Nitai: "In the country known as Kanyakubja there was a brahmaṇa of the name Ajamila. Later on, he married a kept maidservant, a prostitute. On account of the association with the low-class woman, he lost all his brahminical qualities."
Prabhupada: This is the history. Yesterday we talked, itihasam udaharanti, atra codaharanti imam itihasaá¹ puratanam. This Kanyakubja...
kanyakubje dvijaḥ; kascid
dasi-patir ajamilaḥ;
namna naá¹£á¹a-sadacaro
dasyaḥ; saá¹sarga-duá¹£itaḥ;
[SB 6.1.21]
This Kanyakubja is still there. It is now known as Kanauj, within the division of Kanpur. It is very old city resided by brahmaṇas especially. Still, in that city the most inhabitants are brahmaṇas. Just like Nadia, Navadvipa. It was formerly, even in Caitanya Mahaprabhu's time, inhabited by brahmaṇas, learned scholars. So similarly, in northern India this place, Kanauj, since very long, long time, it is a very celebrated place. Now this place is very much famous for manufacturing perfumes, rosewater, scented attars, like that.
So anyway, it is history. Long, long ago there was a brahmaṇa, dvija. Dvija means twice-born: first birth by the father and mother... That kind of birth is obtainable by any person, man or animal. As soon as you take birth, there must be father and mother. Without father-mother, there is no question of birth. Therefore, in the human society they do not take this birth as very important. We are very much proud of becoming American or Indian on account of birth, but according to the Vedic civilization, simply the birth by father-mother is not very important. There must be second birth, dvija. Dvi means second, and ja means birth. So according to the Vedic civilization, a human being must be trained up to become dvija, or take his birth second time. This is human civilization. Saá¹skarad bhaved dvijaḥ;. Janmana jayate sudraḥ;. Simply by ordinary birth by father and mother, it is sudra. But the civilization is how a sudra or less than sudra can be elevated to the position of a brahmaṇa. That is civilization.
So, as I was explaining yesterday, that if you keep people fourth-class man, then that is not advancement of civilization. Attempt should be made how a fourth-class man can be raised to the first-class position by culture and education. So this Ajamila, he was trained up by his parents to be a qualified brahmaṇa. What is that qualified brahmaṇa? You have heard many times: samo damaḥ; satyaṠsaucam arjavaṠtitikṣa, jñanaṠvijñanam astikyaṠbrahma-karma svabhava-jam [Bg. 18.42]. These qualities should be developed. First of all, sama. Sama means equilibrium in the mental position. Mind is never disturbed. There are so many causes of the mind being disturbed. When the mind is not disturbed, that is called samaḥ;. Guruṇapi duḥ;khena na vicalyate. That is perfection of yoga.
yaá¹ labdhva caparaá¹ labhaá¹
manyate nadhikaṠtataḥ;
yasmin sthito na duḥ;khena
guruṇapi na vicalyate
[Bg. 6.20-23]
This is training. Mind is very flickering. Even five thousand years ago, when Arjuna was advised by Krṣṇa that "You make your restless mind fixed up," he frankly said, "Krṣṇa, it is not possible." Cañcalaá¹ hi manaḥ; krṣṇa pramathi balavad drá¸ham: [Bg. 6.34] "I see my mind is always very much agitated, and to control the mind is exactly an attempt to stop the wind. So it is not possible." But actually his mind was fixed up in Krṣṇa. So those who mind have been fixed up at the lotus feet of Krṣṇa, they have conquered. Their mind is fixed up. That is wanted. Sa vai manaḥ; krṣṇa-padaravindayor vacaá¹si vaikuṇá¹ha-guṇanuvarṇane [SB 9.4.18]. These are the qualifications of Maharaja Ambariá¹£a. He was very responsible emperor, but his mind was fixed up at the lotus feet of Krṣṇa. That is wanted.
So this is brahminical qualification, to practice how to fix up the mind at the lotus feet of Krṣṇa, and that is the perfection of yoga. Yoga means not to show some magical feats. No. Real perfection of yoga means to fix up the mind at the lotus feet of Krṣṇa. Therefore in the Bhagavad-gita you will find the last conclusion of this yoga chapter, Sixth Chapter,
yoginam api sarveá¹£aá¹
mad-gatenantar-atmana
sraddhavan bhajate yo maá¹
sa me yuktatamo mataḥ;
[Bg. 6.47]
That was encouraging to Arjuna because Arjuna thought, "Then I am useless. I cannot fix up." But his mind was already fixed up. Therefore Krṣṇa encouraged him, "Don't be discouraged. Anyone whose mind is already fixed up in Me always, he is the first-class, topmost yogi." Therefore we should be always thinking of Krṣṇa. That is Hare Krṣṇa mantra. If you chant Hare Krṣṇa, Hare Krṣṇa, that means your mind is fixed up in Krṣṇa. That is the perfection of yoga. So to become a brahmaṇa, this is the first qualification, to keep the mind fixed up, not being agitated, sama. And when your mind is fixed up, then your senses will be controlled. If you fix up your mind that "I shall simply chant Hare Krṣṇa and take prasadam, no more business," then the senses will be controlled automatically. Ta'ra madhye jihwa ati, lobhamoy sudurmati.
So these are the different stages, how to become a brahmaṇa. Samaḥ; damaḥ;, then satyam, truthful. Truthful means in one sense ordinary truthful. But real truthful means to know the Absolute Truth. Absolute Truth. So that Absolute Truth, who is Absolute Truth? Krṣṇa. We are searching after truth, what is the truth, what is the relative truth. But when you come to Krṣṇa, that is Absolute Truth. Sarva-karaṇa-karaṇam [Bs. 5.1]. This is truth. Then what is the cause of this truth? This is the... This is the... Neti, neti. So when you come to Krṣṇa, so above Him there is no more truth. Krṣṇa has no cause, but He is the cause of everything, sarva-karaṇa-karaṇam. Isvaraḥ; paramaḥ; krṣṇaḥ; sac-cid-ananda-vigrahaḥ;, anadiḥ; [Bs. 5.1]. He has no... People ask generally that "Everything has cause. What is the cause of Krṣṇa?" The answer is anadi: "He has no cause." That is God. Anadir adiḥ;: "He is the cause of everyone." Anadir adir govindaḥ; sarva-karaṇa-karaṇam [Bs. 5.1].
So if our mind is fixed up in Krṣṇa, then naturally the senses will be controlled. If we fix up our mind that we shall not do anything, drá¸ha-vrataḥ;... Bhajante maá¹ drá¸ha-vrataḥ;. This is determination, that "I shall have nothing to do without Krṣṇa." Then you are first-class yogi—dvija, brahmaṇa, everything. Everything. So this is..., these are the qualification of not dvija... Dvija is primary qualification of becoming a brahmaṇa. Saá¹skarad bhaved dvijaḥ;. By saá¹skara, by the reformatory process, one is initiated—that is called dvija, dvitiya-janma. The spiritual master is the father, and the Vedic knowledge is the mother. This is called dvija, dvitiya-janma, second birth. So after being dvija, when the spiritual master sees that he is acquired sadacara... Sadacara means these four things: no illicit sex, no intoxication, no meat-eating, no gambling; taking bath thrice, rising early in the... These are called sadacara. These are brahminical qualification.
So this Ajamila was very nicely trained up, born of a brahmaṇa father, and his father trained up. But unfortunately, when he was young man, he was passing through the road, he saw one sudra is embracing another sudraṇi, or prostitute. Now it is very common affair all over the world: a man is embracing, kissing. But this was not allowed in gentlemen's society. The sudras, the fourth-class man, they used to do that. Sometimes, not always. So he was young man. Naturally, when he saw that a young sudra is embracing another young girl, sudraṇi, and she is not properly dressed, he became attracted. He became attracted. And they were drunk. So in this way he fell a victim of that prostitute. He liked that prostitute, and later on, he remained with her, and he had very good wife, very respectable family, brahmaṇa, but he forgot everything. Therefore it is said, naá¹£á¹a-sadacaraḥ;: "He lost all brahminical qualification." So he was so much trained up, and still, by seeing the sex behavior of a sudra and sudraṇi, he fell down long, long years ago. Now these things are very common affair. How the young man can be saved? It is very difficult. Therefore Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu has given one panacea: "Chant Hare Krṣṇa." That can save you. Otherwise it is very difficult. Harer nama harer nama harer namaiva kevalam, kalau nasty eva nasty eva... [Cc. Adi 17.21]. By practicing the tapasya and yoga and... Nothing will help you, because the age is very fallen. He especially mentioned, kalau nasty eva nasty eva nasty eva gatir anyatha. Otherwise one cannot...
So he lost all sadacara. Kanyakubje dvijaḥ; kascit. Kascit, kascit means "some are..." Every brahmaṇa was very elevated. One, somebody, kascit. Kascid dasi-patiḥ;. And why he fell down? Because he married one maidservant, prostitute. The prostitute class, you will find in the history of India, but they are a class, a low-class woman. Otherwise, in gentleman class or higher class, namely the brahmaṇa, ká¹£atriya, and vaisya, it is not possible to mix freely. That is not possible. They still, in respectable families, the young girls, they are not allowed to go out, not to mix with any... The first young man, this, her husband, when the father-mother selects, then... This is the process. So prostitution was existent. Now I do not know what is the position. But in the low class, dasi-pati, maidservant, sweeper, maidservant. One could mix and have the advantage of prostitution in the lower class, not in the higher class. So therefore it is stated that kascid dasi-patiḥ;, dasi-pati. Not the married wife, but dasi-pati, a maidservant. And his name was Ajamila. Dasi-patir ajamilaḥ; namna. So what was his condition? Naá¹£á¹a-sadacaraḥ;. He had no..., he lost all the sadacara. Sadacara, these are the sadacara: to rise early in the morning, to take bath, attend maá¹…gala-aratrika, and chant Hare Krṣṇa mantra, read books, Vedic literature, and then prasadam—always some prescribed duty for Krṣṇa consciousness. That is called sadacara. So Ajamila, on account of this association of this prostitute, he lost all good qualities, sadacara, and then he took all abominable professional for earning money. That will be described next verse.
Thank you very much. (end)
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