Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 6.1.28-29
Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devoteesThe Holy Name Amid Fear
“Ajāmila then saw three awkward persons with deformed bodily features, fierce, twisted faces, and hair standing erect on their bodies. With ropes in their hands, they had come to take him away to the abode of Yamarāja. When he saw them he was extremely bewildered, and because of attachment to his child, who was playing a short distance away, Ajāmila began to call him loudly by his name. Thus with tears in his eyes he somehow or other chanted the holy name of Nārāyaṇa.”
What the purport teaches
- Sinful activities are performed through the body, mind and words. The purport connects these three with the three messengers of Yamarāja who came for Ajāmila.
- Seeing their frightening features and ropes, Ajāmila called loudly for his son with tears in his eyes. He meant to call his child, not the Lord.
- Nevertheless, he chanted the four syllables of the holy name Nārāyaṇa. The Lord’s messengers, the Viṣṇudūtas, therefore immediately arrived.
Try this today
Pause today and clearly chant the holy name of Nārāyaṇa.
Ask yourself
What does Ajāmila’s cry teach me about the power of the Lord’s 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.