Shloka 21
Prāyaścitta, the ‘Elephant Bath’ Problem, and the Opening of Ajāmila-Upākhyāna
कान्यकुब्जे द्विज: कश्चिद्दासीपतिरजामिल: । नाम्ना नष्टसदाचारो दास्या: संसर्गदूषित: ॥ २१ ॥
kānyakubje dvijaḥ kaścid dāsī-patir ajāmilaḥ nāmnā naṣṭa-sadācāro dāsyāḥ saṁsarga-dūṣitaḥ
ਕਾਨ੍ਯਕੁਬ੍ਜ ਨਗਰ ਵਿੱਚ ਅਜਾਮਿਲ ਨਾਮ ਦਾ ਇੱਕ ਬ੍ਰਾਹਮਣ ਸੀ, ਜੋ ਦਾਸੀ-ਵੇਸ਼ਿਆ ਨਾਲ ਰਹਿਣ ਲੱਗ ਪਿਆ। ਨੀਚ ਸੰਗਤ ਕਾਰਨ ਉਸ ਦਾ ਸਦਾਚਾਰ ਨਸ਼ਟ ਹੋਇਆ ਅਤੇ ਬ੍ਰਾਹਮਣੀ ਗੁਣ ਲੁਪਤ ਹੋ ਗਏ।
The fault of illicit connection with women is that it makes one lose all brahminical qualities. In India there is still a class of servants, called śūdras, whose maidservant wives are called śūdrāṇīs. Sometimes people who are very lusty establish relationships with such maidservants and sweeping women, since in the higher statuses of society they cannot indulge in the habit of woman hunting, which is strictly prohibited by social convention. Ajāmila, a qualified brāhmaṇa youth, lost all his brahminical qualities because of his association with a prostitute, but he was ultimately saved because he had begun the process of bhakti-yoga. Therefore in the previous verse, Śukadeva Gosvāmī spoke of the person who has only once surrendered himself at the lotus feet of the Lord ( manaḥ kṛṣṇa-padāravindayoḥ ) or has just begun the bhakti-yoga process. Bhakti-yoga begins with śravaṇaṁ kīrtanaṁ viṣṇoḥ, hearing and chanting of Lord Viṣṇu’s names, as in the mahā-mantra — Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare/ Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare. Chanting is the beginning of bhakti-yoga. Therefore Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu declares:
FAQs
This verse states that Ajāmila, though a brāhmaṇa, lost his sadācāra (proper conduct) because he became polluted by association with a maidservant, showing how destructive wrong association can be.
Śukadeva sets the moral and narrative foundation of Ajāmila’s case: even one born into dharma can degrade through improper association—preparing the listener for the later teaching on repentance, devotion, and the Lord’s mercy.
Choose uplifting company, guard the senses, and keep steady devotional practices; the verse highlights that character is strongly shaped by association.