Translation
Even if a
person has lived a very sinful life (su-duracharah), if they turn to the Divine
with single-pointed devotion (ananya-bhak), they should be regarded as
righteous (sadhuh), because their resolve is now rightly directed (samyak vyasvasthitah).
If there is ever an iota of doubt in our mind, whether we are eligible for Krishna’s bhakti or not, on account of us having committed sins in the past, Krishna removes those misgivings in this verse. He says that if a devotee has turned towards him, and is on the path of dharma and unwavering bhakti now, Krishna considers him a sadhu – a righteous person, irrespective of what his past has been.
The story
of Ajamila from the Srimad Bhagavatham.
Ajamila
was once a virtuous and disciplined Brahmin, devoted to righteous living. He lived
his life with discipline and integrity, following dharma as expected of him.
However, he
became infatuated with a woman of questionable character. His mind wavered and
he abandoned both his family, and his morals and principles. To support his new life and growing family, he
began to earn money through dishonest means. He engaged in cheating and deceit,
stealing and exploiting others, gambling and manipulation and lived life
without any regard for truth or dharma. Losing all spiritual awareness, he
became attached to worldly pleasures.
The
Turning Point
Ajamila
begot ten sons, the youngest of whom was called Narayana. He was very fond of
his youngest son. As Ajamila lay on his death bed, he saw the Yamadutas – the order
carriers of Yamaraja – had come to take his soul for punishment. He was
terrified and seeing his youngest son nearby, called out to him, ‘Narayana,
Narayana!’
Though he
was calling his son, the name he uttered was that of Maha Vishnu. The moment he called the divine name, he suddenly remembered Lord Narayana whom he had long forgotten.
Immediately,
the messengers of Vishnu arrived there and stopped the Yamadutas. They declared
that anyone who utters the Lord’s name is freed from their sins, not just of this
life but of several past lives. Hence he should not be punished by Yamaraja.
Simply by
once chanting the holy name of Narayana, Ajamila became free from his sins.
The
Upliftment
Ajamila
understood how fortunate he had been to have chanted the holy name of Narayana
at the end of his life. He lamented very much for leading a sinful life and he condemned himself again and again. He regained his awareness, gave up
everything and went to Haridwar and devoted himself to devotional service of
the Lord. Over time, he purified his mind and when his life came to an end, the
Vishnudutas took him to Vaikunta and he attained liberation.
The
thoughts at the end of life.
In the
Gita, Krishna says, 'Whatever
one remembers while giving up the body at the time of death, he attains that
state.'
yaṁ yaṁ vāpi
smaran bhāvaṁ
tyajaty
ante kalevaram
taṁ tam evaiti kaunteya sadā tad-bhāva-bhāvitaḥ (BG 8.6)
Jada Bharata died thinking of the deer, and attained the body of a deer in his next life. Ajamila, on the other hand, called out for Narayana. Though he called his son and did not actually think of Lord Narayana out of devotion, he still attained liberation. Since everyone has sinned at some point in life, Ajamila's story give us hope that all is not lost. We just have to realise our sins, repent for it with a pure heart and turn towards him in devotion.
Simply chanting Krishna’s name can uplift us. Since we don’t know when our end is
written, Krishna tells us to keep remembering him every moment of our life.
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At times, our own light goes out and is rekindled by a spark from another person. Deep gratitude to those who have lit that flame within me! Your comments are appreciated.