Chapter 1 - The Story of Ajāmila

[Sanskrit text for this chapter is available]

The King (Parīkṣit) said:

1. The path of cessation from karmas (nivṛtti) has been already described in detail, by your respectable self, in the beginning.^[1] By that path, Brahmā (i.e. the region of Brahmā) is gradually attained through different stages^[2] (such as passing through the abode of fire-god etc.). The Liberation is attained along with god Brahmā.

2. And (you have also described in detail)—the path characterised by worldly activities (pravṛtti), the object of which is to attain happiness in heaven and other pleasures which are themselves the product of guṇas^[3] and which, in the case of jīvas, not disassociated with Prakṛti^[4], results in constant re-embodiment of the jīvas for repeated enjoyments of such pleasures.^[5]

3. The various infernal regions which are characterised by unrighteousness (as their cause) have been described in detail (in the fifth Skandha). And the first period of Manu, (presided over and hence) named after Svāyambhuva Manu, has also been described (in the fourth Skandha).

4-5. The dynasty of Priyavrata and Uttānapāda and the life-stories of (both of) those kings (have been narrated by you). You have also described the (division of the earth in important) island-continents (dvīpas), their subdivisions (varṣas), oceans, mountains, rivers, gardens, the disposition of this spherical earth with reference to its divisions, their special characteristics and dimensions and also those of heavenly bodies and subterranean regions, as they were created by the Almighty Lord.

6. Oh illustrious holy sage! Now be pleased to explain in detail, the way which may save a man from falling into the infernal regions of various unbearable tortures.

Śrī Śuka said:

7. If a man does not perform expiation (as prescribed in the dharma śāstra), in this very life, for the sin committed by him with his thought, word and deed, it is said that he definitely goes to the hellish regions after death. And those regions of severe tormentations have been described to your honoured self by me.

8. Hence, before one is overtaken by death and not incapacitated in body (or while one is not entangled in difficulties) one should immediately (after the commission of the sin), try to atone for the sin, with a controlled mind, according to the gravity or simplicity of the nature of the fault, just as a physician expert in diagnosis of the disease, promptly adopts remedies or dosage of the medicine (according to the nature of the disease).

The King said:

9. In spite of the full knowledge that (commission of) a sin is against his interest as evidenced by what he has seen (viz. punishment meted out by the king for an offence) and has heard (for example internment in hellish region as described in Purāṇas), he loses the control over himself, commits it repeatedly after the act of expiation. Hence (under these circumstances), how can there be any (real) expiation at all, if the tendency to commit sins, persists.

10. Sometimes he refrains from committing a sin; on other occasions, he does it again. Hence, I think that the act of expiation is meaningless like the washing of an elephant (which besmears its body with dust again after washing).

Śrī Śuka said:

11. It is not laid down that there is the total and final annihilation of sin by the action of expiation (such as bodily mortification), for only the ignorant (i.e those who wrongly identify body with the Soul) are eligible for it. (But as the ignorance about the Soul and non-Soul—avidyā—is not dispelled,the particular sin may be atoned for, and the man again relapses into sinful ways). Knowledge (i.e. self-realization) alone is the real expiation (as it removes the ignorance—avidyā which is the real root-cause of the sin).

12. Just as diseases do not attack a person who eats only wholesome food, (on the contrary they recede gradually if they had already affected that person), a person who observes regular spiritual discipline (e.g. penance) becomes, step by step, eligible for the summum bonum (which annihilates sin and leads to realization of the self), Oh King.

13-14. Through concentration of the mind and senseorgans, practice of (eightfold) celibacy, the control of the mind and external organs, charitable gifts, truthfulness, purity (both bodily and mental), the vows of non-violence etc. and observances like japa (muttering the sacred syllable OM), the wise (who bear with equanimity the pairs of opposites like pleasure and pain) who understand (real principles of) righteousness and are full of faith, rid themselves of the most grievous sin committed by thought, word or action, just as the fire destroys even a big cluster of bamboos.

15. Just as the Sun completely dispels the mist, a few persons absolutely devoted to Lord Vāsudeva, annihilate their sins thoroughly (from its very root of avidyā) merely through their unswerving devotion to the Lord (without performing penance etc. But the number of such devotees is scarce).

16. Oh King! A sinner is not purified to that extent through performance of penance and expiatory acts as a person who has dedicated his life to Lord Kṛṣṇa (and regards Kṛṣṇa as his last resort, without worrying over the punishment in hell) does so by rendering service to his devotees.

17. Gertainly this path (of devotion) is the correct and the best one in this world, as it is blissful (annihilating all miseries), and quite safe (with no danger or fear from anything). Kindly-disposed and desireless devotees of Lord Nārāyaṇa are found on this path (to help one in need, but there is nobody to do so in the paths of knowledge and action).

18. Oh King of Kings! Performance of all acts of expiation do not thoroughly purify a person who has set his face against Lord Nārāyaṇa, even as all the rivers (taken together) cannot purify a pitcher of wine.

19. Those who have even once in their life here, set on the lotus-like feet of Lord Kṛṣṇa, their mind which felt an attachment for (and not knowledge or complete comprehension of) his excellent qualities, have by this (very temporary attachment and devotion) performed all‘expiatory acts. And they never see Yama (god of death) or his servants with a noose in their hands, even in their dreams.

20. And on this topic, the learned one narrate (by way of illustration) this ancient legend consisting of a conversation between the messengers of Viṣṇu and those of Yama. Listen to it from me.

21. In (the city of) Kānyakubja (modern Kanauj), there lived a certain Brāhmaṇa called Ajāmila. He married a maid-servant and got polluted through his association with a female slave, and' he neglected the pious way of life (including the religious duties prescribed for a Brāhmaṇa).

22. He maintained his family by adopting a reproachful way of life consisting of holding captives for ransom, gambling, committing frauds and thefts. That sinful fellow tortured creatures (before killing).

23. A long period consisting of eighty-eight years of his life thus elapsed in maintaining himself that way, and fondling the children of that Dāsa woman.

24. The old fellow (Ajāmila) had ten sons (by that woman). The youngest of them was a boy named Nārāyaṇa. He was extremely doted over by his parents.

25. He (Ajāmila) had set his heart on that sweet lisping child. The old man was highly delighted while witnessing the child’s plays.

26. Bound by filial love for child, he used to feed it while he was eating, make it drink at the time of his drinking. In this way, the fool did not know that the hour of his death had arrived.

27. Thus, the ignorant Ajāmila led his life. When the time of death actually arrived, he thought of his young son called Nārāyaṇa.

28. (Then) he saw that three extremely terrible male figures with wry faces, and with the hair on their bodies standing erect, and with nooses in their hands, Had come to take him away.

29. With his senses greatly agitated, he called out in a prolonged loud voice, his son named Nārāyaṇa who was absorbed in his play-things at a distance.

30. Having heard the repetition of the name of Lord Hari, their master, uttered by the dying man, the servants of Nārāyaṇa immediately rushed forward, Oh great King.

31. Angels of Viṣṇu (intercepted and) forcibly stopped the messengers of Yama who were dragging (the jīva of) Ajāmila, the husband of the maid-servant, from the interior of his heart.

32. Thus prevented (from carrying out their duty) the messengers of Yama demanded, “Who are you who thus defy the order of Yama, the god presiding over righteousness.

33. Whose servants are you? Whence have you come? Why do you prevent his being taken away? Are you gods or demigods or are you some prominent Siddhas?

34. (Please do not get offended for our ignorance about you). All of you have eyes like lotus-petals, wear yellow silken garments and are adorned with diadems, ear-rings and shining lotus garlands.

35. You are all in the full bloom of youth. All of you possess four beautiful arms. (Each of) you appears majestic with (your lustrous) bow, quiver, sword, mace (gadā), conch, discus and lotus.

36. By your personal splendour, you dispel darkness from all quarters and out-shine the lustre of others. Why do you prevent us, the obedient servants of Yama, the protector of the moral law?”

Śrī Śuka said:

37. When the obedient servants (who execute the commands) of Lord Vāsudeva were asked thus by the messengers of Yama, they laughed heartily, and replied as follows to them, in a voice deep like the thunder.

The Messengers of Viṣṇu replied:

38. If you are really the executors of the orders of the King of Righteousness, tell us what is the true nature of righteousness and what is the distinguishing character of Dharma.

39. How (on what principles) is punishment given? What (who) is regarded as the proper object? Who deserve punishments? Whether all of them are punishable or some of them?

Servants of Yama replied:

40. What is ordained in the Vedas is dharma or righteousness. What is against the prescription of the Vedas is a- dharma (un-righteousness). We have heard it traditionally said that the Vedas are Nārāyaṇa incarnate and they, being the breath (flowing out naturally from the nostrils) of the Lord^[6] are self-existent.

41. It is the Lord (Nārāyaṇa) by whom all these living beings which are constituted of the attributes sattva, rajas and tamas and which are severally discriminated and distinguished by their qualities (e.g. quiescence), designations (Brāhmaṇa, Kṣatriya etc.), activities (study, teaching etc.) and forms (social classes, stages of life—varṇas and āśramas), are supported properly in his own Form (Being).

42. The Sun-god, the Fire-god, the Sky, the Wind-god, cows, the Moon-god, the twilights, days and nights, cardinal points, the presiding deities of Water and the Earth, Time and (the god) Dharma—all these are the witnesses (of the acts) of the embodied beings.

43. (Acts of) unrighteousness as evidenced by these is judged to be the proper reason for awarding punishment. All the perpetrators of (evil) actions deserve punishment according to the nature of their acts.

44. Oh sinless ones! Actions, meritorious or sinful are being done by active persons as they are associated with attributes (like rajas, tamas). For nobody invested with a body can be actionless.

45. The same person enjoys the fruit of the same sinful or a meritorious act in the next world in the same manner and to the same extent according to the manner and extent to which that (sinful or meritorious) act has been done by him in. this world.

46. Oh great gods! (As you know it by your omniscience) Just as here (in this world) there is found a three-fold variety^[7] in living beings due to the diversity in the peculiar qualities (or mixtures of sattva, rajas, and tamas attributes exhibited in their pious, sinful or mixed acts)^ the same may be inferred about them in the next birth^[8]. (Otherwise such, a diversity cannot be explained).

47. Just as the present period of time is the index of the characteristics of the other periods that precede and follow it^[9], similarly the present life (of human beings, prognostically) indicates the righteous and sinful actions committed in the past and (likely to be committed) in the future existences as well.

48.^[10] Staying in his own capital (Saṃyaminī), the god Yamadharma clearly visualizes by his mental power, the previous form (e.g. god, sub-human being or the merits, sins etc.) of the jīva (departed Soul), and deeply reflects what the jīva’s future state should be, by his reasoning capacity; for his Lordship is omniscient like god Brahmā.

49. Just as a sleeping person in the dream-state regards that he is identical with the body manifested in the dream, and does not know his body in the pre-dream state or the body to be assumed in the next dream, similarly the ignorant jīva conditioned by avidyā knows his present body as manifested by the actions of his previous existence and not the previous form assumed in the past incarnation nor the future body (of his futṇre existence) due to the loss of memory of his past lives.

50. With five conative organs, the jīva carries out his (physical) functions (e.g. locomotion, exchange); with five cognitive senses, he perceives (knows) the five objects of senses. The single jīva, the seventeenth, combined with the sixteenth, i.e. the mind^[11] experiences all alone, three-fold objects presented by the cognitive senses, conative organs and the mind.

51. This subtle-body (liṅga [liṅgam]) constituted of the sixteen parts (enumerated above) and possessing three potencies (of the attributes sattva, rajas and tamas) is beginningless. It continues to hold down a man in saṃsāra which gives him joy, grief, fear and sufferings.

52. The ignorant embodied being who has not subdued the group of six (viz. five cognitive senses and the mind is forced (by his subtle body) to perform actions despite his un- willingness. Like a silk-worm covering itself in its cocoon, he covers (entangles) himself in the net of karmas and fails to see the way out.

53. Verily, nobody can ever remain actionless even for a moment; for everyone is helpless and is forced to do some act by passions like attachments etc. born of (the three) attributes (viz. sattva, rajas and tamas) which are the results of the impressions of past actions.^[12]

54. With avyakta (unmanifested destiny—adṛṣṭa) as the instrumental cause, the gross physical body and the subtle liṅga-śarīra are formed. According to the powerful impulses of the jīva, he becomes moulded like his mother’s form or like his father’s personality.

55. This contrary state of the Puruṣa (viz. involvement of the (puruṣa into saṃsāra, miseries suffered despite the Soul’s blissful nature, due to his false identity with his body) was due to the contact with Prakṛti. It (this contact) dissolves completely within a short time through his devotion to God.

56. This (Ajāmila) was really studied in the Vedic lore; (was) the very abode of good nature, righteous conduct and virtue; was a strict observer of vows, gentle, self-controlled truthful, master of mystical formulae, pure (both in mind and body).

57. He used to serve his preceptors, file sacred fire, the guests and elderly relatives advanced in age. He was untouched by pride (full of humility), a friend to all living beings, a man of few words; he was a saintly person, not jealous of anyone.

58. One day, this Brāhmaṇa who obediently used to carry out his father’s orders, went to the forest. He returned therefrom taking with him fruits, flowers, sticks for sacrificial fire and Kuśa grass.

59-60. On his way back, he saw a certain shameless, libidinous Śūdra who had drunk wine (called Maireya—distilled from meal) in the company of a harlot whose eyes were also swimming due to intoxication. With that woman who was standing by him, with the knot of her Sari loosened (hence in a semi-naked condition), the shameless Śūdra was courting, and singing and joking nearby.

61. Seeing her embraced in arms which were erotically painted with unguents, Ajāmila was instantaneously infatuated and succumbed to passionate love.

62. Despite his attempts to control himself with all (the power of) his reasoning capacity and scholarship, he was unable to stabilize his mind and calm down his heart, which was agitated by the god of Love.

63. Being possessed by the devil in the form of passionate desire for her, he lost (the balance of) his mind. Brooding over her in his mind, he desisted from performing his prescribed religious duties.

64. With his entire ancestral property, he tried to propitiate her by vulgar carnal pleasures (appealing to her) so that she may be pleased with him.

65. The sinful fellow whose judgment was paralysed by the side-glances of that wanton woman, soon abandoned his regularly wedded young Brāhmaṇa wife who was born in a good family.

66. This stupid fellow (after squandering his ancestral property) got money from any place, by fair means or foul, and maintained the family of this woman (now his housewife).

67-68. Inasmuch as this fellow violated all the Śāstric injunctions and led a licentious life censured by noble persons, and lived a sinful life for a long time in an impure condition and eating dirty (polluted by a harlot’s touch) food, we (servants of Yama-dharma) shall therefore carry this sinner who did nothing for expiating his sins, to the presence of Yama (the god wielding the rod of punishment). There he will get purified through (undergoing the prescribed) punishment.

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

Vide Supra 2.2.24 in Vaiśvānaraṃ yāti and 3.32.5 in Ye svadharmān na druhyanti.

[2]:

Karma-yoga: (i) Through the path of action (Karma), knowledge (Jñāna) and devotion (Bhakti)—Bhāgavata Candrikā

(ii) Remembrance of the Lord, visualization of the various members of the Lord’s Person and visualization of the full divine form—Padaratnāvalī

(iii) Birth in a good family, residence at a holy place, association with saintly persons (S.D.)

(iv) dhyāna (contemplation), dhāraṇā (concentration) and samādhi (realization of identity with Brahman.) Bālaprabodhini

[3]:

traiguṇyaṃ svargādisukhaṃ tadeva viṣayaḥ prāpyaṃ yasya—Bhāvāratha Dīpikā.

[4]:

alīna-prakṛteḥ—avinaṣṭa prakṛti sambandhasya /—Bhāgavata Candrikā.

[5]:

guṇa-sargaḥ—bhogārthaṃ dehārambha-rūpaḥ (yo mārgaḥ)—Bhāvāratha Dīpikā

[6]:

Cf. asya mahato bhūtasya niḥśvasitam etad yad Ṛgvedaḥ /

[7]:

Bhāvāratha Dīpikā states that this is the arthāpatti (circumstantial inference) to explain re-birth. He explains the three-fold variety as follows:

1. of quiet, ferocious or dull nature.
2. experiencing a happy, miserable or mixed type of life.
3. of righteous, vicious or mixed nature.

According to Padaratnāvalī, they are the best, worst and middle types of beings according to dominance of guṇas—sattva, tamas and rajas.

[8]:

In the next world.—Bhāgavata Candrikā

[9]:

Just as the present season, e.g. the spring indicates the characteristics regarding flowers, fruits etc. of the past and future Spring seasons.—Bhāvāratha Dīpikā, Padaratnāvalī

[10]:

(i) Bhāvāratha Dīpikā: The Inner Controlling Self (antaryāmin) staying in the city in the form of body etc.

(ii) Bhāgavata Candrikā thinks that this verse refers to the Supreme Soul who stays as antaryāmin.

(iii) Padaratnāvalī: Lord Nārāyaṇa staying in the body of the living beings, sees the past and future form, as also the merits and sins of the Jīva.

(iv) Siddhāntapradīpa: It is the Supreme God (Parameśvara) abiding in the body yet unaffected by birth etc. connected with the physical body, dispenses the fruits of merits and sins through god Yama and he never interferes.

[11]:

And the other fifteen constituents are the ten sense-organs, five subtle bhūtas forming the bases of objects of senses—Bhāvāratha Dīpikā

[12]:

This is verbatim the same as Bhagavad Gītā 3.5