Srimad Bhagavatam — Dvadasha Skandha, Shloka 44
The Earth Laughs at World-Conquering Kings; Yuga-Dharma and the Remedy for Kali
यन्नामधेयं म्रियमाण आतुर: पतन् स्खलन् वा विवशो गृणन् पुमान् । विमुक्तकर्मार्गल उत्तमां गतिं प्राप्नोति यक्ष्यन्ति न तं कलौ जना: ॥ ४४ ॥
yan-nāmadheyaṁ mriyamāṇa āturaḥ patan skhalan vā vivaśo gṛṇan pumān vimukta-karmārgala uttamāṁ gatiṁ prāpnoti yakṣyanti na taṁ kalau janāḥ
Even a man terrified at death—falling, stumbling, scarcely conscious—if he utters the holy name of the Supreme Lord, is freed from the shackles of karma and attains the highest destination. Yet in Kali-yuga people will not worship that Lord.
You can lead a horse to water, but you cannot make him drink.
FAQs
This verse teaches that even an accidental or helpless utterance of the Lord’s holy name at death can free one from karmic bondage and grant the supreme destination.
In the Kali-yuga context of this chapter, Śukadeva explains that people become spiritually negligent and distracted, so they ignore the simplest and most powerful means—devotional worship and chanting of the Lord’s name.
Make daily chanting and remembrance of the Lord’s names a steady habit now, so that devotion—not panic—naturally arises even in difficult moments.