Srimad Bhagavatam — Shashtha Skandha, Shloka 49
Prāyaścitta, the ‘Elephant Bath’ Problem, and the Opening of Ajāmila-Upākhyāna
यथाज्ञस्तमसा युक्त उपास्ते व्यक्तमेव हि । न वेद पूर्वमपरं नष्टजन्मस्मृतिस्तथा ॥ ४९ ॥
yathājñas tamasā yukta upāste vyaktam eva hi na veda pūrvam aparaṁ naṣṭa-janma-smṛtis tathā
無知の闇に結ばれた眠る者が、夢に現れた身体に従って行い、それを自分だと受け取るように、出生の記憶を失った衆生も、過去のダルマ／アダルマの行為によって得た現身を「我」と同一視し、過去生も未来生も知り得ない。
A man engages in sinful activities because he does not know what he did in his past life to get his present materially conditioned body, which is subjected to the threefold miseries. As stated by Ṛṣabhadeva in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (5.5.4) , nūnaṁ pramattaḥ kurute vikarma: a human being who is mad after sense gratification does not hesitate to act sinfully. Yad indriya-prītaya āpṛṇoti: he performs sinful actions simply for sense gratification. Na sādhu manye: this is not good. Yata ātmano ’yam asann api kleśada āsa dehaḥ: because of such sinful actions, one receives another body in which to suffer as he is suffering in his present body because of his past sinful activities.
FAQs
This verse explains that due to tamas (ignorance), a person loses remembrance of previous births and therefore cannot perceive the deeper continuity of the soul beyond the present life.
In the Ajāmila narrative context, Śukadeva highlights how delusion makes people cling to sense-perceived reality alone, ignoring the unseen laws of karma, the soul’s journey, and the need for true spiritual shelter.
Do not judge reality only by what is immediately visible; cultivate śāstra-based understanding, reflect on consequences (karma), and practice devotion to rise beyond tamas and short-term material thinking.