Srimad Bhagavatam Canto 6 - Chapter 2

Srimad-Bhagavatam: Canto 6 - Chapter 1 - Verse 1 Sanskrit: श्रीबादरायणिरुवाचएवं ते भगवद्दूता यमदूताभिभाषितम् ।उपधार्याथ तान् राजन् प्र्रत्याहुर्नयकोविदा: ॥ १ ॥ ITRANS: śrī-bādarāyaṇir uvācaevaṁ te bhagavad-dūtāyamadūtābhibhāṣitamupadhāryātha tān rājanpratyāhur naya-kovidāḥ Translation: Śukadeva Gosvāmī said: My dear King, the servants of Lord Viṣṇu are always very expert in logic and arguments. After hearing the statements of the Yamadūtas, they replied as follows. Purport:

Srimad-Bhagavatam: Canto 6 - Chapter 1 - Verse 2 Sanskrit: श्रीविष्णुदूता ऊचु:अहो कष्टं धर्मद‍ृशामधर्म: स्पृशते सभाम् ।यत्रादण्ड्येष्वपापेषु दण्डो यैर्ध्रियते वृथा ॥ २ ॥ ITRANS: śrī-viṣṇudūtā ūcuḥaho kaṣṭaṁ dharma-dṛśāmadharmaḥ spṛśate sabhāmyatrādaṇḍyeṣv apāpeṣudaṇḍo yair dhriyate vṛthā Translation: The Viṣṇudūtas said: Alas, how painful it is that irreligion is being introduced into an assembly where religion should be maintained. Indeed, those in charge of maintaining the religious principles are needlessly punishing a sinless, unpunishable person....

Srimad-Bhagavatam: Canto 6 - Chapter 1 - Verse 3 Sanskrit: प्रजानां पितरो ये च शास्तार: साधव: समा: ।यदि स्यात्तेषु वैषम्यं कं यान्ति शरणं प्रजा: ॥ ३ ॥ ITRANS: prajānāṁ pitaro ye caśāstāraḥ sādhavaḥ samāḥyadi syāt teṣu vaiṣamyaṁkaṁ yānti śaraṇaṁ prajāḥ Translation: A king or governmental official should be so well qualified that he acts as a father, maintainer and protector of the citizens because of affection and love. He should give the citizens good advice and instructions according to the standard scriptures and should be equal to everyone....

Srimad-Bhagavatam: Canto 6 - Chapter 1 - Verse 4 Sanskrit: यद्यदाचरति श्रेयानितरस्तत्तदीहते ।स यत्प्रमाणं कुरुते लोकस्तदनुवर्तते ॥ ४ ॥ ITRANS: yad yad ācarati śreyānitaras tat tad īhatesa yat pramāṇaṁ kurutelokas tad anuvartate Translation: The mass of people follow the example of a leader in society and imitate his behavior. They accept as evidence whatever the leader accepts. Purport: Although Ajāmila was not punishable, the Yamadūtas were insisting on taking him away to Yamarāja for punishment....

Srimad-Bhagavatam: Canto 6 - Chapter 1 - Verse 5-6 Sanskrit: यस्याङ्के शिर आधाय लोक: स्वपिति निर्वृत: ।स्वयं धर्ममधर्मं वा न हि वेद यथा पशु: ॥ ५ ॥स कथं न्यर्पितात्मानं कृतमैत्रमचेतनम् ।विस्रम्भणीयो भूतानां सघृणो दोग्धुमर्हति ॥ ६ ॥ ITRANS: yasyāṅke śira ādhāyalokaḥ svapiti nirvṛtaḥsvayaṁ dharmam adharmaṁ vāna hi veda yathā paśuḥ Translation: People in general are not very advanced in knowledge by which to discriminate between religion and irreligion. The innocent, unenlightened citizen is like an ignorant animal sleeping in peace with its head on the lap of its master, faithfully believing in the master’s protection....

Srimad-Bhagavatam: Canto 6 - Chapter 1 - Verse 7 Sanskrit: अयं हि कृतनिर्वेशो जन्मकोट्यंहसामपि ।यद्‌व्याजहार विवशो नाम स्वस्त्ययनं हरे: ॥ ७ ॥ ITRANS: ayaṁ hi kṛta-nirveśojanma-koṭy-aṁhasām apiyad vyājahāra vivaśonāma svasty-ayanaṁ hareḥ Translation: Ajāmila has already atoned for all his sinful actions. Indeed, he has atoned not only for sins performed in one life but for those performed in millions of lives, for in a helpless condition he chanted the holy name of Nārāyaṇa....

Srimad-Bhagavatam: Canto 6 - Chapter 1 - Verse 8 Sanskrit: एतेनैव ह्यघोनोऽस्य कृतं स्यादघनिष्कृतम् ।यदा नारायणायेति जगाद चतुरक्षरम् ॥ ८ ॥ ITRANS: etenaiva hy aghono ’syakṛtaṁ syād agha-niṣkṛtamyadā nārāyaṇāyetijagāda catur-akṣaram Translation: The Viṣṇudūtas continued: Even previously, while eating and at other times, this Ajāmila would call his son, saying, “My dear Nārāyaṇa, please come here.” Although calling the name of his son, he nevertheless uttered the four syllables nā-rā-ya-ṇa. Simply by chanting the name of Nārāyaṇa in this way, he sufficiently atoned for the sinful reactions of millions of lives....

Srimad-Bhagavatam: Canto 6 - Chapter 1 - Verse 9-10 Sanskrit: स्तेन: सुरापो मित्रध्रुग् ब्रह्महा गुरुतल्पग: ।स्त्रीराजपितृगोहन्ता ये च पातकिनोऽपरे ॥ ९ ॥सर्वेषामप्यघवतामिदमेव सुनिष्कृतम् ।नामव्याहरणं विष्णोर्यतस्तद्विषया मति: ॥ १० ॥ ITRANS: stenaḥ surā-po mitra-dhrugbrahma-hā guru-talpa-gaḥstrī-rāja-pitṛ-go-hantāye ca pātakino ’pare Translation: The chanting of the holy name of Lord Viṣṇu is the best process of atonement for a thief of gold or other valuables, for a drunkard, for one who betrays a friend or relative, for one who kills a brāhmaṇa, or for one who indulges in sex with the wife of his guru or another superior....

Srimad-Bhagavatam: Canto 6 - Chapter 1 - Verse 11 Sanskrit: न निष्कृतैरुदितैर्ब्रह्मवादिभि-स्तथा विशुद्ध्यत्यघवान् व्रतादिभि: ।यथा हरेर्नामपदैरुदाहृतै-स्तदुत्तमश्लोकगुणोपलम्भकम् ॥ ११ ॥ ITRANS: na niṣkṛtair uditair brahma-vādibhistathā viśuddhyaty aghavān vratādibhiḥyathā harer nāma-padair udāhṛtaistad uttamaśloka-guṇopalambhakam Translation: By following the Vedic ritualistic ceremonies or undergoing atonement, sinful men do not become as purified as by chanting once the holy name of Lord Hari. Although ritualistic atonement may free one from sinful reactions, it does not awaken devotional service, unlike the chanting of the Lord’s names, which reminds one of the Lord’s fame, qualities, attributes, pastimes and paraphernalia....

Srimad-Bhagavatam: Canto 6 - Chapter 1 - Verse 12 Sanskrit: नैकान्तिकं तद्धि कृतेऽपि निष्कृतेमन: पुनर्धावति चेदसत्पथे ।तत्कर्मनिर्हारमभीप्सतां हरे-र्गुणानुवाद: खलु सत्त्वभावन: ॥ १२ ॥ ITRANS: naikāntikaṁ tad dhi kṛte ’pi niṣkṛtemanaḥ punar dhāvati ced asat-pathetat karma-nirhāram abhīpsatāṁ harerguṇānuvādaḥ khalu sattva-bhāvanaḥ Translation: The ritualistic ceremonies of atonement recommended in the religious scriptures are insufficient to cleanse the heart absolutely because after atonement one’s mind again runs toward material activities. Consequently, for one who wants liberation from the fruitive reactions of material activities, the chanting of the Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra, or glorification of the name, fame and pastimes of the Lord, is recommended as the most perfect process of atonement because such chanting eradicates the dirt from one’s heart completely....

Srimad-Bhagavatam: Canto 6 - Chapter 1 - Verse 13 Sanskrit: अथैनं मापनयत कृताशेषाघनिष्कृतम् ।यदसौ भगवन्नाम म्रियमाण: समग्रहीत् ॥ १३ ॥ ITRANS: athainaṁ māpanayatakṛtāśeṣāgha-niṣkṛtamyad asau bhagavan-nāmamriyamāṇaḥ samagrahīt Translation: At the time of death, this Ajāmila helplessly and very loudly chanted the holy name of the Lord, Nārāyaṇa. That chanting alone has already freed him from the reactions of all sinful life. Therefore, O servants of Yamarāja, do not try to take him to your master for punishment in hellish conditions....

Srimad-Bhagavatam: Canto 6 - Chapter 1 - Verse 14 Sanskrit: साङ्केत्यं पारिहास्यं वा स्तोभं हेलनमेव वा ।वैकुण्ठनामग्रहणमशेषाघहरं विदु: ॥ १४ ॥ ITRANS: sāṅketyaṁ pārihāsyaṁ vāstobhaṁ helanam eva vāvaikuṇṭha-nāma-grahaṇamaśeṣāgha-haraṁ viduḥ Translation: One who chants the holy name of the Lord is immediately freed from the reactions of unlimited sins, even if he chants indirectly [to indicate something else], jokingly, for musical entertainment, or even neglectfully. This is accepted by all the learned scholars of the scriptures....

Srimad-Bhagavatam: Canto 6 - Chapter 1 - Verse 15 Sanskrit: पतित: स्खलितो भग्न: सन्दष्टस्तप्त आहत: ।हरिरित्यवशेनाह पुमान्नार्हति यातना: ॥ १५ ॥ ITRANS: patitaḥ skhalito bhagnaḥsandaṣṭas tapta āhataḥharir ity avaśenāhapumān nārhati yātanāḥ Translation: If one chants the holy name of Hari and then dies because of an accidental misfortune, such as falling from the top of a house, slipping and suffering broken bones while traveling on the road, being bitten by a serpent, being afflicted with pain and high fever, or being injured by a weapon, one is immediately absolved from having to enter hellish life, even though he is sinful....

Srimad-Bhagavatam: Canto 6 - Chapter 1 - Verse 16 Sanskrit: गुरूणां च लघूनां च गुरूणि च लघूनि च ।प्रायश्चित्तानि पापानां ज्ञात्वोक्तानि महर्षिभि: ॥ १६ ॥ ITRANS: gurūṇāṁ ca laghūnāṁ cagurūṇi ca laghūni caprāyaścittāni pāpānāṁjñātvoktāni maharṣibhiḥ Translation: Authorities who are learned scholars and sages have carefully ascertained that one should atone for the heaviest sins by undergoing a heavy process of atonement and one should atone for lighter sins by undergoing lighter atonement....

Srimad-Bhagavatam: Canto 6 - Chapter 1 - Verse 17 Sanskrit: तैस्तान्यघानि पूयन्ते तपोदानव्रतादिभि: ।नाधर्मजं तद्‌धृदयं तदपीशाङ्‌घ्रिसेवया ॥ १७ ॥ ITRANS: tais tāny aghāni pūyantetapo-dāna-vratādibhiḥnādharmajaṁ tad-dhṛdayaṁtad apīśāṅghri-sevayā Translation: Although one may neutralize the reactions of sinful life through austerity, charity, vows and other such methods, these pious activities cannot uproot the material desires in one’s heart. However, if one serves the lotus feet of the Personality of Godhead, he is immediately freed from all such contaminations....