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Canto 6 · Prescribed Duties for Mankind · 19 chapters

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How to study this verse, in six steps
  1. 1Chant the verse. Say the Sanskrit slowly and carefully.
  2. 2Read the word meanings. Go through each Sanskrit word and its meaning.
  3. 3Find the meaning yourself. Before the translation, piece the meaning together from the words.
  4. 4Read the translation. Ask: what is the Lord teaching here, and how does it apply to my life?
  5. 5Read the purport slowly. Read it two or three times. Don't rush.
  6. 6Write down what touched you. Note the main points in your own notebook.
Read the full guide: how to hear the Bhāgavatam ›

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 6.2.13

Who is speaking and story frame

अथैनं मापनयत कृताशेषाघनिष्कृतम् ।

यदसौ भगवन्नाम म्रियमाण: समग्रहीत् ॥ १३ ॥

athainaṁ māpanayata

kṛtāśeṣāgha-niṣkṛtam

yad asau bhagavan-nāma

mriyamāṇaḥ samagrahīt

Translation

At the time of death, this Ajāmila helplessly and very loudly chanted the holy name of the Lord, Nārāyaṇa. That chanting alone has already freed him from the reactions of all sinful life. Therefore, O servants of Yamarāja, do not try to take him to your master for punishment in hellish conditions.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
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Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

The Holy Name Freed Ajāmila

  1. 1

    Although Ajāmila called out Nārāyaṇa to indicate his son, the holy name was so powerful that it freed him from all sinful reactions.

  2. 2

    The Viṣṇudūtas, who were superior authorities, ordered the Yamadūtas not to take Ajāmila for punishment. He was no longer subject to hellish suffering for his past sins.

  3. 3

    Freedom from sinful reactions enables one to engage in devotional service with determination. Remembering Kṛṣṇa, Nārāyaṇa, at death makes one eligible to return home, back to Godhead.

Key points from the purport
  • The Viṣṇudūtas, who are superior authorities, gave orders to the Yamadūtas, who did not know that Ajāmila was no longer subject to tribulation in hellish life for his past sins.
  • Although he had chanted the holy name Nārāyaṇa to indicate his son, the holy name is so transcendentally powerful that he was automatically freed because he had chanted the holy name while dying (ante nārāyaṇa-smṛtiḥ).
  • If one remembers Kṛṣṇa, Nārāyaṇa, at the time of death, one is certainly eligible to return immediately home, back to Godhead.

Śrīla Prabhupāda's own sentences, chosen from the purport as its central points. Read the full purport on Vedabase to see them in place.

Connected verses· 2

The purport of SB 6.2.13 quotesBG 7.28

As Kṛṣṇa confirms in Bhagavad-gītā (7.28): “Persons who have acted piously in previous lives and in this life, whose sinful actions are completely eradicated and who are freed from the duality of delusion, engage themselves in My service with determination.”

The purport of SB 6.2.13 quotesBG 8.5

Elsewhere in Bhagavad-gītā (8.5) it is stated: If one remembers Kṛṣṇa, Nārāyaṇa, at the time of death, one is certainly eligible to return immediately home, back to Godhead.

Each link is a verse the purport itself quotes, or a purport elsewhere that quotes this verse, shown with the purport's own words.

How it feels

Guilt and mortal terror → Mercy and renewed devotion. The holy name opens a path beyond an apparently hopeless death.

Chapters 1–3 of Canto 6: Ajāmila and the Viṣṇudūtas. An editorial reading of the story's mood, not the text itself. See the emotional arc

Further reading

Chapter 2: Ajāmila Delivered by the Viṣṇudūtas

From the chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

We see perfectly that Ajāmila should not be punished, although you are attempting to take him to Yamarāja for punishment.” It was due to Ajāmila’s glorifying the holy name of the Supreme Lord that he was not punishable.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 6.2
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Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. athatherefore
  2. enamhim (Ajāmila)
  3. mādo not
  4. apanayatatry to take
  5. kṛtaalready done
  6. aśeṣaunlimited
  7. agha-niṣkṛtamatonement for his sinful actions
  8. yatbecause
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Key ideas in this verse

The subject this verse serves and the themes it speaks of.

  • Poṣaṇa · Protection by the Lord

    How does the Lord care for His devotees? · Subject 4 of 10

  • Kīrtana · Hearing and chanting

    Remembering the Lord through sacred sound. · Theme in SB 6.2

    In this verse: “chanted”, “holy name”

  • Śuddhi · Inner transformation

    The reorientation of the heart toward service. · Theme in SB 6.2

    In this verse: “sinful”, “sins”

  • Abhaya · Fearlessness

    Steadiness through faith amid danger and death. · Theme in SB 6.2

    In this verse: “death”

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Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

How does Ajāmila’s deliverance strengthen my confidence in chanting the Lord’s holy name?

Practice

Spend one minute chanting Nārāyaṇa, giving your attention to the Lord’s name.

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The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

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Śrīla Prabhupāda speaks

His recorded lectures on this verse, and the talks where he quotes it.

2 lectures given on it. Recordings and transcripts on prabhupada.io.

Live this todayThe Holy Name Freed AjāmilaThis verse's lesson: one practice and one question for today

Study points are short summaries, not the translation. Confirm them in the original text and purport on Vedabase.

Ask the BhāgavatamHave a question about SB 6.2.13? Get an answer from the verses themselves.