Prabhupada:

ayaṁ hi krta-nirveso
janma-koṭy-aṁhasam api
yad vyajahara vivaso
nama svasty-ayanaṁ hareḥ;
[SB 6.2.7]

So the order carriers of Lord Viṣṇu, Viṣṇuduta, declared that "This man, although he was very sinful, but now he is cleared of all sinful reaction. He is now clean." How he is clean? Yad vyajahara: "He has uttered the name of Narayaṇa," yad vyajahara vivaso, "not any artificially, but automatically," vivasaḥ;, nama, "the holy name." Svasty-ayanam: "To chant the holy name of the Lord means to achieve all auspicity." Hare.

Now, this name, hare... Sometimes the Mayavadis, they say that any name, either of Hari or any other demigod, is equal. No. That is not. That is namaparadha. If one thinks that the holy name of Hari is as good as the name of other demigods, then it is namaparadha. That is not suddha-nama. So people are being misguided in that way. But the sastra does not say that. The sastra says, harer nama, harer nama [Cc. Adi 17.21], the holy name of Hari, Krṣṇa, Viṣṇu, Viṣṇu-tattva. Hari means Viṣṇu-tattva. There are... Tattva is manifested in different ways: Viṣṇu-tattva, Viṣṇu-sakti-tattva, jiva-tattva, like that. So sastra says that harer nama, Viṣṇu-tattva. Viṣṇu... Of course, Lord Viṣṇu has several thousands of names according to His different activities: Viṣṇu, Narayaṇa, Hari, Govinda, Madhava, many names. So any name of the Supreme Personality of Godhead Hari... Harer nama harer nama harer nama. The sastra reminding us three times. Just like we stress upon something that "Do this! Do this! Do this!" Thrice. So therefore it is said three times, harer nama harer nama harer nama, so that he may not forget. He may not be misguided by the so-called Mayavadis that any name... No. Harer nama, three times. Harer nama harer nama harer nama eva [Cc. Adi 17.21], again eva. Then again three times: kalau nasty eva nasty eva nasty eva gatir anyatha. You cannot deviate from this process. There is no other alternative process. You cannot say that "I will be liberated by this process or that process," no. Because it is Kali-yuga, any other process will not be successful. You adopt any process; ultimately you have to come to this process, bhakti-yoga. You can work on karma-yoga. You can work on jñana-yoga. You can work on haṭha-yoga. There are different yogas. Yoga means how to connect with the Supreme. Yoga means connection, and viyoga means distraction. We know, anyone who knows mathematics, yoga. Yoga means addition, and subtraction, viyoga. So at the present moment, in our conditional stage, we are separated. Not exactly separated, but we have forgotten. We have forgotten our relationship with the Supreme Personality of Godhead. So we have to connect it again. That is called yoga. Because we are now disconnected somehow or other, now we have to connect it again.

So any yoga system means an endeavor to connect our relationship with the Supreme Lord. That is called yoga. So someone is trying to make the connection—karma-yoga. Someone is trying by jñana-yoga. Someone is trying haṭha-yoga. But the real aim is bhakti-yoga. Just like different steps. You are on the first step, and other is on the second step, and other is on the third step, and other is on the fourth step. But the ultimate goal is bhakti-yoga. You cannot understand God or Krṣṇa by any other yoga. It may be a step forward, but ultimately you have to come to the bhakti-yoga. Therefore in the Bhagavad-gita it is said, bahunaṁ janmanam ante: [Bg. 7.19] "After many, many births' endeavor to execute the yoga system," bahunaṁ janmanam ante jñanavan, "one who is actually practicing jñana-yoga or mystic yoga, he comes to the bhakti-yoga." Bahunaṁ janmanam ante jñanavan maṁ prapadyate. Prapadyate. This is bhakti-yoga. And still clearly explained. What is that prapatti? Vasudevaḥ; sarvam iti sa mahatma sudurlabhaḥ;: [Bg. 7.19] "When one comes to this understanding that Vasudeva, Krṣṇa, is everything. I surrender to Krṣṇa.' " Krṣṇa is canvassing personally. Krṣṇa is so kind that sarva-dharman parityajya mam ekaṁ saraṇaṁ vraja [Bg. 18.66]. That we'll not take. "Oh, Krṣṇa is claiming too much." But that is the ultimate goal, that you have to surrender to Krṣṇa. That is the highest perfection.

So this conclusion, that "Let me surrender... Krṣṇa is asking me. Krṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the ultimate Absolute Truth, He is asking me to surrender. Why shall I delay? Let me surrender," this is intelligence. Jñanavan. So those who are intelligent, they will take immediately. It is explained in the Caitanya-caritamrta,

'sraddha'-sabde visvasa sudrḍha niscaya
krṣṇe bhakti kaile sarva karma krta haya

This is the real sraddha, faith. What is that faith? Sraddha sabde visvasa. Faith means strong faith, not flickering faith, visvasa, "to believe." What is that visvasa? Sraddha sabde visvasa sudrḍha niscaya: very firm faith and with surety. Surety must be because Krṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, says that "You surrender unto Me, and I shall give you protection from all sinful reaction." He is assuring. Then why we shall doubt? Because we are doubting Krṣṇa, that is the defect, that Krṣṇa says; "It may be or may not be," doubt. That is called doubt. Krṣṇa says in many places, asaṁsaya: "Don't doubt what I say. Accept it." Man-mana bhava mad-bhakto mad-yaji maṁ namaskuru mam evaiṣyasi asaṁsayaḥ;: [Bg. 18.65] "You do this, and without any doubt, rest assured, you will come to Me." In another place Krṣṇa said, mayy asakta-manaḥ; partha yogaṁ yuñjan mad-asrayaḥ;, asaṁsayam. Again asaṁsayam. Asaṁsayaṁ samagraṁ maṁ yatha jñasyasi tac chrṇu [Bg. 7.1].

So it is our misfortune that we become doubtful about Krṣṇa. This is our misfortune. Otherwise, to become liberated, to go back to home, back to Godhead, very easy thing—provided we accept the Krṣṇa's version as it is, without any change. It is very easy. Krṣṇa, when He comes personally, He comes to bestow the mercy to the fallen souls, and He speaks very clearly that mattaḥ; parataraṁ nanyat kiñcid asti dhanañjaya: [Bg. 7.7] "There is no more better positive truth than Myself." But we don't believe. That is the misfortune. But this man, although he did not know what he is doing, but very faithfully he chanted, vivasaḥ;, vivasaḥ;, without any hesitation. Vivasaḥ;. Vivasaḥ; means being forced. He was forced to chant. So yena tena prakareṇa. If you chant without any committing any offense the holy name of the Lord, then you become liberated. This is the purpose of this Ajamila upakhyana. Ayaṁ hi krta-nirveṣaḥ;. Nirveṣa means atonement. If you commit some sin, then you should atone for it. Otherwise you have to carry the reaction of your sinful life to the next life. Therefore, according to the Vedic system, there is prayascitta. So prayascitta, that is also very heavy task. In this age nobody can perform prayascitta. And even one is able to perform prayascitta, then he..., there is possibility of again falling down unless one is clear consciousness, and that, Krṣṇa consciousness. Unless one is Krṣṇa conscious, there is every chance of falling down.

So anyway, this Ajamila is krta-nirveṣa. The Viṣṇuduta informed to the Yamaduta that "You cannot touch him anymore. He is now pure." Krta-nirveṣa. Krta-nirveṣa. Then the next question is... The Yamaduta may say that "How he has become krta-nirveṣa? He is so sinful that there is no limit of his sinful activities, and you say that it is clear immediately?" And therefore he says, janma-koṭy-aṁhaam api: "Not only one life's sinful activity, but many, many crores of births' sinful activities." So we do not know how many births we had previously, but from the sastra we understand crores, many millions of times, we had to take birth. Therefore it is used, janma koṭi: not one birth or two birth or second birth or fifth birth. So unless we come to Krṣṇa consciousness, this repetition of birth and death will continue. Therefore it is said janma koṭi... We are passing through many forms of different forms of life. We are creating one family, that "I belong to this family." But what about my other families? Because janma koṭi, in every family, when I enter, there must be father and mother and family members. So which family I am especially concerned? That is our ignorance. We become interested in the particular family where we are at present. But we do not know that in the past we had to pass through many hundreds and millions of families. So which family is correct? And again, if I do not correct myself at the present moment, I have to go through many millions of families until we come to the point: vasudevaḥ; sarvam iti sa mahatma sudurlabhaḥ; [Bg. 7.19]. This is the point.

So this vasudevaḥ; sarvam iti [Bg. 7.19], we are distributing on the order of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. People may take that Krṣṇa consciousness movement means that we are preaching vasudevaḥ; sarvam iti [Bg. 7.19]—no compromise, only Vasudeva, Krṣṇa. Oṁ namo bhagavate vasudevaya. This is Krṣṇa consciousness movement. If people can take it without any hesitation... As Krṣṇa says, ma sucaḥ;: "Don't be worried." Sarva-dharman parityajya mam ekaṁ saraṇaṁ vraja [Bg. 18.66]. Krṣṇa says Even out of sentiment we take to Krṣṇa consciousness, believing on the word of Krṣṇa, out of sentiment, still, we are benefited. Tyaktva sva-dharmaṁ caraṇambujaṁ hareḥ; [SB 1.5.17]. It is said that if by sentiment one takes to Krṣṇa consciousness, tyaktva sva-dharmam Everyone has got his occupational duty. The brahmaṇa, kṣatriya, vaisya, sudra, or anyone—everyone has got some particular duty, obligation. But Krṣṇa says, "There is no need of executing all this obligation. Simply surrender to Me." Krṣṇa says. So if somebody, out of sentiment, if one thinks that "Simply by surrendering to Krṣṇa, I will be perfect? Why not take it? Let me give up my so-called religious principle." So that is confirmed in the Bhagavata. Tyaktva sva-dharmaṁ caraṇambujaṁ hareḥ;. He is giving up. Just like these European, American boys, they belong to Jewish religion, they belong to Christian religion, but out of their pious activity or even by sentiment, they have given up. Now they have taken to Krṣṇa consciousness. But they are perfect. You may say that some of them are fallen. So sastra says that "Even one has fallen, where is the wrong there? And another person, who has not taken to Krṣṇa consciousness, who has not fallen, what is the benefit there?" Even one has not fallen, sticking to his own particular religious system, he is not gainer. But a person who has taken to Krṣṇa consciousness even by sentiment and has fallen, he has great benefit because once he has taken to Krṣṇa consciousness, Krṣṇa becomes attached to him. That is ajñata-sukrti. Therefore, in all circumstances, we should accept the Krṣṇa's instruction, sarva-dharman parityajya mam ekaṁ saraṇaṁ vraja [Bg. 18.66], and surely we shall be benefited.

So it doesn't matter whether he is advanced. Of course, everyone should try his best to advance more and more in Krṣṇa consciousness, but even though one falls down circumstantially... Tyaktva sva-dharmaṁ caraṇambujaṁ harer patet tato yadi bhajann apakvo [SB 1.5.17]. Bhajan means this execution of devotional service. Gradually it should be strong and ripe. But if one falls down, even it is not ripened, bhajann apakvo, so sastra says that "What is the wrong there? What is the loss there? Because he has begun this line of devotional service, even it is stopped at a certain point circumstantially, he is not loser." He is not loser because he will get the opportunity of another human form of life. That is stated in the Bhagavad-gita, that sucinaṁ srimataṁ gehe yoga-bhraṣṭaḥ; sañjayate: [Bg. 6.41] "Even one has fallen down, still, he will get the chance of taking birth"—sucinaṁ srimataṁ gehe—"in the family of brahmaṇa, first-class brahmaṇa," sucinaṁ, suci, "very pure," or srimatam, "or very rich man, a rich vaisya." Generally the vaisyas are rich. So he will get chance either in a very good family of brahmaṇa or vaisyas. Vaisyas are generally devotees. Therefore he gets the chance of taking birth in a nice family. And if he is fortunate or if he is guided, then he begins again Krṣṇa consciousness from the point where he lost it. Therefore he is not loser, whereas others who are not in Krṣṇa consciousness, he may be diverted, and there is no guarantee what is the next birth. Krṣṇa does not guarantee. Krṣṇa says, tyaktva dehaṁ punar janma... [Bg. 4.9]. Krṣṇa says, dehino 'smin yatha dehe kaumaraṁ yauvanaṁ jara, yatha dehantara-praptiḥ; [Bg. 2.13]. Dehantara-praptiḥ;. He will get another body. But what kind of body he is going to get, that is not certain. He may be a demigod or he may be a dog, according to his karma. But this man who is a devotee of Krṣṇa, if he is fallen and if he has to take birth again, it is guaranteed, sucinaṁ srimataṁ gehe: [Bg. 6.41] "He will take birth in a very rich family or in a very pure family." This is guaranteed. For others there is no guarantee. He may take birth out of the 8,400,000's of different forms of life. There is no guarantee.

So our request is that, some way or other, take to Krṣṇa consciousness. Even if you fall down without being ripened, still, you are not loser. That is our request.

Thank you very much. Hare Krṣṇa. (end)

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