada tad-bhava-bhavitah

 

"Whatever state of being one remembers when he quits his body, that state he will attain without fail."

One who practices chanting the Hare Krsna mantra is naturally expected to chant Hare Krsna when he meets with some accident. Even without such practice, however, if one somehow or other chants the holy name of the Lord when he meets with an accident and dies, he will be saved from hellish life after death. For example, if a person falls from a high rooftop but somehow or other cries out "Hare Krsna!" that cry will be heard by the Lord. Or, if in our sleep we dream that a tiger is coming to eat us and we chant Hare Krsna in our sleep, the Lord hears that also.

Although Ajamila indirectly chanted the holy name of Lord Narayana through the medium of the name of his youngest son, he at once remembered Lord Narayana. Therefore in Vedic society children are given God's names. It is not that the child becomes God. If we name a child Narayana, it is understood that he is Narayana dasa, the servant of Lord Narayana. Similarly, we give our disciples spiritual names, such as Visnu dasa, Vamana dasa, or Krsna dasa. That Ajamila remembered Lord Narayana by calling his son of the same name is confirmed in the Srimad-Bhagavatam, which says that the power of the sound vibration of the holy name is absolute.

One attains freedom from all sinful reactions immediately upon recitation of the holy name, even if one does not understand the potency of the name. Whether one is chanting with devotion and reverence or without any faith, more sinful reactions are vanquished than a sinful man can commit. Krsna's name has such unlimited potency. When Caitanya Mahaprabhu was chanting the Hare Krsna maha-mantra in Navadvipa, the people used to imitate the Lord and His associates. At that time the land was ruled by Mohammedans, and sometimes the people would go to one of the government officials and complain, "The Hindus are chanting 'Hare Krsna! Hare Krsna!' dancing wildly, and thrashing their arms about." In this way they imitated the sankirtana of Lord Caitanya. In Western countries the onlookers also imitate our chanting of Hare Krsna when we go out to chant on the street. Even by imitating, however, they become purified. The holy name is so powerful that if someone derides us, saying, "Why are you chanting Hare Krsna--it is nonsense!" he also gets spiritual benefit.

The chanting of Krsna's holy name is like the sun rising in one's darkened heart. This universe is full of darkness, and only by Krsna's arrangement for sunshine do we see light. As soon as the sun sets, the world comes under the influence of darkness. Likewise, our heart is full of the darkness of ignorance, but there is a light to dispel the darkness, and that light is Krsna consciousness. Due to impious activities we are in ignorance, but to those who constantly engage in the service of the Lord with love and affection, Krsna reveals Himself in the heart. By Krsna's special mercy, the devotees are always kept in the light of Krsna consciousness. Krsna knows everyone's intention or motive, and His mercy is especially meant for those who are sincerely engaged in His service.

Krsna is equal to everyone, and as such, His mercy is unlimited. However, He is very much inclined toward His devotees. If one is prepared to accept His mercy unlimitedly, then He is prepared to give it unlimitedly. On account of our envious nature, however, we are not prepared to take His mercy. In the Bhagavad-gita (18.66) Krsna says, sarva-dharman parityajya mam ekam saranam vraja. aham tvam sarva-papebhyo moksayisyami: "Just give up all other so-called religions and surrender to Me alone. I shall protect you from all sinful reactions." He openly offers His protection, but we do not take it. Sunlight is also equally distributed throughout the universe, but if we close the door and do not come out to take advantage of it, that is our own fault. Sunlight and moonlight do not discriminate, illuminating the houses of brahmanas while leaving candalas' [dogeaters'] houses in darkness. No, the light is distributed indiscriminately. Similarly, the mercy of Krsna is equally available to everyone, but it is up to each individual to accept God's freely distributed mercy.

Naturally Krsna bestows more mercy upon His devotee, because the devotee has the capacity to accept that mercy through service. The process of receiving the causeless mercy of the Lord is to render more and more service. We should be very enthusiastic to render service to the Lord. That enthusiasm will come when we chant Hare Krsna with faith and determination.

Someone may argue, "I can see how chanting the holy name with faith is purifying, but if a man has no faith, then how will the holy name act?" Here are some examples: If an innocent child touches fire, knowingly or unknowingly, it will burn him. Or, if we give medicine to a child, it acts, even though he does not know the potency of the medicine or how it is acting. Poison also acts in this way. Similarly, the Hare Krsna mantra acts, even though we may not know how or why. Even ignorant lower creatures are benefited when we chant loudly. This is confirmed by Srila Haridasa Thakura: "When one chants Hare Krsna loudly, every living entity, moving or nonmoving, benefits." (Caitanya-caritamrta, Antya-lila 3.69)

The potency of the chanting of Hare Krsna is confirmed by the spread of the Krsna consciousness movement. In countries where the Hare Krsna movement is spreading, learned scholars and other thoughtful men are realizing its effectiveness. For example, Dr. J. Stillson Judah, a learned scholar, has been very much attracted to this movement because he has actually seen that it is turning hippies addicted to drugs into pure Vaisnavas who voluntarily become servants of Krsna and humanity. Even a few years ago, such hippies did not know the Hare Krsna mantra, but now they are chanting it and becoming pure Vaisnavas. Thus they are becoming free from all sinful activities, such as illicit sex, intoxication, meat-eating, and gambling. This is practical proof of the effectiveness of the Hare Krsna mantra. One may or may not know the value of chanting the Hare Krsna mantra, but if one somehow or other chants it, he will immediately be purified, just as one who takes a potent medicine will feel its effects, regardless of whether he takes it knowingly or unknowingly.

Another analogy: fire will act, regardless of whether handled by an innocent child or by someone well aware of its power. If a field of dry grass is set afire, either by a man who knows the power of fire or by a child who does not, the grass will be burned to ashes. Similarly, a person may or may not know the power of chanting the Hare Krsna mantra, but if he chants the holy name, he will become free from all sinful reactions. This is the correct conclusion of the Visnudutas.

 

Extended Lease on Life

 

The servants of Yamaraja are so powerful that generally they cannot be hindered anywhere, but this time they were baffled and disappointed in their attempt to take away a man they considered sinful. Therefore they immediately returned to Yamaraja and described to him everything that had happened. They thought that it was unnatural that Ajamila, who had seemed eligible to be brought before Yamaraja, had been released by the Visnudutas.

Now Ajamila was fully Krsna conscious. By the divine association of the Visnudutas, who were highly elevated Vaisnavas, Ajamila came to his full consciousness. He had been arrested, but then he had been released, and now he was free from all fear. This is liberation. When one is situated in Krsna consciousness by the association of Vaisnavas, or devotees of the Lord, one becomes free from all fear. This position is eternal. Ajamila became fearless due to being reinstated in his constitutional position. At once he began to offer nice prayers to the Visnudutas: vancha-kalpatarubhyas ca krpa-sindhubhya eva ca: "I offer my respectful obeisances unto the devotees of the Lord, who are just like desire trees and oceans of mercy." This is the life of a devotee: he is always offering prayers to other devotees. First he offers respects to his spiritual master, next to his grand-spiritual master, next to his great-grand-spiritual master, and then to all devotees of Lord Krsna.

Vaisnavas are also Visnudutas because they carry out the orders of Krsna. Lord Krsna is very eager for all the conditioned souls rotting in this material world to surrender to Him and be saved from material pangs in this life and punishment in hellish conditions after death. A Vaisnava therefore tries to bring conditioned souls to their senses. Those who are fortunate like Ajamila are saved by the Visnudutas, or Vaisnavas, and thus they return home, back to Godhead.

Good examples of merciful Vaisnavas are the six Gosvamis. They scrutinizingly studied all kinds of scriptures to establish the principles of Krsna consciousness. In the Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu (The Nectar of Devotion) Srila Rupa Gosvami quotes many verses from different scriptures in support of the principles of bhakti. Why did he and the other Gosvamis go to so much trouble and research? It is very laborious to research the Vedic literature in search of authoritative statements, and then to assimilate them in order to support the Vedic conclusions. But the six Gosvamis took up that laborious work out of compassion for humanity.

Spreading Krsna consciousness, as the six Gosvamis did, is the best welfare work for all humanity. There seem to be many other welfare activities, but their benefit is only temporary. The great welfare work of spreading Krsna consciousness, undertaken by exalted personalities such as the six Gosvamis of Vrndavana, has real value for all men because it is based upon substantial spiritual truth. The Vaisnavas are just like desire trees (kalpa-vrksa), for they can fulfill all one's spiritual desires. And thus they are also oceans of mercy (krpa-sindhu).

Ajamila heard the conversation between the Yamadutas and the Visnudutas, and simply by hearing he was completely cleansed of all material contamination. Such is the purifying effect of hearing about Krsna. Anyone who regularly hears the Srimad-Bhagavatam, the Bhagavad-gita, the Caitanya-caritamrta, the Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu, or any other Vaisnava literature gets the same benefit as Ajamila and becomes free of all material contamination.

Ajamila was very grateful to the Visnudutas, and he immediately offered his respects by bowing down before them. Similarly, we have to make firm our relationships with the servants of Lord Visnu. As Caitanya Mahaprabhu has said, gopi-bhartuh pada-kamalayor dasa-dasanudasah: "One should consider oneself the servant of the servant of the servant of Krsna." Without offering respects to the servant of Krsna, no one can approach Krsna.

After Ajamila had offered his respects to the Visnudutas, he prepared to say something out of gratitude. But they immediately took their leave because they preferred that he glorify the Supreme Lord instead. Since all his sinful reactions had been vanquished, Ajamila was now prepared to glorify the Lord. Indeed, one cannot glorify the Lord sincerely unless one is free from all sinful activities. This is confirmed by Krsna Himself in the Bhagavad-gita (7.28):

 

yesam tv anta-gatam papam

jananam punya-karmanam

te dvanda-moha-nirmukta

bhajante mam drdha-vratah

 

"Persons who have acted piously in previous lives and in this life and whose sinful actions are completely eradicated are freed from the duality of delusion, and they engage themselves in My service with determination." The Visnudutas made Ajamila aware of devotional service so that He might soon become fit to return home, back to Godhead. To increase his eagerness to glorify the Lord, they disappeared so that he would feel separation in their absence. In the mood of separation, glorification of the Lord is very intense.

 

Chapter 17

The Moment of Truth

 

Sukadeva Gosvami continued: After hearing the discourses between the Yamadutas and the Visnudutas, Ajamila could understand the religious principles that act under the three modes of material nature. These principles are mentioned in the three Vedas. He could also understand the transcendental religious principles, which are above the modes of material nature and which concern the relationship between the living being and the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Furthermore, Ajamila heard glorification of the name, fame, qualities, and pastimes of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. He thus became a perfectly pure devotee. He could then remember his past sinful activities, which he greatly regretted having performed.

Ajamila said, "Alas, being a servant of my senses, how degraded I became! I fell down from my position as a duly qualified brahmana and begot children in the womb of a prostitute. Alas, all condemnation upon me! I acted so sinfully that I degraded my family tradition. Indeed, I gave up my chaste and beautiful young wife to have sexual intercourse with a fallen prostitute accustomed to drinking wine. All condemnation upon me! My father and mother were old and had no one to look after them. Because I did not take care of them, they lived with great difficulty. Alas, like an abominable lower-class man, I ungratefully left them in that condition.

"It is now clear that as a consequence of such activities, a sinful person like me must be thrown into hellish conditions meant for those who have broken religious principles and must there suffer extreme miseries.

"Was this a dream I saw, or was it reality? I saw fearsome men with ropes in their hands coming to arrest me and drag me away. Where have they gone? And where have those four liberated and very beautiful persons gone who released me from arrest and saved me from being dragged down to the hellish regions?

"I am certainly most abominable and unfortunate to have merged into the ocean of sinful activities. But nevertheless, because of my previous spiritual activities, I could see those four exalted personalities who came to rescue me. Now I feel exceedingly happy because of their visit.

"Were it not for my past devotional service, how could I, a most unclean keeper of a prostitute, have gotten an opportunity to chant the holy name of Narayana when I was just ready to die? Certainly it would not have been possible." (Srimad-Bhagavatam 6.2.24-33)

 

Repentance

 

Having heard the conversation between the Yamadutas and the Visnudutas, Ajamila became firmly fixed in Krsna consciousness. He began to lament, "How unfortunate I was to engage in so many sinful activities!" This is the proper attitude for a Krsna conscious devotee. Whatever he may have done in the past, no matter how sinful, when he comes in contact with devotees and hears transcendental topics in relation to the Supreme Personality of Godhead (bhagavata-katha), he becomes purified and laments his previous condition. Indeed, the symptom of his purification is that he laments having behaved so sinfully. He repents and discontinues his past grievous conduct.

Ajamila was now at the stage of devotional service in which one is freed from all material impediments and is completely satisfied (ahaituky apratihata yayatma suprasidati). Having reached this platform, Ajamila began to lament for his past materialistic activities and glorify the name, fame, form, and pastimes of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. One who takes to Krsna consciousness naturally endeavors to follow the rules of devotional service, and he regularly chants the Hare Krsna maha-mantra: Hare Krsna, Hare Krsna, Krsna Krsna, Hare Hare. Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare. A person should not suppose that because he has taken to Krsna consciousness he can continue his sinful activities and have their effects counteracted. We have repeatedly warned that this is the greatest offense against the holy name. Like Ajamila, one should repent, "How unfortunate I was to engage in so many sinful activities! But now, by the grace of Krsna, I have come to know that I was acting improperly."

Thus Ajamila greatly repented, remembering all his sinful activities. He remembered that he had been trained by his father to be a first-class brahmana, that he had been educated in the science of the Vedas, and that he had married a beautiful and chaste wife, a girl who was innocent and highly qualified, having come from a respectable brahmana family. Ajamila now lamented, "I rejected her and accepted a prostitute, an abominable drunkard!"

It is a Vedic regulation that men of the higher classes--brahmanas, ksatriyas, and vaisyas--do not beget children in the wombs of lower-class women. Therefore the custom in Vedic society is to examine the horoscopes of a girl and boy being considered for marriage to see whether their combination is suitable. Vedic astrology reveals whether one has been born in the brahmana class, the ksatriya class, the vaisya class, or the sudra class, according to the three qualities of material nature. The horoscope must be examined because a marriage between a boy of the brahmana class and a girl of the sudra class is incompatible; married life would be miserable for both husband and wife. Of course, this is a material calculation according to the three modes of nature, yet it is important for the peace and prosperity of the family and society. But if the boy and girl are devotees, there need be no such considerations. A devotee is transcendental, and therefore in a marriage between devotees, the boy and girl form a very happy combination.

Ajamila thought, "Because I failed to be self-controlled, I was degraded to an abominable life and all my brahminical qualifications were nullified." This is the mentality of one who is becoming a pure devotee. When one is elevated to the platform of devotional service by the grace of the Lord and the spiritual master, one first regrets his past sinful activities. This helps one advance in spiritual life. The Visnudutas had given Ajamila the chance to become a pure devotee, and the first duty of a devotee is to regret his past sinful activities in illicit sex, intoxication, meat-eating, and gambling. Not only should a devotee give up his past bad habits, but he must always regret his past sinful acts. This is the standard of pure devotion.

 

Debts to Pay

 

Ajamila repented his negligence in performing his duty to his wife, father, and mother. It is the duty of grown-up children to render service to their aged parents. This practice should be reintroduced into present society. Otherwise, what is the use of family life? Proper family life means that the husband should be protective, the wife chaste, and the children grateful to their father and mother. Children should think, "My father and mother gave me so much service. When I was unable to walk, they carried me. When I was unable to eat, they fed me. They gave me an education. They gave me life." A bona fide son thinks of ways to render service to his father and mother. And just as a woman is expected to be faithful to her husband, so the husband should be grateful for her service and protect her. Because of his association with a prostitute, however, Ajamila had abandoned all his duties. Regretting this, he now considered himself quite fallen.

According to the Vedic social system, as soon as one takes birth he becomes indebted to so many persons. We are indebted to the rsis, or great sages, because we derive knowledge from their transcendental writings, such as the Srimad-Bhagavatam, compiled by Srila Vyasadeva. The authors of the scripture know past, present, and future, and we are urged to take advantage of such invaluable knowledge. Thus we are indebted to the sages.

We are also indebted to the demigods, for they manage the affairs of the universe, supplying it with every essential--sunshine from the sun-god, Surya; moonshine from the moon-god, Candra; air from Vayu; and so on. Each element is controlled by a particular demigod.

We are also indebted to ordinary living entities from whom we take service. For example, we take milk from the cow. According to Vedic understanding, the cow is considered one of our mothers because we drink her milk, just as at birth we drink our mother's milk. The Srimad-Bhagavatam lists seven mothers: our own mother, the wife of our teacher or spiritual master, the wife of a brahmana, the wife of the king, the nurse, the cow, and the earth. We are indebted to all seven of these mothers, and also to our father, brothers, friends, relatives, and forefathers.

Also, if someone accepts charity, he becomes indebted, and that debt has to be repaid, just as borrowed money must be repaid. Therefore devotees should not accept charity from anyone unless they intend to spend it in Krsna's service. For a devotee to accept donations just to satisfy his belly is a great sin. Brahmanas and sannyasis who accept charity from others must accept it with great caution. According to the Vedic social structure, only the brahmacari, sannyasi, and brahmana are allowed to collect money in charity. An ordinary householder must not. The brahmacari may collect alms from the public for serving his spiritual master, and a sannyasi may collect money for serving God, Krsna. The Vedas likewise direct people to give charity to the brahmanas because they know how to spend it for Krsna. Charity given to a worthy person is in the mode of goodness, charity given for one's own personal benefit is touched with the mode of passion, and charity given without any consideration is sunk in the mode of ignorance. For instance, if we give money to a rascal, he will likely take it to the nearest liquor shop. Those who are rich may think it does not matter--they can afford not to discriminate--but the scriptures describe these three kinds of charity.

We may well ask, How can one hope to liquidate all his debts? The answer is: only by taking shelter of the lotus feet of Krsna, or Mukunda. The name Mukunda indicates one who liberates us from material contamination. We are indebted to the demigods, but we cannot take shelter of them. If we actually want shelter, we should take shelter of Krsna, because He alone can free us from all debts. Krsna is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and if He excuses us, then all other departmental managers, such as the demigods, must also excuse us.

Ajamila understood his position as a debtor, but since he had now taken shelter at the lotus feet of Mukunda, all his debts were cleared. Simply by taking shelter of Lord Narayana, who is nondifferent from Mukunda, Ajamila became free. Similarly, if we want to be free from all sinful reactions, we have no alternative but to surrender to Krsna. As Krsna recommends, mam ekam saranam vraja: "Simply surrender unto Me." We should follow Krsna's advice. Otherwise, it will be very difficult to liquidate all our debts to so many persons, especially in this Age of Kali.

 

Permanent Credit

 

In the material world there is danger at every step. Even for those who are pure devotees there is the danger of falling down from the standard of purity. However, in the Srimad-Bhagavatam (1.5.17) Narada Muni assures us,

 

tyaktva sva-dharmam caranambujam harer

bhajann apakvo 'tha patet tato yadi

yatra kva vabhadram abhud amusya kim

ko vartha apto 'bhajatam sva-dharmatah

 

The word dharma in this verse means "occupational duties." A brahmana, for example, has certain occupational duties. Similarly, a ksatriya has his, and so also do the vaisya and sudra. If a person gives up his occupational duties and takes to Krsna consciousness, strictly following all the rules and regulations, but if due to his immature execution of devotional service he falls down, there is still no loss for him. Whatever he does as service to the Supreme Lord, although it may be a small percentage of his whole life, will remain to his credit. He does not lose it.

On the other hand, one who perfectly executes his occupational duties but fails to worship Krsna ultimately gains nothing. Strictly discharging one's occupational duties means living a life of piety. But suppose through these pious activities you are promoted to the heavenly kingdom. Krsna explains in the Bhagavad-gita that as soon as the effects of your pious activities are finished, you will be forced to return to this planet. Another point: If a person performs pious activities in this life, such as giving in charity, he must return here in the next life to accept the beneficial results of his pious actions. That means he must accept another term of material life. So it is not a sound idea to hope for acquisition of the effects of pious activities.

Unfortunately, even in India people are more inclined to perform pious activities, such as giving in charity, than to take up devotional service to Krsna. They hope that by performing such tapasya, or austerity, they will be elevated at death to a higher standard of material life in the heavenly planets. They also worship demigods for this purpose, or to gain a benediction in this life. Lord Siva, for example, very quickly gives his worshiper material benedictions--whatever his devotee wants. He is very kind. He is known as Asutosa, "he who is easily satisfied." For this reason people are fond of worshiping him for material prosperity. But Sri Krsna condemns such worship in the Bhagavad-gita (7.20): kamais tais tair hrta-jnanah prapadyante 'nya-devatah. "Those whose intelligence has been stolen by material desires surrender unto the demigods."

The Srimad-Bhagavatam tells the story of Vrkasura, who sought a terrible benediction from Lord Siva. Vrkasura asked that whoever he would touch upon the head would be destroyed. This is the sort of benediction sought by demons. Ravana and Hiranyakasipu also received such benedictions. They thought that by becoming powerful they could elude death. This is typical demoniac mentality.

None of these demons, however, was saved from death by the benediction received from the demigods. Rather, ultimately they were all killed by the Supreme Lord. It is nature's law that everyone here must die. No one who takes birth in the material world can live eternally. The material world is called Martyaloka, meaning that every living entity here is subject to birth, death, old age, and disease. In illusion, people do not see this. They try to adjust their material condition so that they can live perpetually. Modern scientists also aspire to be immortal, in imitation of Hiranyakasipu. This is all foolishness. One should not be afraid of dying, but one should be cautious and ask, "What sort of situation will I attain in my next life as a result of my activities?"

A devotee is never afraid of death. He simply prays to Krsna, "I may die and take birth again repeatedly, as You like. But I only ask that, in whatever condition I may live, by Your mercy I will never forget You." A devotee is not afraid, but he is cautious not to fall down. At the same time, he knows that whatever percentage of devotional service he renders is to his permanent credit. The story of Ajamila is the perfect illustration of that point. We should follow the rules and regulations very strictly, but even if we fall down, there is no loss. That is the statement of Narada Muni quoted above. Even if one takes to Krsna consciousness on the basis of sentiment and executes devotional service for only some time and again returns to material life, whatever service he has rendered is recorded, and one day he will be saved, just as Ajamila was saved.

After the Visnudutas disappeared, Ajamila at first wondered whether he had been dreaming that they had come to release him from the binding ropes of the Yamadutas. When Ajamila was on his deathbed, practically in a coma, he actually saw the Yamadutas and Visnudutas, but it seemed to him that he was just dreaming. When he saw that he was in fact released from the fearsome agents of Yamaraja, he wanted to see the Visnudutas again. They had appeared very splendid. Their bodily features were just like those of Lord Visnu, and they were decorated like Him and carried the four symbols of His potency: the conchshell, lotus, club, and disc. Their bodies shone with a very beautiful luster, and their dress was of golden silk. Therefore Ajamila inquired, "Where are those beautiful personalities who released me from the bondage of the Yamadutas?"

Ajamila thought, "My whole life was full of sinful activities, so how could I be worthy of seeing such great personalities?" He concluded, "Perhaps in my previous life I did something good, and as a result I have been allowed to see the Visnudutas." In fact, early in life Ajamila had been a faithful servant of Lord Narayana, and as a result he was able to see the Visnudutas. It was the good association Ajamila had been blessed with in his early days that saved him. As stated in the Caitanya-caritamrta (Madhya 22.54),

 

'sadhu-sanga', 'sadhu-sanga'--sarva-sastre kaya

lava-matra sadhu-sange sarva-siddhi haya

 

"The verdict of all revealed scriptures is that by even a moment's association with a pure devotee, one can attain all success." In the beginning of his life Ajamila was certainly very pure, and he associated with devotees and brahmanas; because of that pious activity, even though he was fallen he was inspired to name his son Narayana. Certainly this was due to good counsel given from within by the Supreme Personality of Godhead. As the Lord says in the Bhagavad-gita (15.15), sarvasya caham hrdi sannivisto mattah smrtir jnanam apohanam ca: "I am seated in everyone's heart, and from Me come remembrance, knowledge, and forgetfulness." The Lord is so kind that if one has ever rendered service to Him, the Lord never forgets him. Thus the Lord, from within, gave Ajamila the inspiration to name his youngest son Narayana so that in affection he would constantly call "Narayana! Narayana!" and thus be saved from the most fearful and dangerous condition at the time of his death. Such is the mercy of Krsna. Guru-krsna-prasade paya bhakti-lata-bija: by the mercy of the guru and Krsna, one receives the seed of bhakti, devotional service. Watering this seed by the process of hearing and chanting the name of the Lord saves a devotee from the greatest fear.

In our Krsna consciousness movement we therefore change a devotee's name to one that reminds him of Visnu. If at the time of death the devotee can remember his own name, such as Krsna dasa or Govinda dasa, he can be saved from the greatest danger. Therefore the change of names at the time of initiation is essential. The Krsna consciousness movement is so meticulous that it gives one a good opportunity to remember Krsna somehow or other.

Remembrance of Krsna at the time of death is generally possible only for persons who have established an intimate relationship with Krsna throughout a lifetime of devotional service. When Ajamila was a young boy he was trained by his father to be completely faithful to the Lord, and until the age of twenty he served Lord Narayana very nicely. Although Ajamila had fallen down from the standard of devotional service to Lord Narayana and forgotten his relationship with Him, Narayana did not forget, and in Ajamila's hour of need He reciprocated His devotee's love. Thus Ajamila was given the presence of mind to remember Narayana at the time of death.

Krsna is very appreciative of even a small amount of devotional service. He confirms this in the Bhagavad-gita (2.40),

 

nehabhikrama-naso 'sti

pratyavayo na vidyate

svalpam apy asya dharmasya

trayate mahato bhayat

 

"In this endeavor there is no loss or diminution, and a little advancement on this path protects one from the most fearful type of danger." If a person practices even a small amount of devotional service, it can save him from the greatest danger. So why not take to Krsna consciousness? Engage in devotional service always, twenty-four hours a day. Then there is no question of danger. One who has become Krsna conscious is fearless. He knows he is under the protection of Krsna.

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