Shloka 9
Ajāmila Delivered: Viṣṇudūtas Establish the Supremacy of the Holy Name
स्तेन: सुरापो मित्रध्रुग् ब्रह्महा गुरुतल्पग: । स्त्रीराजपितृगोहन्ता ये च पातकिनोऽपरे ॥ ९ ॥ सर्वेषामप्यघवतामिदमेव सुनिष्कृतम् । नामव्याहरणं विष्णोर्यतस्तद्विषया मति: ॥ १० ॥
stenaḥ surā-po mitra-dhrug brahma-hā guru-talpa-gaḥ strī-rāja-pitṛ-go-hantā ye ca pātakino ’pare
For the thief of gold and goods, the drunkard, the betrayer of a friend, the slayer of a brāhmaṇa, the violator of the guru’s wife, the killer of women, of the king or of one’s father, the slaughterer of cows, and all other sinners as well—the supreme atonement is the utterance of Viṣṇu’s holy name, for by that Name the mind is drawn to the Lord.
FAQs
This verse lists extreme sins to show that Bhagavatam’s teaching on purification is meant even for those burdened with the gravest wrongdoing.
He is preparing the point that the ultimate remedy is not merely ritual atonement but the purifying power connected with remembrance and utterance of Lord Viṣṇu’s name.
Instead of despair, one should take shelter of sincere nāma-japa (chanting the Lord’s names), reform one’s conduct, and seek devotional association—trusting that bhakti purifies at the root.