Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 6.1.26
Ūti· What drives us to actUnknowing Chanting Still Receives the Lord’s Mercy
“When Ajāmila chewed food and ate it, he called the child to chew and eat, and when he drank he called the child to drink also. Always engaged in taking care of the child and calling his name, Nārāyaṇa, Ajāmila could not understand that his own time was now exhausted and that death was upon him.”
What the purport teaches
- Ajāmila called Nārāyaṇa to eat and drink with him. Absorbed in caring for his child, he did not understand that death had arrived.
- The Supreme Personality of Godhead is kind to the conditioned soul. Although Ajāmila had forgotten the Lord, he remained attached to the name Nārāyaṇa through calling his son.
- This unknowing spiritual benefit is called ajñāta-sukṛti. The holy name is so powerful that Ajāmila’s chanting was being counted and recorded.
Try this today
Before one meal today, pause and say the holy name Nārāyaṇa with attention.
Ask yourself
How does the Lord’s kindness toward Ajāmila encourage me to value the holy name?
Carry the question through the day, then answer it in your own words before sleep.
The study points, practice and question are short summaries drawn from Śrīla Prabhupāda's translation and purport. Read the full purport to go deeper.