Shloka 33
Ajāmila Delivered: Viṣṇudūtas Establish the Supremacy of the Holy Name
अन्यथा म्रियमाणस्य नाशुचेर्वृषलीपते: । वैकुण्ठनामग्रहणं जिह्वा वक्तुमिहार्हति ॥ ३३ ॥
anyathā mriyamāṇasya nāśucer vṛṣalī-pateḥ vaikuṇṭha-nāma-grahaṇaṁ jihvā vaktum ihārhati
Wäre da nicht die Prägung meines früheren hingebungsvollen Dienstes, wie hätte ich—unrein, der Unterhalter einer Dirne—im Angesicht des Todes die Gelegenheit erhalten können, den heiligen Namen Vaikuṇṭhapatis zu singen? Gewiss wäre das unmöglich.
The name Vaikuṇṭhapati, which means “the master of the spiritual world,” is not different from the name Vaikuṇṭha. Ajāmila, who was now a realized soul, could understand that because of his past spiritual activities in devotional service, he had gotten this opportunity to chant the holy name of Vaikuṇṭhapati in his horrible condition at the time of death.
FAQs
This verse implies that even an impure person’s tongue can utter Vaikuṇṭha’s name at death only by the Lord’s extraordinary mercy and the purifying power of the holy name.
They argue that Ajāmila’s calling out the Lord’s name could not have happened meaninglessly; it indicates the holy name’s purifying potency and the Lord’s protection overriding sinful qualification.
Cultivate regular chanting and remembrance now, so the mind and tongue naturally turn to the Lord—especially in crisis—rather than relying on accidental remembrance.