Ajamila Delivered by the Vishnudutas

Verse 1 (bhagavata.6.2.1)

श्रीबादरायणिरुवाच एवं ते भगवद्दूता यमदूताभिभाषितम् । उपधार्याथ तान् राजन् प्र्रत्याहुर्नयकोविदाः ॥ १ ॥

śrī-bādarāyaṇir uvāca evaṁ te bhagavad-dūtā yamadūtābhibhāṣitam upadhāryātha tān rājan pratyāhur naya-kovidāḥ

Shri Badarayani said: O king, thus addressed by the Yamadutas, the Lord's own messengers, who were skilled in reasoning, grasped their words and then replied.

Verse 2 (bhagavata.6.2.2)

श्रीविष्णुदूता ऊचुः अहो कष्टं धर्मदृशामधर्मः स्पृशते सभाम् । यत्रादण्ड्येष्वपापेषु दण्डो यैर्ध्रियते वृथा ॥ २ ॥

śrī-viṣṇudūtā ūcuḥ aho kaṣṭaṁ dharma-dṛśām adharmaḥ spṛśate sabhām yatrādaṇḍyeṣv apāpeṣu daṇḍo yair dhriyate vṛthā

The Vishnudutas said: Alas, how painful it is that adharma should touch the very assembly of those who uphold dharma — where the unpunishable and the sinless are given punishment in vain.

Verse 3 (bhagavata.6.2.3)

प्रजानां पितरो ये च शास्तारः साधवः समाः । यदि स्यात्तेषु वैषम्यं कं यान्ति शरणं प्रजाः ॥ ३ ॥

prajānāṁ pitaro ye ca śāstāraḥ sādhavaḥ samāḥ yadi syāt teṣu vaiṣamyaṁ kaṁ yānti śaraṇaṁ prajāḥ

Those who are as fathers to the people, their rulers and instructors, virtuous and impartial — if unfairness arises even in them, then where shall the people turn for refuge?

Verse 4 (bhagavata.6.2.4)

यद्यदाचरति श्रेयानितरस्तत्तदीहते । स यत्प्रमाणं कुरुते लोकस्तदनुवर्तते ॥ ४ ॥

yad yad ācarati śreyān itaras tat tad īhate sa yat pramāṇaṁ kurute lokas tad anuvartate

Whatever a great and superior person practices, others follow accordingly; whatever standard such a person sets as authoritative, the world follows it too.

Verse 5 (bhagavata.6.2.5)

यस्याङ्के शिर आधाय लोकः स्वपिति निर्वृतः । स्वयं धर्ममधर्मं वा न हि वेद यथा पशुः ॥ ५ ॥

yasyāṅke śira ādhāya lokaḥ svapiti nirvṛtaḥ svayaṁ dharmam adharmaṁ vā na hi veda yathā paśuḥ

The ordinary person, resting his head upon another's lap and sleeping there in peace, himself knows neither dharma nor adharma, like an animal —

Verse 6 (bhagavata.6.2.6)

स कथं न्यर्पितात्मानं कृतमैत्रमचेतनम् । विस्रम्भणीयो भूतानां सघृणो दोग्धुमर्हति ॥ ६ ॥

sa kathaṁ nyarpitātmānaṁ kṛta-maitram acetanam visrambhaṇīyo bhūtānāṁ saghṛṇo dogdhum arhati

— then how can one who deserves the trust of all beings, and who is compassionate, bring himself to harm someone who, in innocent trust and friendship, has surrendered himself entirely?

Verse 7 (bhagavata.6.2.7)

अयं हि कृतनिर्वेशो जन्मकोट्यंहसामपि । यद्व्याजहार विवशो नाम स्वस्त्ययनं हरेः ॥ ७ ॥

ayaṁ hi kṛta-nirveśo janma-koṭy-aṁhasām api yad vyājahāra vivaśo nāma svasty-ayanaṁ hareḥ

This man has indeed atoned even for the sins of millions of births, because, helpless though he was, he uttered the name of Hari — the very means to auspiciousness.

Verse 8 (bhagavata.6.2.8)

एतेनैव ह्यघोनोऽस्य कृतं स्यादघनिष्कृतम् । यदा नारायणायेति जगाद चतुरक्षरम् ॥ ८ ॥

etenaiva hy aghono ’sya kṛtaṁ syād agha-niṣkṛtam yadā nārāyaṇāyeti jagāda catur-akṣaram

By this very act, this sinner's atonement has already been accomplished, for he uttered those four syllables — nā-rā-ya-ṇa.

Verse 9 (bhagavata.6.2.9)

स्तेनः सुरापो मित्रध्रुग् ब्रह्महा गुरुतल्पगः । स्त्रीराजपितृगोहन्ता ये च पातकिनोऽपरे ॥ ९ ॥

stenaḥ surā-po mitra-dhrug brahma-hā guru-talpa-gaḥ strī-rāja-pitṛ-go-hantā ye ca pātakino ’pare

The thief, the drunkard, the betrayer of a friend, the killer of a brahmana, one who violates his guru's wife, the murderer of a woman, of a king or of his own father, the killer of a cow, and every other kind of sinner —

Verse 10 (bhagavata.6.2.10)

सर्वेषामप्यघवतामिदमेव सुनिष्कृतम् । नामव्याहरणं विष्णोर्यतस्तद्विषया मतिः ॥ १० ॥

sarveṣām apy aghavatām idam eva suniṣkṛtam nāma-vyāharaṇaṁ viṣṇor yatas tad-viṣayā matiḥ

— for all of them alike, the mere utterance of Vishnu's name is the supreme atonement, for through it the Lord's own attention is drawn toward them.

Verse 11 (bhagavata.6.2.11)

न निष्कृतैरुदितैर्ब्रह्मवादिभि- स्तथा विशुद्ध्यत्यघवान् व्रतादिभिः । यथा हरेर्नामपदैरुदाहृतै- स्तदुत्तमश्लोकगुणोपलम्भकम् ॥ ११ ॥

na niṣkṛtair uditair brahma-vādibhis tathā viśuddhyaty aghavān vratādibhiḥ yathā harer nāma-padair udāhṛtais tad uttamaśloka-guṇopalambhakam

A sinner is not purified as much by the atonements prescribed by the expounders of the Veda — vows and similar observances — as he is by the mere utterance of Hari's name, which recalls to mind the qualities of that most glorified Lord.

Verse 12 (bhagavata.6.2.12)

नैकान्तिकं तद्धि कृतेऽपि निष्कृते मनः पुनर्धावति चेदसत्पथे । तत्कर्मनिर्हारमभीप्सतां हरे- र्गुणानुवादः खलु सत्त्वभावनः ॥ १२ ॥

naikāntikaṁ tad dhi kṛte ’pi niṣkṛte manaḥ punar dhāvati ced asat-pathe tat karma-nirhāram abhīpsatāṁ harer guṇānuvādaḥ khalu sattva-bhāvanaḥ

That purification is never absolute, for even after atonement the mind runs back again toward the wrong path; but for those who wish to be freed from the bondage of action, the constant recounting of Hari's glories is truly what purifies one's very being.

Verse 13 (bhagavata.6.2.13)

अथैनं मापनयत कृताशेषाघनिष्कृतम् । यदसौ भगवन्नाम म्रियमाणः समग्रहीत् ॥ १३ ॥

athainaṁ māpanayata kṛtāśeṣāgha-niṣkṛtam yad asau bhagavan-nāma mriyamāṇaḥ samagrahīt

Therefore, do not take him away — he has already completed atonement for all his sins, for even while dying he fully uttered the holy name of the Lord.

Verse 14 (bhagavata.6.2.14)

साङ्केत्यं पारिहास्यं वा स्तोभं हेलनमेव वा । वैकुण्ठनामग्रहणमशेषाघहरं विदुः ॥ १४ ॥

sāṅketyaṁ pārihāsyaṁ vā stobhaṁ helanam eva vā vaikuṇṭha-nāma-grahaṇam aśeṣāgha-haraṁ viduḥ

Whether uttered as a signal to someone else, in jest, within a song, or even carelessly — the utterance of the name of the Lord of Vaikuntha is known to remove every sin without exception.

Verse 15 (bhagavata.6.2.15)

पतितः स्खलितो भग्नः सन्दष्टस्तप्त आहतः । हरिरित्यवशेनाह पुमान्नार्हति यातनाः ॥ १५ ॥

patitaḥ skhalito bhagnaḥ sandaṣṭas tapta āhataḥ harir ity avaśenāha pumān nārhati yātanāḥ

If a person, while falling, stumbling, breaking a bone, being bitten, burning, or being struck, cries out 'Hari!' even involuntarily, he no longer deserves such torments.

Verse 16 (bhagavata.6.2.16)

गुरूणां च लघूनां च गुरूणि च लघूनि च । प्रायश्चित्तानि पापानां ज्ञात्वोक्तानि महर्षिभिः ॥ १६ ॥

gurūṇāṁ ca laghūnāṁ ca gurūṇi ca laghūni ca prāyaścittāni pāpānāṁ jñātvoktāni maharṣibhiḥ

For grave sinners and for minor ones, weighty and lighter atonements have been prescribed by the great sages, who understood them thoroughly.

Verse 17 (bhagavata.6.2.17)

तैस्तान्यघानि पूयन्ते तपोदानव्रतादिभिः । नाधर्मजं तद्धृदयं तदपीशाङ्घ्रिसेवया ॥ १७ ॥

tais tāny aghāni pūyante tapo-dāna-vratādibhiḥ nādharmajaṁ tad-dhṛdayaṁ tad apīśāṅghri-sevayā

Such sins are indeed cleansed through austerity, charity, vows and similar practices, but the impurity of the heart that is born of adharma is removed only through service to the feet of the Lord.

Verse 18 (bhagavata.6.2.18)

अज्ञानादथवा ज्ञानादुत्तमश्लोकनाम यत् । सङ्कीर्तितमघं पुंसो दहेदेधो यथानलः ॥ १८ ॥

ajñānād athavā jñānād uttamaśloka-nāma yat saṅkīrtitam aghaṁ puṁso dahed edho yathānalaḥ

Whether chanted in ignorance or with full knowledge, the chanted name of the most-praised Lord burns away a person's sin, just as fire burns up dry grass.

Verse 19 (bhagavata.6.2.19)

यथागदं वीर्यतममुपयुक्तं यदृच्छया । अजानतोऽप्यात्मगुणं कुर्यान्मन्त्रोऽप्युदाहृतः ॥ १९ ॥

yathāgadaṁ vīryatamam upayuktaṁ yadṛcchayā ajānato ’py ātma-guṇaṁ kuryān mantro ’py udāhṛtaḥ

Just as a most potent medicine, taken even unknowingly, works through its own inherent power on one unaware of its properties, so too this mantra, merely uttered, works through its own power.

Verse 20 (bhagavata.6.2.20)

श्रीशुक उवाच त एवं सुविनिर्णीय धर्मं भागवतं नृप । तं याम्यपाशान्निर्मुच्य विप्रं मृत्योरमूमुचन् ॥ २० ॥

śrī-śuka uvāca ta evaṁ suvinirṇīya dharmaṁ bhāgavataṁ nṛpa taṁ yāmya-pāśān nirmucya vipraṁ mṛtyor amūmucan

Shri Shuka said: O king, having thus clearly settled the principle of devotional dharma, they freed the brahmana from the ropes of Yama's servants and rescued him from death.

Verse 21 (bhagavata.6.2.21)

इति प्रत्युदिता याम्या दूता यात्वा यमान्तिकम् । यमराज्ञे यथा सर्वमाचचक्षुररिन्दम ॥ २१ ॥

iti pratyuditā yāmyā dūtā yātvā yamāntikam yama-rājñe yathā sarvam ācacakṣur arindama

O subduer of enemies, thus answered, Yama's messengers went to Yamaraja's presence and reported to him everything exactly as it had occurred.

Verse 22 (bhagavata.6.2.22)

द्विजः पाशाद्विनिर्मुक्तो गतभीः प्रकृतिं गतः । ववन्दे शिरसा विष्णोः किङ्करान् दर्शनोत्सवः ॥ २२ ॥

dvijaḥ pāśād vinirmukto gata-bhīḥ prakṛtiṁ gataḥ vavande śirasā viṣṇoḥ kiṅkarān darśanotsavaḥ

Freed from the noose and his fear now gone, the brahmana returned to his ordinary senses; overjoyed at the sight of Vishnu's servants, he bowed his head to them in reverence.

Verse 23 (bhagavata.6.2.23)

तं विवक्षुमभिप्रेत्य महापुरुषकिङ्कराः । सहसा पश्यतस्तस्य तत्रान्तर्दधिरेऽनघ ॥ २३ ॥

taṁ vivakṣum abhipretya mahāpuruṣa-kiṅkarāḥ sahasā paśyatas tasya tatrāntardadhire ’nagha

O sinless one, sensing that he wished to speak, the servants of the Supreme Person suddenly vanished from that very spot, even as he looked on.

Verse 24 (bhagavata.6.2.24)

अजामिलोऽप्यथाकर्ण्य दूतानां यमकृष्णयोः । धर्मं भागवतं शुद्धं त्रैवेद्यं च गुणाश्रयम् ॥ २४ ॥

ajāmilo ’py athākarṇya dūtānāṁ yama-kṛṣṇayoḥ dharmaṁ bhāgavataṁ śuddhaṁ trai-vedyaṁ ca guṇāśrayam

Having heard this exchange between the messengers of Yama and of Krishna, Ajamila came to understand both the gunas-bound dharma taught in the three Vedas and the pure devotional dharma that lies beyond it.

Verse 25 (bhagavata.6.2.25)

भक्तिमान् भगवत्याशु माहात्म्यश्रवणाद्धरेः । अनुतापो महानासीत्स्मरतोऽशुभमात्मनः ॥ २५ ॥

bhaktimān bhagavaty āśu māhātmya-śravaṇād dhareḥ anutāpo mahān āsīt smarato ’śubham ātmanaḥ

On hearing the Lord's glory, he immediately became filled with devotion, and remembering his own inauspicious deeds, he was overcome with deep repentance.

Verse 26 (bhagavata.6.2.26)

अहो मे परमं कष्टमभूदविजितात्मनः । येन विप्लावितं ब्रह्म वृषल्यां जायतात्मना ॥ २६ ॥

aho me paramaṁ kaṣṭam abhūd avijitātmanaḥ yena viplāvitaṁ brahma vṛṣalyāṁ jāyatātmanā

Alas, what supreme misfortune has befallen me, unable as I was to master my own senses — by which I utterly destroyed my brahminhood, fathering children upon a shudra woman.

Verse 27 (bhagavata.6.2.27)

धिङ्मां विगर्हितं सद्भिर्दुष्कृतं कुलकज्जलम् । हित्वा बालां सतीं योऽहं सुरापीमसतीमगाम् ॥ २७ ॥

dhiṅ māṁ vigarhitaṁ sadbhir duṣkṛtaṁ kula-kajjalam hitvā bālāṁ satīṁ yo ’haṁ surā-pīm asatīm agām

Shame upon me — condemned by the virtuous, a sinner, a blot upon my own family — who abandoned my young and chaste wife to go after an unchaste, wine-drinking woman!

Verse 28 (bhagavata.6.2.28)

वृद्धावनाथौ पितरौ नान्यबन्धू तपस्विनौ । अहो मयाधुना त्यक्तावकृतज्ञेन नीचवत् ॥ २८ ॥

vṛddhāv anāthau pitarau nānya-bandhū tapasvinau aho mayādhunā tyaktāv akṛtajñena nīcavat

My aged parents, helpless and with no other kin, enduring such hardship — alas, ungrateful as I was, I abandoned them then, like the basest of men!

Verse 29 (bhagavata.6.2.29)

सोऽहं व्यक्तं पतिष्यामि नरके भृशदारुणे । धर्मघ्नाः कामिनो यत्र विन्दन्ति यमयातनाः ॥ २९ ॥

so ’haṁ vyaktaṁ patiṣyāmi narake bhṛśa-dāruṇe dharma-ghnāḥ kāmino yatra vindanti yama-yātanāḥ

Such a person as I am will surely fall into that most terrible hell, where those lustful men who destroy dharma undergo Yama's torments.

Verse 30 (bhagavata.6.2.30)

किमिदं स्वप्न आहो स्वित् साक्षाद् दृष्टमिहाद्भुतम् । क्व याता अद्य ते ये मां व्यकर्षन् पाशपाणयः ॥ ३० ॥

kim idaṁ svapna āho svit sākṣād dṛṣṭam ihādbhutam kva yātā adya te ye māṁ vyakarṣan pāśa-pāṇayaḥ

Was this a dream, or did I truly witness this wonder with my own eyes? Where have they gone now — those who were dragging me away, ropes in hand?

Verse 31 (bhagavata.6.2.31)

अथ ते क्व गताः सिद्धाश्चत्वारश्चारुदर्शनाः । व्यामोचयन्नीयमानं बद्ध्वा पाशैरधो भुवः ॥ ३१ ॥

atha te kva gatāḥ siddhāś catvāraś cāru-darśanāḥ vyāmocayan nīyamānaṁ baddhvā pāśair adho bhuvaḥ

And where have those four beautiful, perfected beings gone, who freed me even as I was being bound in ropes and dragged down toward the lower regions?

Verse 32 (bhagavata.6.2.32)

अथापि मे दुर्भगस्य विबुधोत्तमदर्शने । भवितव्यं मङ्गलेन येनात्मा मे प्रसीदति ॥ ३२ ॥

athāpi me durbhagasya vibudhottama-darśane bhavitavyaṁ maṅgalena yenātmā me prasīdati

And yet, unfortunate as I am, I was granted the sight of those exalted, divine beings — surely through some auspicious merit of mine, by which my own soul now feels at peace.

Verse 33 (bhagavata.6.2.33)

अन्यथा म्रियमाणस्य नाशुचेर्वृषलीपतेः । वैकुण्ठनामग्रहणं जिह्वा वक्तुमिहार्हति ॥ ३३ ॥

anyathā mriyamāṇasya nāśucer vṛṣalī-pateḥ vaikuṇṭha-nāma-grahaṇaṁ jihvā vaktum ihārhati

Otherwise, how could the tongue of someone as impure as I — a dying keeper of a maidservant — ever have managed to utter the name of the Lord of Vaikuntha?

Verse 34 (bhagavata.6.2.34)

क्व चाहं कितवः पापो ब्रह्मघ्नो निरपत्रपः । क्व च नारायणेत्येतद्भगवन्नाम मङ्गलम् ॥ ३४ ॥

kva cāhaṁ kitavaḥ pāpo brahma-ghno nirapatrapaḥ kva ca nārāyaṇety etad bhagavan-nāma maṅgalam

Where am I — a cheat, a sinner, the destroyer of my own brahminhood, utterly shameless — and where is this supremely auspicious name of the Lord, 'Narayana'?

Verse 35 (bhagavata.6.2.35)

सोऽहं तथा यतिष्यामि यतचित्तेन्द्रियानिलः । यथा न भूय आत्मानमन्धे तमसि मज्जये ॥ ३५ ॥

so ’haṁ tathā yatiṣyāmi yata-cittendriyānilaḥ yathā na bhūya ātmānam andhe tamasi majjaye

Being such a man, I shall now strive, mastering my mind, senses and breath, so that I never again plunge my own soul into that blind darkness.

Verse 36 (bhagavata.6.2.36)

विमुच्य तमिमं बन्धमविद्याकामकर्मजम् । सर्वभूतसुहृच्छान्तो मैत्रः करुण आत्मवान् ॥ ३६ ॥

vimucya tam imaṁ bandham avidyā-kāma-karmajam sarva-bhūta-suhṛc chānto maitraḥ karuṇa ātmavān

Freed from this bondage born of ignorance, desire and action, becoming a well-wisher to all beings, peaceful, friendly, compassionate and self-composed —

Verse 37 (bhagavata.6.2.37)

मोचये ग्रस्तमात्मानं योषिन्मय्यात्ममायया । विक्रीडितो ययैवाहं क्रीडामृग इवाधमः ॥ ३७ ॥

mocaye grastam ātmānaṁ yoṣin-mayyātma-māyayā vikrīḍito yayaivāhaṁ krīḍā-mṛga ivādhamaḥ

— I shall free my own soul, which lay ensnared by the Lord's illusory power appearing in the form of a woman, by whom I, most fallen, was played with like a trained animal made to dance.

Verse 38 (bhagavata.6.2.38)

ममाहमिति देहादौ हित्वामिथ्यार्थधीर्मतिम् । धास्ये मनो भगवति शुद्धं तत्कीर्तनादिभिः ॥ ३८ ॥

mamāham iti dehādau hitvāmithyārtha-dhīr matim dhāsye mano bhagavati śuddhaṁ tat-kīrtanādibhiḥ

Giving up the false notion of 'I' and 'mine' rooted in the body and its concerns, I shall fix my mind, purified through chanting of His name and such practices, upon the Lord alone.

Verse 39 (bhagavata.6.2.39)

इति जातसुनिर्वेदः क्षणसङ्गेन साधुषु । गङ्गाद्वारमुपेयाय मुक्तसर्वानुबन्धनः ॥ ३९ ॥

iti jāta-sunirvedaḥ kṣaṇa-saṅgena sādhuṣu gaṅgā-dvāram upeyāya mukta-sarvānubandhanaḥ

Thus, a deep detachment arose in him through even a moment's association with saintly beings, and freed from every worldly tie, he set out for Gangadvara, the gateway of the Ganga.

Verse 40 (bhagavata.6.2.40)

स तस्मिन् देवसदन आसीनो योगमास्थितः । प्रत्याहृतेन्द्रियग्रामो युयोज मन आत्मनि ॥ ४० ॥

sa tasmin deva-sadana āsīno yogam āsthitaḥ pratyāhṛtendriya-grāmo yuyoja mana ātmani

There, seated in a temple of the Lord and established in yoga, he withdrew the whole assembly of his senses and fixed his mind upon the Self.

Verse 41 (bhagavata.6.2.41)

ततो गुणेभ्य आत्मानं वियुज्यात्मसमाधिना । युयुजे भगवद्धाम्नि ब्रह्मण्यनुभवात्मनि ॥ ४१ ॥

tato guṇebhya ātmānaṁ viyujyātma-samādhinā yuyuje bhagavad-dhāmni brahmaṇy anubhavātmani

Then, through deep meditative absorption, he detached his mind from the gunas and fixed it upon the transcendent form of the Lord — the Brahman directly realized within.

Verse 42 (bhagavata.6.2.42)

यर्ह्युपारतधीस्तस्मिन्नद्राक्षीत्पुरुषान् पुरः । उपलभ्योपलब्धान् प्राग्ववन्दे शिरसा द्विजः ॥ ४२ ॥

yarhy upārata-dhīs tasminn adrākṣīt puruṣān puraḥ upalabhyopalabdhān prāg vavande śirasā dvijaḥ

When his mind had become perfectly stilled, he saw those same beings standing before him once again; recognizing them as the ones he had seen before, the brahmana bowed his head to them.

Verse 43 (bhagavata.6.2.43)

हित्वा कलेवरं तीर्थे गङ्गायां दर्शनादनु । सद्यः स्वरूपं जगृहे भगवत्पार्श्ववर्तिनाम् ॥ ४३ ॥

hitvā kalevaraṁ tīrthe gaṅgāyāṁ darśanād anu sadyaḥ svarūpaṁ jagṛhe bhagavat-pārśva-vartinām

After seeing them there, at that holy place on the bank of the Ganga, he gave up his material body and at once assumed the form befitting an associate of the Lord.

Verse 44 (bhagavata.6.2.44)

साकं विहायसा विप्रो महापुरुषकिङ्करैः । हैमं विमानमारुह्य ययौ यत्र श्रियः पतिः ॥ ४४ ॥

sākaṁ vihāyasā vipro mahāpuruṣa-kiṅkaraiḥ haimaṁ vimānam āruhya yayau yatra śriyaḥ patiḥ

Together with the servants of the Supreme Person, that brahmana boarded a golden celestial craft and, traveling through the pathways of the sky, went to the abode of the Lord of Shri, Vishnu Himself.

Verse 45 (bhagavata.6.2.45)

एवं स विप्लावितसर्वधर्मा दास्याः पतिः पतितो गर्ह्यकर्मणा । निपात्यमानो निरये हतव्रतः सद्यो विमुक्तो भगवन्नाम गृह्णन् ॥ ४५ ॥

evaṁ sa viplāvita-sarva-dharmā dāsyāḥ patiḥ patito garhya-karmaṇā nipātyamāno niraye hata-vrataḥ sadyo vimukto bhagavan-nāma gṛhṇan

Thus this man — who had ruined every principle of dharma, who had become the husband of a maidservant, fallen through despicable deeds, his vows all broken — was, even as he was being cast down into hell, instantly liberated by the mere utterance of the Lord's name.

Verse 46 (bhagavata.6.2.46)

नातः परं कर्मनिबन्धकृन्तनं मुमुक्षतां तीर्थपदानुकीर्तनात् । न यत्पुनः कर्मसु सज्जते मनो रजस्तमोभ्यां कलिलं ततोऽन्यथा ॥ ४६ ॥

nātaḥ paraṁ karma-nibandha-kṛntanaṁ mumukṣatāṁ tīrtha-pādānukīrtanāt na yat punaḥ karmasu sajjate mano rajas-tamobhyāṁ kalilaṁ tato ’nyathā

For those who seek liberation, there is no better means of severing the bonds of karma than the constant chanting of the glories of Him at whose feet all holy places stand — for by no other means does the mind, sullied by rajas and tamas, ever cease to become entangled in action again.

Verse 47 (bhagavata.6.2.47)

य एतं परमं गुह्यमितिहासमघापहम् । शृणुयाच्छ्रद्धया युक्तो यश्च भक्त्यानुकीर्तयेत् ॥ ४७ ॥

ya etaṁ paramaṁ guhyam itihāsam aghāpaham śṛṇuyāc chraddhayā yukto yaś ca bhaktyānukīrtayet

Whoever hears this supremely confidential, sin-destroying history with faith, or lovingly recounts it again and again —

Verse 48 (bhagavata.6.2.48)

न वै स नरकं याति नेक्षितो यमकिङ्करैः । यद्यप्यमङ्गलो मर्त्यो विष्णुलोके महीयते ॥ ४८ ॥

na vai sa narakaṁ yāti nekṣito yama-kiṅkaraiḥ yady apy amaṅgalo martyo viṣṇu-loke mahīyate

— that person never goes to hell; the servants of Yama do not even glance his way. Though he be a mortal marked by past sin, he is honored in the abode of Vishnu.

Verse 49 (bhagavata.6.2.49)

म्रियमाणो हरेर्नाम गृणन् पुत्रोपचारितम् । अजामिलोऽप्यगाद्धाम किमुत श्रद्धया गृणन् ॥ ४९ ॥

mriyamāṇo harer nāma gṛṇan putropacāritam ajāmilo ’py agād dhāma kim uta śraddhayā gṛṇan

Even Ajamila, who while dying merely called out Hari's name intending it for his son, attained the divine abode — so what then of one who chants it with genuine faith?