Shloka 24
Prāyaścitta, the ‘Elephant Bath’ Problem, and the Opening of Ajāmila-Upākhyāna
तस्य प्रवयस: पुत्रा दश तेषां तु योऽवम: । बालो नारायणो नाम्ना पित्रोश्च दयितो भृशम् ॥ २४ ॥
tasya pravayasaḥ putrā daśa teṣāṁ tu yo ’vamaḥ bālo nārāyaṇo nāmnā pitroś ca dayito bhṛśam
ਉਸ ਬੁੱਢੇ ਅਜਾਮਿਲ ਦੇ ਦਸ ਪੁੱਤਰ ਸਨ; ਉਨ੍ਹਾਂ ਵਿੱਚ ਸਭ ਤੋਂ ਛੋਟਾ ਬੱਚਾ ‘ਨਾਰਾਇਣ’ ਨਾਮ ਦਾ ਸੀ। ਸਭ ਤੋਂ ਛੋਟਾ ਹੋਣ ਕਰਕੇ ਉਹ ਪਿਉ ਤੇ ਮਾਂ ਦੋਵਾਂ ਨੂੰ ਬਹੁਤ ਪਿਆਰਾ ਸੀ।
The word pravayasaḥ indicates Ajāmila’s sinfulness because although he was eighty-eight years old, he had a very young child. According to Vedic culture, one should leave home as soon as he has reached fifty years of age; one should not live at home and go on producing children. Sex life is allowed for twenty-five years, between the ages of twenty-five and forty-five or, at the most, fifty. After that one should give up the habit of sex life and leave home as a vānaprastha and then properly take sannyāsa. Ajāmila, however, because of his association with a prostitute, lost all brahminical culture and became most sinful, even in his so-called household life.
FAQs
This verse introduces Ajāmila’s youngest son named Nārāyaṇa—setting the stage for how calling that name becomes pivotal in Ajāmila’s deliverance later in the narrative.
Śukadeva emphasizes the child’s tender age and the parents’ deep affection to explain why Ajāmila would naturally call out to him—making the utterance of “Nārāyaṇa” frequent and heartfelt.
Keep the Lord’s names present in daily life—through naming, remembrance, or regular chanting—so that divine sound becomes natural and readily accessible, especially in times of crisis.