BhagavannAma Sankirtana - 2

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What is the greatness of nAma sankirtana?

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Bhagavata vividly illustrates the greatness of Hari

nAma sankirtana in the sixth chapter through the story

of ajAmila. In the beginning of this chapter, King

Parixit, who is listening to BhAgavata from Sage Suka

asks a question for the benefit of everyone. “O great

sage Suka! You have previously said that every human

knowingly or unknowingly does several sins in this

world. Each soul has to repent for his sins in several

hells as explained by you. I am putting this question

to you. Tell me a way by which the soul escapes from

the cruelty of these hells”. Sri Suka replies: “O

Parixit! One has to repent and take corrective action

(prAyaschitta) for his wrong doings in this birth

itself if he has to escape the wrath of the servants

of Yama, the Lord of Hells. Just as a doctor treats

the patient noting the severity of the disease, one

has to duly repent depending on the severity of his

crime before his life ends” (The same point is

mentioned in talavakara upanishat “iha chedavEdIdatha

satya masti nachEdihAvEdInmahtIvinaShtiH | bhUteShu

bhUteShu vichitya dhIrAH pretyAsmAllokAdamR^itI

bhavanti – if the soul does not repent for its actions

in this life itself, it surely suffers in the later

worlds). Sri Sukacharya gives a beautiful example here

to illustrate the point that all forms of repentance

are useless if non-devotees do them, just as the

flowing river water cannot cleanse a pot filled with

liquor (prAyaschittAni chIrNAni nArAyaNaparA~nmukhaiH|

na vai punanti rajEndra surAkumbhamivApagAH). Also,

devotees who know the qualities of God and who fix

their mind on the feet of God with devotion get

cleansed from their sins and they are considered to

have done the proper prAyaschitta. They would not see

the servants of Yama even in their dreams (

sakR^inmanaH kR^iShNa padAravindayoH niveshitaM

tadguNaraagi yairiha | na te yamaM paashabhR^itascha

tadbhaTaan.h svapne.api pashyanti hi

cIrNaniShkR^itAH).

 

Devotion towards God wipes out all sins – story of

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ajAmila

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One may ask a question as to how one gets cleansed

from his sins by complete devotion to Sri Hari. To

answer this question, Sri SukAchArya quotes the story

of ajAmila and the conversation between the messengers

of God and Yama.

 

In a place called Kanyakubja, there lived a Brahmin

named ajAmiLa. (ajAmila = one who lost his natural

divine knowledge) ajAmila was well versed in Vedas and

was a pious Brahmin until he meets a daasi(maid

servant) and decides to live with her leaving his

pious wife and old parents. He leaves all good conduct

and takes to theft, dice, kidnapping etc. Due to his

behavior, he has surely secured his place in hell. He

had 10 children, the youngest one was named nArAyaNa.

While death was approaching him, unmindfully he

continued to be bound by his love towards his last son

nArAyaNa. When death finally approached him, three

messengers of Yama came to him to take him to hell. On

seeing death, he loudly uttered the name of his son –

nArAyaNa. In the very next moment he realized that his

son nArAyaNa couldn’t save him from death and the

supreme nArAyaNa, the abode of infinite auspicious

qualities, the master of the universe is the real

savior. At once, due to grace of God, he regained his

past knowledge and prayed to the supreme Brahman -

nArAyaNa with true devotion. On hearing him utter the

name of the Lord of Vaikuntha with such devotion, the

gatekeepers of Vaikuntha arrived there at once. They

prevented the servants of Yama from removing ajAmila

from that body.

 

 

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Rachuri Raghavendra Rao

rrachuri

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H:91-40-454 7636

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