Clinging To The Divine Name: The Purest, Highest Dharma

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Clinging To The Divine Name: The Purest, Highest Dharma

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Each of us has to go one day. There are two ways of going. First

is being led away by ferocious servants of Yama the god of death.

The other is to be carried away in a divine airplane by servants

of Shri Narayana, the Supreme God, whose rule holds sway over all,

including Lord Yama.

 

Understandably, the latter destiny awaits only those who are

stainless, sinless and pure. However, the question here is whether

such an existence is possible, because the Bhagavad Gita clearly

says:

 

'As fire is clouded by smoke, so is all karma clouded by some

defect (dosha) or the other'. (18.48)

 

'No one can ever remain, even for a moment, without performing

karma.' (3.5)

 

Therefore, our position can be summed up as follows:

 

We cannot exist without doing karma, and since there is no

stainless karma, we can never aspire to that supremely pure status

where we can hope to meet the divine end mentioned above.

Therefore, do what we may, we are fated to be carried away be the

gruesome, cruel servants of Yama.

 

Not at all. Shrimad Bhagavatam, the cream of all Vedic Literature

(Shastra), assures us that even though we are all inevitably

entangled within the negative (and positive) residue of the karma

we perform, nevertheless, not only is salvation accessible to all

humanity, the path to liberation is simple and uncomplicated.

 

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The Shrimad Bhagavatam unfolds as a dialogue between the renowned

sage Shri Shukadeva and King Parikshit.

 

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At one point the following conversation takes place:

 

 

King Parikshit: Please explain to me how a person can save himself

from falling down into torturous hells?

 

Shri Shukadeva: A man should definitely atone (prayashchit) for

his sins in this very life, otherwise he will definitely go to

hellish regions after death. Hence before one is overtaken by

death or disease, one should try to atone for one's sins, taking

into consideration their gravity, just as an expert physician

promptly adopts a remedial dosage of medicine, depending on the

severity of the malady.

 

Parikshit: Even after having atoned for a sin, and knowing very

well that committing a sin is against our interest, we commit

those very sins again and again. Therefore, it seems that

atonement for sins is meaningless like the bath of an elephant,

who, no sooner having taken a bath, besmears itself again with dust.

 

Shri Shukadeva: You are right. The results of karma cannot be

totally rooted out by karma alone. The atonements laid down in our

scriptures for the expiation of sins are for the ignorant only,

and as long as ignorance (avidya) remains, our desires will not be

uprooted completely and the tendency to commit the same acts again

and again will not go away. Hence true atonement consists of

knowledge, which washes away our ignorance. Just as diseases do

not attack a person who eats only pure and healthy food, the one

who regularly follows regular regulative principles (niyam),

gradually becomes eligible for salvation. These principles are -

penance, celibacy, subjugation of the senses, controlling the

mind, charity, truthfulness, inner and outer purity, nonviolence etc.

 

After having given this long list of do's and don'ts, knowing

fully well that following all these is quite difficult for

humanity in general, the great sage then presents an extremely

simple path:

 

Shri Shukadeva: However, a few rare persons, completely

surrendered to Lord Krishna, annihilate their sins thoroughly

merely by their unswerving devotion to the Lord. A sinner is not

purified to that extent by penance etc., as he is by surrendering

his life to the Lord and serving the Lord's devotees. King

Parikshit! Bhakti is the most correct, fearless and blissful path,

because on this way are found highly-disciplined,

fully-surrendered devotees of Lord Krishna. Remember, even as many

rivers cannot purify a pot of wine thoroughly, similarly, several

acts of penance, even though they may be well performed, cannot

purify a person whose face is turned away from God

(Bhagavat-vimukh). Those who have even once in their life, set

their mind on the lotus feet of Lord Krishna, have already atoned

for all their sins. Not even in their dreams do they see Yama or

his servants.

 

In a manner typical of Indian scriptures, Shri Shukadeva then goes

on to narrate an ancient story to illustrate this profound principle:

 

Long long ago there lived a learned Brahmin named Ajamila. He was

a good natured, virtuous, gentle, humble and pure Brahmin. Indeed

he was the abode of all good qualities. Once, he went to the

forest on the instructions of his father to collect flowers and

fruits. While returning he saw a shameless man in the company of a

prostitute. Both of them were drunk and embracing each other in a

semi-clad state. Ajamila tried his best to control himself with

patience, using all his knowledge of the scriptures; but, agitated

by lust, he was unable to stabilize his mind or calm down his heart.

 

Possessed by the devil of lust, he started brooding over the

prostitute and in the process abandoned all his prescribed

religious duties. Not only did he bring her home, but also in

trying to please her showered all his ancestral wealth on her. He

also left his legally wedded wife who had come from a respectable

Brahmin family. With his judgment thus paralyzed under the lustful

glance of the prostitute, after squandering all his money on her,

he now started to generate money by foul means to sustain her.

 

Living in this manner, he begot ten sons from the prostitute, the

youngest of whom was his favorite, who by a chance of fate, he had

named Narayana. Deeply attached to the toddler, he used to

experience much delight watching his infantile antics and

listening to his childish babble. Thus Ajamila, the fallen

Brahmin, continued to lead his debauched life and it was in his

eighty-eighth year that time caught up with him.

As he lay on his bed, Ajamila saw three ferocious Yamadutas

(servants of Yama), carrying a noose, coming to carry him away.

Not knowing what to do, the agitated Ajamila called out to his son

Narayana playing nearby. No sooner had he uttered that name, which

is none other than an epithet of the Supreme God, than the

servants of Lord Narayana, hearing their Master's name, rushed to

his side. At that time, the servants of Yama were extracting

Ajamila's subtle body from his physical body. The messengers of

Shri Narayana forcefully stopped them from doing so.

 

Thus prevented from carrying out their duty, the Yamadutas

demanded: " Who are you who thus defy the order of Yama, the lord

of dharma? Where have you come from and why are you stopping us

from taking him away? "

 

When the Yamadutas inquired of them in this manner, the servants

of Lord Narayana smiled and answered: " If you really are the

executors of Yama, the lord of dharma, tell us what is the true

nature of dharma? On what principles do you inflict punishment?

Who is the deserving candidate for punishment? Are all karmis

(those who perform karma) liable for punishment, or only some of

them? "

 

The servants of Yama replied: " What is ordained in the Vedas is

dharma and what is against the prescription of the Vedas is

adharma. Nobody invested with a body can be actionless (akarmi)

even for a single moment and any action is inevitably bound to be

a contaminated by an admixture of the three gunas (qualities of

nature) - Sattva (good), Rajas (mix) and Tamas (bad). Therefore,

everybody performs both meritorious deeds (punya) and sin (paap).

The amount of good (dharma) or bad (adhama) karma an individual

performs here, the same amount of fruit does he enjoy after death. "

 

Hearing this discourse by the Yamadutas, the divine messengers of

Shri Narayana replied: " What a pity that you, the so-called

custodians of dharma, are behaving in a manner which will send out

a wrong message about dharma to the common people. "

 

" This Ajamila has already atoned for all his sins. Indeed, he has

atoned not only for sins performed in one life but for those

performed across the millions of births he has taken; because he

has, even though helplessly, uttered the Name of Shri Narayana.

The very act of uttering the four syllables NA-RA-YA-NA has

absolved him of all sins. A thief, drunkard, or even one who

murders a Brahmin or a woman, for all these sinners, uttering the

Name of Narayana is the ultimate atonement because calling out the

Lord's Name brings the sinner to God's attention and the chanter's

mind is attracted to the Lord's divine qualities and form, thus

leading to its (mind's) purification. "

 

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" A sinner is not so thoroughly purified to that extent by

performing the expiatory acts mentioned in the Vedas, as he is be

the mere utterance of the Name of the Supreme Lord Narayana, as

His Name acquaints one with His excellences and attributes. This

is because even after performing the atonements prescribed in the

Vedic Scriptures, our mind again runs to towards sin. Therefore,

those who want to perform an atonement which annihilates sin from

the very root, should repeatedly extol the excellent attributes of

Narayana, as condensed in His Names, which purifies the mind as no

other sadhana can, and thus prevents one from committing the same

sin again and again. Therefore, do not take Ajamila by the wrong

way (a sinner's path leading to Yama), because he has uttered the

Name of the Lord just before dying and has washed off all sins. "

 

" The Lord's Divine Name, even if uttered - to denote another

person (and not the Lord), or as a joke, for musical

entertainment, or even involuntarily while falling, slipping,

being bitten by a serpent, when afflicted with fever, or injured

by a weapon, one is immediately absolved from all torments of

hell. In the Vedas, proportionately heavy and light processes of

atonement have been delineated depending upon the magnitude of the

sin. Some of these atonements extend upto twelve years. However,

there is no such differentiation in the case of the Lord's Name.

No doubt, the various acts of repentance like austerity (tapasya),

charity (dana) etc., do absolve one of the sins, however, the

heart stained by the residue of the sins (samskaras) is not

purified, which requires the supreme presence of the Lord, in the

form of his Divine Name. "

 

" As fire burns grass to ashes, so does the sacred Name of God,

whether chanted knowingly or unknowingly, burns to ashes all sins

of man. If a person, even though he may be unaware of its potency,

takes the dose of an effective medicine, the latter will act to

cure his ailment because its potency doesn't depend upon the

patient's understanding of its effectiveness. Similarly, even

though one may not know the value of chanting the Holy Name of the

Lord, the mere chanting of it will prove effective. "

 

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Thus the messengers of Shri Narayana convincingly explained to the

Yamadutas the essence of Param-Dharma or 'Bhagavat Dharma',

meaning the 'Higher-Dharma', and liberated Ajamila from their clutches.

 

Meanwhile, from his deathbed, Ajamila had been listening to this

conversation, and thus realized the truth about the two dharmas -

the first materialistic/ritualistic dharma expounded in the Vedas,

and the other Higher, Pure Dharma. The former being within the

bonds of the three gunas, and the other beyond these three

material bonds of nature. Now that he had heard the glory of the

Supreme Lord Narayana, there was kindled in his heart, loving

devotion (Bhakti) for God. Remembering his evil past, he felt a

deep remorse within himself:

 

" Alas, being a servant of my senses, how degraded I became. Shame

on me. Desecrating my brahminhood, I begot children in the womb of

a prostitute. I degraded my family tradition and giving up my

legally wedded virtuous wife, took up the company of an unchaste

wine-drinking woman. "

 

" The dialogue I just witnessed, was it real or a dream? Where have

the noose-bearers who were just now dragging me gone? Where are my

four beautiful saviors? Though wretched in the present state, I

must have performed some auspicious deeds in my previous births,

otherwise, how could the tongue of an impure sinner like myself

utter the Divine Name of Shri Narayana at the time of death? Where

do I shameless rogue and sinner stand in comparison to the

supremely auspicious Name of Shri Hari? "

 

" Now that I am saved, I will control my mind and senses and try my

best to prevent myself from plunging down into dark hells. I

identified myself with the body and thus set out on the path of

fulfilling its (never-ending) desires and ruined myself in the

process. Now I will not again fall victim to the lure of physical

pleasure, and live with full self-control. "

 

" The Lord's maya in the form of a woman bewitched me and I became

a mere plaything in her hands. She made me dance to her tune like

a pet-animal kept for amusement. Now I have recognized the

Absolute Truth Shri Narayana, and will give up the illusory

notions of 'I' and 'mine', and by chanting the Holy Name of God,

purify my mind and fix it on the Lord. "

 

Thus through only a moment's association with the servants of Shri

Narayana, there arose in Ajamila's heart intense detachment

(Vairagya) from the material world, and giving up all associations

and attachments, he immediately went off to Haridwar, where taking

shelter in a temple he fixed his mind on the Lord. Having thus

withdrawn all his senses from the outside world, he soon saw again

in front of him the four divine messengers. Ajamila bowed down to

them, gave up his body, and accompanied by them, climbed onto a

golden airplane and then proceeded through the skies to the abode

of the Lord.

 

Doubt: Yamadutas carry one away only when one's stipulated

life-term is over. Then how come Ajamila was given an extended

lease of life?

 

Resolution: Ajamila had not exhausted his stipulated life. He was

being carried away by the servants of Death even before his

scheduled time because of the intensity of his sins. An extreme

sinner is unable to fulfill the stipulated time allotted to him.

Therefore, technically speaking, he still had some time left.

 

Doubt: If Ajamila was an extreme sinner all his life, how did he

become eligible for God's grace?

 

Resolution: After God's messengers had redeemed Ajamila, he did

not revert back to his old ways, like most of us would have done.

He promised himself that after getting out of my deathbed, I will

devote the rest of my life exclusively to God. We also see that

Ajamila, when he was confronted with the sight of the shameless

couple in the forest, tried with all his power to restrain

himself. He tried his best but failed. Then, in the end, after

being saved from the Yamadutas, he gave up his life to God.

Therefore, Ajamila relented both before and after committing the

sin. The Bhagavad Gita says:

 

" Desire is the constant enemy of the gyani (wise). " (3.39)

 

This verse separates the wise from the ignorant. The wise, when

desire first tries to take its hold over him, realizes it as an

enemy and tries to resist it. He may fail in the effort.

Afterwards, there is bound to be some trace of dukha as a result

of succumbing to desire. The wise obviously recognizes desire as

the root cause of this suffering. Here we may be certain that

since he is aware of the negative nature of desire before and

after the act, he certainly must have nurtured the same feelings

even while he was acting according to the desire. However, in the

case of the ignorant fellow, he first welcomes the onslaught of

desire as a friend. After he has been carried away by the wave,

and the resultant dukha has set in, only then does he realize

desire as his foe. Therefore, for the ignorant, desire becomes

undesirable only after indulging in it, and is not his constant enemy.

 

Hence we too should honestly peep into ourselves. When we sin, do

we really try to the best of our abilities to restrain ourselves

before indulging in it? If yes, we too are definitely eligible for

God's grace and eventually salvation.

 

For any of us who have recovered from a near death experience, it

is a strong message that we must realize that the rest of our life

now belongs to God. By His grace we are now especially eligible

for ultimate salvation. By no means are we to revert back to our

earlier life-styles.

 

The Yamadutas meanwhile, who had been restrained by the messengers

of Lord Narayana, had hurried over to their master and informed

him of what had transpired. Hearing what they had to say, the

great god Yama was extremely pleased; because in describing the

course of events, his servants mentioned the name 'Narayana' many

times, and Yama, himself being a great devotee of the Supreme

Lord, was reminded of the lotus feet of the Lord. Then Yama said

to his followers:

 

" Not me, but someone else is the Supreme Ruler of the world. The

universe lies woven into Him, like warp and woof woven into a

cloth. The Supreme Religion of God (Bhagavat Dharma) is extremely

sacred, pure and secret. It's secret is known to only twelve of

us: Brahma, Narad, Lord Shiva, Sanat Kumar, Kapil Muni, Manu,

Prahlad, King Janaka, Bhishma, Bali, Shri Shukadeva and myself. "

 

" The essence of this Dharma is as follows: Through the utterance

of His Divine Name, man should cultivate Bhakti towards God.

Indeed, this is the Highest Dharma or duty of man. Look at the

great efficacy of uttering Lord Vishnu's Name that even a great

sinner like Ajamila was rescued from the clutches of the noose of death. "

 

" On the verge of death, when one's faculty cannot be concentrated

on the Lord, Ajamila simply shrieked out (and not devotionally

chanted) for his son, (and not the Lord) as Narayana, and attained

liberation. Alas! Even the most knowledgeable and intelligent

people are sometimes deluded by God's maya and their intelligence

gets attracted and entangled in the flowery language of the Vedas

promising attractive fruits of karma. They engage themselves in

big and exhaustive karmas, rituals etc, and not knowing the

supreme efficacy of uttering God's Name, they do not take recourse

of this simple means to salvation. The simplicity of chanting God's

Name is in indirect proportion to the supreme result it generates.

This very simplicity in fact makes people disbelieve it, making

them resort to highly complicated rituals, karma, ceremonies etc. "

 

" An intelligent man, with one-pointed determination, performs only

those acts which are conducive to developing Bhakti towards the

Supreme Lord. Such persons are not eligible for punishment from

me. Even if they inadvertently do commit a sin, it is destroyed by

the chanting of God's Name. Such bhaktas are always protected by

Lord Vishnu's mace, hence my dear messengers, do not even think of

ever approaching such noble souls. Neither we nor Kala

(All-destructive Time), has the power or competency to punish them, "

 

" Paramhamsas (ascetics of the highest order) are exalted people

who have no taste for material enjoyment, but constantly drink the

sweet fragrant honey of the Lord's lotus feet. You should bring to

me only those people who are averse to the taste of this honey,

because they are attached to family life, which is but the path to

hell. Bring only those fellows to me whose tongue does not sing

the glorious Names of God, whose heart does not ever remember His

lotus feet, and whose head does not bow before Lord Krishna. Our

jurisdiction extends over only those who are followers of dharma

(or adharma). Over rest of the people who are followers of

Param-Dharma, we have no control. "

 

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Finally Yama, like a true Vaishnava bhakta said: " May the Lord

Narayana pardon me for the offence committed by my men, who set

out to carry away Ajamila for punishment even though he had

annihilated all his sins by uttering the Divine Name in his last moment. "

 

Doubt: If we agree that all sins are destroyed by uttering the

Lord's Name, what comes next? What if we sin again before we die?

 

Reply: If we sin again then all the sins which have been destroyed

will spring back to life again.

 

Doubt: Then how will we be redeemed? It is not always possible

that we are able to take the Lord's Name at the moment of death,

since we often loose control of our thoughts and organs. So, what

can one do?

 

Resolution: The answer to this question is that the name of the

Lord should be uttered till the last possible moment. If no sin is

committed in between the time the name is spoken and the person

dies, it is considered that he took the Name at the time of death.

When we utter the Divine Name we wash away all our previous sins,

and if we don't sin again, then where is there scope for any doubt

regarding our salvation?

 

 

Conclusion:

 

Our general impression is that to atone for small sins we have to

undergo smaller repentances and for bigger offences we have to

undergo bigger ones. If this is the case, what about those sins we

have accumulated over millions of our births? By this calculation

we can never atone for them. Thus, there has to be a simpler, more

elegant solution.

 

As long as we have not developed Bhakti towards God, we are

governed by Yama, and the Yamadutas control us through the

repeated cycles of birth and death. However, when we develop

Bhakti (loving devotion) towards God, we go beyond the law of

karma and experience the law of grace instead. Yama merely

dispenses justice, but the Lord bestows grace. In fact, developing

an interest in the Divine Name is but a manifestation of God's

grace, because only when He showers us with extreme grace do we

develop affection for His sacred Name. With it comes the

realization that the purpose of life is not just to create more

good karmas, but to terminate karmas once and for all by

transcending the entire karmic process. The Name of the Lord

operates in both ways - it activates a release from karma as well

as the result of karma.

 

The scriptures clearly state that in this Kaliyuga, there is no

hope for salvation other than chanting the glorious Names of the

Supreme Lord, because this is the only way to rid oneself of sins.

It is easy to perform good deeds, but extremely difficult to stop

performing sins. The surest, easiest way to stop these sins from

clinging to us is by continuously clinging to the Divine Name,

since we cannot even for a moment remain without doing karma, and

no karma, whatever its nature, can be totally stainless and free of sin.

 

Sinning (because of its inevitability) is an ordinary offence, but

not realizing and accepting it is a much greater offence. By

taking the shelter of the Divine Name, we not only acknowledge

this not so positive, inevitable and continuous part of our

existence, but also, most importantly, become eligible for Divine

Grace and are immediately saved from its (karmas) unhappy effects.

 

The name Ajamila too is significant. It can be interpreted in two

ways. The first is Aja + mila. 'Aja' means maya and 'mila' means

one joined, thus meaning one enmeshed within maya.

 

The second way is Aj + amil. 'Aj' means the Supreme Lord Vishnu

and 'amila' means disjoint, signifying one who is away from God.

Both these interpretations define the modern individual of today.

 

Actually, we place too much faith in our own name, but none on

God's. If we are able to have faith in the Divine Name, then no

need for those heavyweight sadhanas. However, engaged in karma

over numerous lifetimes, by our very nature we are unable to place

faith in any means which doesn't require a heavy dose of karma.

 

Therefore, when you stumble while walking, do not exclaim Oh! Oh!

Rather say Narayana, Krishna, Rama, Shiva or any other name of God

you are fond of; and if possible, do name your child on your

favorite God.

 

 

The story of Ajamila occurs in detail in the Shrimad Bhagavatam 6.1-3.

 

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This article by Nitin Kumar

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References and Further Reading

-------

 

Chinmayananda, Swami. The Holy Geeta: Mumbai, 2002.

 

Dogre, Shri Ramachandra Keshav. Shrimad Bhagavat Rahasya

(Collection of Discourses): Delhi.

 

Jyotirmayananda, Swami. Mysticism of the Srimad Bhagavatam:

Ghaziabad, 2007.

 

Prabhupad, A.C.Bhaktivedanta Swami. A Second Chance (Discourses on

the Story of Ajamila): Mumbai, 2007.

 

Prabhupad, A.C.Bhaktivedanta Swami. Srimad Bhagavatam (47

Volumes): Mumbai.

 

Saraswati, Acharya Bhagavatananda. Shrimad Bhagavat Parijat:

Varanasi, 2002.

 

Saraswati, Swami Akhandananda. Bhagawatamrit (The Elixir of the

Bhagwat): Mumbai, 2005.

 

Saraswati, Swami Akhandananda. Bhagavata Darshan (Collection of

Discourses in Two Volumes): Mumbai, 2003.

 

Saraswati, Swami Akhandananda. Bhagavat Vyanjan: Mumbai, 2006.

 

Saraswati, Swami Akhandananda (tr). Shrimad Bhagavata Purana (2

Volumes): Gorakhpur, 2004.

 

Shastri, Shri Krishanshanker. Shrimad Bhagavatam Mahapuranam (With

Eight Commentaries): Gujarat, 1966.

 

Tagare, G.V. (tr). The Bhagavata Purana (5 Volumes (Annotated))

Delhi, 2002.

 

Tejomayananda, Swami. Shrimad Bhagavata Pravachan (Discourses on

The Shrimad Bhagavata Purana): Mumbai, 2006.

 

 

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, pyari_h <no_reply wrote:

>

> Namaste all.

>

> sabai zakti hai nAmame man! nizidin ArAdh,

> pai zakti na lAbh tin kiye nAma aparAdh.

>

> - Bhakti Satak. 18

>

> " O mind! Day and night constantly chant the Names of the Lord,

> as His Name contains all His transcendental powers.

>

> But remember, one who commits an offense against the Names

> cannot derive any benefit from these powers. "

>

> There are ten 'Nama-aparadha', offenses against the Divine Name.

>

> Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu had composed this verse -

>

> nAmnAm akAri bahudhA nija sarva zaktis

> tatrArpitA niyamitaH smaraNena kAlaH

> etAdRzI tava kRpA, bhagavan mamApi

> durdaiva mI dRzamihA' jani nAnurAgaH

>

> Lord Caitanya, knowing the misfortunes of the jivas of Kaliyuga,

> gave Krishna-Prema through His Names.

>

> He says there is no difference between the Lord's Names and Himself.

> Nama is 'Akaari', the Divine form also, with all the powers of Lord

> being

> invested in His Name.

> But only the devotee, whose faith is hundred per cent can experience

> this truth of Divine Name.

>

> Actually, Lord is very kind and He made this provision for devotees

> to associate with Himself through His Names.

> But the worldly people have no desire for the Lord nor for His Name.

> That is their greatest misfortune.

>

> The most important Namaparadhas are to think that Names of the Lord

> and

> the Lord Himself are to be different and having no faith in the

> transcendental

> power of Divine Names.

>

> When this offense is committed how can the sadhak (seeker) derive

> the Blissful experience of the Divine Name?

>

> Of course, faith of devotees is of different degrees.

>

> The more one believes in the 'one-ness of the Name and the Naami', the

> more 'lAbha' of spiritual benefit and blissful realization for one.

> Otherwise not much peace nor joy is achieved by the seekers.

>

> Purification of the 'antahkarana' consisting of mind, heart,

> intellect and ego can only be done through Prema Bhakti, Divine Love.

>

> " zuddhayati nAntarAtmA kRSNa padAmbhoja bhaktimRute " -

>

> ('Prabodha Sudhakar'- Jagadguru Sri Sankaracarya)

>

> The 'antaratma' (heart, mind, intellect and ego) cannot be completely

> purified without Sri Krishna Bhakti, loving devotion to Lord Krishna.

> All other external methods and rituals of purfication are simply a

> waste.

>

> Lord Krishna has also proclaimed this in Bhagavatam 11.14.21 & 22.:

>

> " Only by practicing Divine Love with full faith in Me can one attain

> Me, the Supreme Lord. I am naturally dear to My devotees, who take Me

> as the only goal of their loving devotion. By engaging in such pure

> devotion, even the dog-eaters can purify themselves from their sinful

> nature.

>

> Neither religious practice endowed with truthfulness and kindness nor

> subtle knowledge obtained through great penance can completely purify

> one's consciousness if they are bereft of loving devotion to Me. "

>

> So lovingly chanting the Names of the Lord remembering the Divine

> Beloved will purify the inner conscience of the aspirants.

>

> In relation to the verse of Bhakti Shatak. 18. I like to remind a few

> more sublime verses from Srimad Bhagavatam glorifying Divine Love

> Devotion

> and Nama Sankirtana of the Lord:

>

> na hyato 'nyaH zivaH panthA vizataH saMsRtAviha

> vAsudeve bhagavati bhakti yogo yato bhavet

>

> " For him who has fallen into the whirlpool of transmigration there is

> no other blessed path other than that which makes for devotion to

> Lord Vaasudeva. " SB 2.2.33

>

> bhagavAn brahma kAtsnaryena triran vIkSya manISayA

> tadadhyavasyAt kUTastho ratir Atman yato bhavet

>

> " Having critically studied Vedas with concentrated mind thrice over,

> Lord Brahma concluded by force of reason that alone to be the highest

> virtue, by which one is able to develop exclusive devotion to Sri

> Krishna, the Self of the Universe. " 2.2.34

>

> bhagavAn sarva bhUteSu lakSitaH svAtmanA hariH

> dRzyair buddhyAdibhir draSTA lakSaNaignumApakaiH

>

> " Lord Sri Hari alone is seen abiding in ALL animate and inanimate

> beings as their very self; for the intellect and pther phenomenal

> objects are adjuncts that lead us to infer the existence of the Lord,

> Who is the All-witnessing seer. " SB 2.2.35

>

> tasmAt sarvAtmanA rAjan hariH sarvatra sarvadA

> zrotavyaH kIrtitavyaz ca smartavyo bhagavAn nRNAm

>

> " Therefore, O king, men should always and under ALL circumstances

> with their whole being listen to, recite and reflect in their mind

> the stories of Lord Sri Hari alone. " SB 2.2.36

>

> pibanti ye bhagavata AtmanaH satAM

> kathAmRtaM zravaNapuTeSu sambhRtam

> punanti te viSaya vidUSitAzayaM

> vrajanti taccaraNa saroruhAntikam

>

> " They who drink in the Nectar-like stories of the Lord, the Soul of

> the universe, poured into the cups of their ears by Holy men, are

> able to purify their heart, which has been contaminated through

> contact with the pleasures of senses, and attain proximity to His

> lotus feet. " SB 2.2.37

>

> (Srimad Bhagavatam, Canto 2, Chap. 2, verses 33-37)

>