Shloka 58
Prāyaścitta, the ‘Elephant Bath’ Problem, and the Opening of Ajāmila-Upākhyāna
एकदासौ वनं यात: पितृसन्देशकृद् द्विज: । आदाय तत आवृत्त: फलपुष्पसमित्कुशान् ॥ ५८ ॥ ददर्श कामिनं कञ्चिच्छूद्रं सह भुजिष्यया । पीत्वा च मधु मैरेयं मदाघूर्णितनेत्रया ॥ ५९ ॥ मत्तया विश्लथन्नीव्या व्यपेतं निरपत्रपम् । क्रीडन्तमनुगायन्तं हसन्तमनयान्तिके ॥ ६० ॥
ekadāsau vanaṁ yātaḥ pitṛ-sandeśa-kṛd dvijaḥ ādāya tata āvṛttaḥ phala-puṣpa-samit-kuśān
Un jour, obéissant à l’ordre de son père, ce dvija alla dans la forêt et, après avoir pris des fruits, des fleurs, du bois de sacrifice (samit) et de l’herbe kuśa, il reprit le chemin du retour.
While traveling along the public way, Ajāmila came upon a fourth-class man and a prostitute, who are vividly described here. Drunkenness was sometimes manifest even in bygone ages, although not very frequently. In this Age of Kali, however, such sin is to be seen everywhere, for people all over the world have become shameless. Long ago, when he saw the scene of the drunken śūdra and the prostitute, Ajāmila, who was a perfect brahmacārī, was affected. Nowadays such sin is visible in so many places, and we must consider the position of a brahmacārī student who sees such behavior. For such a brahmacārī to remain steady is very difficult unless he is extremely strong in following the regulative principles. Nevertheless, if one takes to Kṛṣṇa consciousness very seriously, he can withstand the provocation created by sin. In our Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement we prohibit illicit sex, intoxication, meat-eating and gambling. In Kali-yuga, a drunk, half-naked woman embracing a drunk man is a very common sight, especially in the Western countries, and restraining oneself after seeing such things is very difficult. Nevertheless, if by the grace of Kṛṣṇa one adheres to the regulative principles and chants the Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra, Kṛṣṇa will certainly protect him. Indeed, Kṛṣṇa says that His devotee is never vanquished ( kaunteya pratijānīhi na me bhaktaḥ praṇaśyati ). Therefore all the disciples practicing Kṛṣṇa consciousness should obediently follow the regulative principles and remain fixed in chanting the holy name of the Lord. Then there need be no fear. Otherwise one’s position is very dangerous, especially in this Kali-yuga.
FAQs
Ajāmila, still acting as a dutiful brāhmaṇa, goes to the forest on his father’s order and returns with items for household and ritual use—setting the stage for the turning point in his life.
These are typical requisites for Vedic household duties and sacrifice, highlighting that Ajāmila originally lived a regulated, dharmic brāhmaṇa life before his later fall.
Even ordinary, sincere duty—obedience to elders and simple disciplined living—supports spiritual steadiness; neglecting such grounding can make one vulnerable to later temptation.