Shloka 13
Ajāmila Delivered: Viṣṇudūtas Establish the Supremacy of the Holy Name
अथैनं मापनयत कृताशेषाघनिष्कृतम् । यदसौ भगवन्नाम म्रियमाण: समग्रहीत् ॥ १३ ॥
athainaṁ māpanayata kṛtāśeṣāgha-niṣkṛtam yad asau bhagavan-nāma mriyamāṇaḥ samagrahīt
À l’instant de mourir, Ajāmila, sans secours, prononça très fort le saint Nom du Seigneur, « Nārāyaṇa ». Par cette seule invocation, il a déjà été délivré des réactions de tous ses péchés; aussi, ô serviteurs de Yamarāja, ne cherchez pas à l’emmener pour le châtier en enfer.
The Viṣṇudūtas, who are superior authorities, gave orders to the Yamadūtas, who did not know that Ajāmila was no longer subject to tribulation in hellish life for his past sins. Although he had chanted the holy name Nārāyaṇa to indicate his son, the holy name is so transcendentally powerful that he was automatically freed because he had chanted the holy name while dying ( ante nārāyaṇa-smṛtiḥ ). As Kṛṣṇa confirms in Bhagavad-gītā (7.28) :
FAQs
This verse states that even at death, taking full shelter of Bhagavān’s name brings complete purification—so the sinful Ajāmila should not be taken away.
Because Ajāmila had chanted the Lord’s name while dying, the Viṣṇudūtas declare his sins fully atoned and forbid his removal.
Regularly chant and remember the Lord’s names so that the mind naturally turns to Bhagavān even in crisis—this verse highlights the cleansing power of such remembrance.