Shloka 16
Ajāmila Delivered: Viṣṇudūtas Establish the Supremacy of the Holy Name
गुरूणां च लघूनां च गुरूणि च लघूनि च । प्रायश्चित्तानि पापानां ज्ञात्वोक्तानि महर्षिभि: ॥ १६ ॥
gurūṇāṁ ca laghūnāṁ ca gurūṇi ca laghūni ca prāyaścittāni pāpānāṁ jñātvoktāni maharṣibhiḥ
Die großen Weisen haben festgestellt: schwere Sünden erfordern schwere Sühne, leichte Sünden leichte Sühne. Doch das Japa des Hari-Kṛṣṇa-Mantras (Hare Kṛṣṇa) vernichtet die Wirkungen aller sündhaften Handlungen, ohne zwischen schwer und leicht zu unterscheiden.
In this regard, Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura describes an incident that took place when Sāmba was rescued from the punishment of the Kauravas. Sāmba fell in love with the daughter of Duryodhana, and since according to kṣatriya custom one is not offered a kṣatriya’s daughter unless he displays his chivalrous valor, Sāmba abducted her. Consequently Sāmba was arrested by the Kauravas. Later, when Lord Balarāma came to rescue him, there was an argument about Sāmba’s release. Since the argument was not settled, Balarāma showed His power in such a way that all of Hastināpura trembled and would have been vanquished as if by a great earthquake. Then the matter was settled, and Sāmba married Duryodhana’s daughter. The purport is that one should take shelter of Kṛṣṇa-Balarāma, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, whose protective power is so great that it cannot be equaled in the material world. However powerful the reactions of one’s sins, they will immediately be vanquished if one chants the name of Hari, Kṛṣṇa, Balarāma or Nārāyaṇa.
FAQs
This verse states that the great sages have prescribed different atonements for different categories of sin—grave and minor—indicating a graded approach within dharma to purification.
In the Ajāmila narrative, he reflects on moral accountability and the traditional Vedic system of expiation, setting the stage for Bhagavatam’s deeper conclusion that devotion and the holy name provide the highest purification.
Recognize that harms differ in severity, take proportionate responsibility, and adopt genuine corrective practices—while also cultivating inner transformation through sincere devotion and remembrance of the Divine.