A Second Chance:
The Story of a Near-Death Experience
by His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

Chapter 15

Atonement

The Visnudutas continued: “Ajamila 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 Narayana. Even though he did not chant purely, he chanted without offense, and therefore he is now pure and eligible for liberation.

 “Even previously, while eating and at other times, Ajamila would call his son, saying, ‘My dear Narayana, please come here.’ Although calling the name of his son, he nevertheless uttered the four syllables na-ra-ya-na. Simply by chanting the name of Narayana in this way, he sufficiently atoned for the sinful reactions of millions of lives.

 “The chanting of the holy name of Lord Visnu is the best process of atonement for one who steals gold or other valuables, for a drunkard, for one who betrays a friend or relative, for one who kills a brahmana, or for a man who indulges in sex with the wife of his guru or another superior. It is also the best method of atonement for a man who murders his father, the king, or women, for one who slaughters cows, and for all other sinful men. Simply by chanting the holy name of Lord Visnu, such sinful persons attract the attention of the Supreme Lord, who then considers, ‘Because this man has chanted My name, My duty is to give him protection.’ ” (Srimad-Bhagavatam 6.2.7–10)

Absolute Absolution

The Visnudutas charged that the Yamadutas did not know whom to arrest and whom not to arrest. The Yamadutas regularly arrest sinful persons, but in this case the Yamadutas came to arrest Ajamila, who had been released from all sinful reactions simply by chanting “Narayana!” The Visnudutas criticized the Yamadutas, saying, “You do not know whom to punish and whom not to punish. Even though Ajamila committed so many sinful activities, he is now freed from the reactions to his sins. He has completely counteracted all those sins by chanting the holy name of Narayana. Why are you now attempting to arrest this person as if he were a criminal? Although he had no intention of chanting the holy name, still he has chanted it, and therefore he is now free of sin.”

The Yamadutas had considered only the external situation of Ajamila. Since he was extremely sinful during his life, they thought he should be taken to Yamaraja. They did not know that he had become free from the reactions of all his sins. The Visnudutas thus instructed them that because he had chanted the name Narayana at the time of his death—and also throughout his life—he was freed from all sinful reactions. In this regard Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura quotes the following verses from the scriptures:

namno hi yavati saktih
papa-nirharane hareh
tavat kartum na saknoti
patakam pataki narah

“Simply by chanting one holy name of Hari, a sinful man can counteract the reactions to more sins than he can commit.” (Brhad-visnu Purana)

avasenapi yan-namni
kirtite sarva-patakaih
puman vimucyate sadyah
simha-trastair mrgair iva

“If one chants the holy name, even in a helpless condition or without desiring to do so, all of one’s sinful reactions immediately depart, just as a lion’s roar causes the small animals in the forest to flee in fear.” (Garuda Purana)

sakrd uccaritam yena
harir ity aksara-dvayam
baddha-parikaras tena
moksaya gamanam prati

“A person who once chants the holy name of the Lord, consisting of the two syllables ha-ri, guarantees his path to liberation.” (Skanda Purana)

These are some verses explaining why the Visnudutas stopped the Yamadutas from taking Ajamila to Yamaraja.

There are different kinds of sins, one of which is stealing. Thieves and burglars are very sinful. Another sinful activity is drunkenness. Those who are addicted to intoxication and stealing are condemned by the Visnudutas. Other examples of sins are being unfaithful to one’s friends, killing a brahmana or Vaisnava, dishonoring one’s spiritual master or teacher, killing a woman, killing a king, and killing a cow. These are among the worst sins. But the Visnudutas say that even though a person has committed many such sins, if he utters the holy name of Narayana even once, he at once becomes free from sinful reactions.

Sridhara Svami says, “Chanting the holy name of Narayana, Lord Hari, not only counteracted all of Ajamila’s sinful reactions, but it made him eligible to become liberated, and therefore at the time of death he was transferred to the spiritual world.” Chanting the holy name of Krsna counteracts all sins—more than one can possibly commit. Because Ajamila had chanted the holy name without offense, and because he chanted sincerely, he completely freed himself from all sinful reactions. This is why we are stressing the chanting of Hare Krsna so much. Pious activities, austerity, sacrifice—everything is done simply by chanting the Hare Krsna mantra. There is no need of any other process of yoga, atonement, or austerity and penance. Simply by chanting without offense one achieves the results of all other ritualistic performances prescribed in the Vedas.

Previously, when engaged in sinful activities to maintain his family, Ajamila chanted the name of Narayana, but he did so without offense. To chant the holy name of the Lord just to counteract one’s sinful activities, or to commit sinful activities on the strength of chanting the holy name, is offensive (namno balad yasya hi papa-buddhih). But although Ajamila engaged in sinful activities, he never chanted the holy name of Narayana to counteract them; he simply chanted the name Narayana to call his son. Therefore his chanting was effective. Because he chanted the holy name in this way, he had already vanquished the accumulated sinful reactions of many, many lives. The conclusion is that one who always chants the holy name of the Lord without offense is always pure. As confirmed in these verses, Ajamila was already sinless, and because he chanted the name of Narayana he remained sinless. It did not matter that he was calling his son; the name itself was effective.

Foolish persons say that one can chant any name, even a demigod’s name, and get the same result as chanting the holy name of the Lord. This is Mayavada philosophy. The Mayavadis think that everyone is God; they say, “The demigods are God, I am God, you are God.” Therefore they say one can chant any name and become liberated. In Bengal it is very popular to hold a kali-kirtana. A party of people meet and chant, “Kali! Kali! Kali!” or the names of so many so-called avataras. One rascal added his wife’s name to the chanting, and his foolish followers accepted it. In this way Mayavadi philosophers are leading their followers straight to hell. Caitanya Mahaprabhu has therefore strongly warned against hearing from the Mayavadi philosophers, lest one’s spiritual life be spoiled and the path of devotional service blocked. We should always remember this when there is any question of chanting other names. We should chant the holy name of Visnu, the holy name of Krsna—no one else’s name.

The scriptures advise us to chant only the name of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Krsna. There are thousands of names of Visnu, and in once sense Krsna and Visnu are the same, yet the scriptures explain that chanting a thousand names of Visnu gives the result of chanting the name Rama just once, and chanting Rama three times gives the result of chanting Krsna once. In other words, one automatically gets all good results just by chanting the holy name of Krsna.

Caitanya Mahaprabhu therefore recommends this chanting process, according to sastric injunction:

harer nama harer nama
harer namaiva kevalam
kalau nasty eva nasty eva
nasty eva gatir anyatha

[Adi 17.21]

“In this age of quarrel and hypocrisy, the only means of deliverance is chanting the holy name of the Lord. There is no other way. There is no other way. There is no other way.” (Brhan-naradiya Purana)

By taking up this chanting process, we are immediately freed from all sinful reactions. Thus we begin our spiritual life. Without being freed from sinful life, there is no possibility of becoming a pure Vaisnava.

Offenses Against the Holy Name

Even a devotee may sometimes commit some sinful activity, either unknowingly or due to past sinful behavior. But if he sincerely repents, thinking, “I should not have done this, but I am so sinful that I have again committed this sin,” the Supreme Lord will excuse him on the basis of his genuine repentance. However, if he intentionally commits sinful activities, expecting that the Lord will forgive him because he is chanting Hare Krsna, that is inexcusable.

If one commits sinful activities on the strength of chanting the holy name, he commits nama-aparadha, or an offense against the holy name. Of the ten kinds of offenses, committing sins on the strength of chanting is the most serious. If after being freed from all sinful reactions by chanting Hare Krsna one again commits the same sins, he is guilty of a grievous crime. For an ordinary man, that sinful activity may not be regarded so seriously, but for one who is chanting Hare Krsna, it is a dangerous offense, just as it is a serious crime for a government officer in a high post to take advantage of his position and accept a bribe. Such men are the most punishable criminals. If a policeman steals, his crime and subsequent punishment are greater than that of an ordinary man who steals. That is the law. Similarly, one who takes gross advantage of the Hare Krsna mantra, thinking, “I am chanting Hare Krsna, so even if I commit some sin I’ll be excused,” will not achieve the ultimate goal of chanting the holy name. He becomes entangled in a cycle: he is freed, then he again commits sin, then he is freed and again commits sin, freed and again commits sin. In this way he is never liberated.

Nevertheless, one should not think that one’s sinful reactions will fail to be counteracted by the chanting of Hare Krsna. One of the ten offenses against the holy name of the Lord is to think that the holy name cannot eradicate sinful reactions. Those who cultivate offenseless chanting of the Hare Krsna maha-mantra should have firm faith in the words of the sastra that declare the chanting of the holy names of Krsna to be supremely powerful. As the Visnudutas say here, “The chanting of the holy name of Lord Visnu is the best process of atonement for all kinds of sinners.” But very often the difficulty is that one will chant Hare Krsna and again commit sin.

The Perfection of Chanting

The key to successful chanting, therefore, is to carefully avoid sin altogether. By chanting the Hare Krsna maha-mantra, a person is freed from all reactions to his previous sins, and if he avoids sinning again, he very quickly becomes an advanced devotee. His mind becomes fixed upon the lotus feet of Krsna. If we regularly chant Hare Krsna without offense, we shall remain free from all sinful reaction, and our attachment for the Supreme Lord in devotional service will increase.

Once there was an argument between Thakura Haridasa and an ignorant so-called brahmana concerning the power of the holy name of Krsna. In an assembly of Vaisnavas, Haridasa Thakura said, “Not only does a person become situated on the spiritual platform (brahma-bhutah) by offenselessly chanting the holy names of the Lord, but his dormant love of Godhead manifests and he becomes liberated automatically.”

The brahmana protested, “Don’t exaggerate the effects of chanting in this way. One becomes liberated only after performing many austerities and penances. But you say that simply by chanting Hare Krsna one becomes liberated. If that is not the case, I shall certainly cut off your nose.”

Haridasa Thakura replied, “If chanting Hare Krsna does not produce liberation as a by-product, then Ishall cut off my nose.”

The members of the assembly witnessing this argument became extremely agitated upon seeing the great offense the brahmana had committed against Haridasa Thakura, and they immediately expelled the offender. Shortly thereafter, the brahmana contracted leprosy, and his beautiful nose melted away. This incident is narrated in Sri Caitanya-caritamrta.

There are three stages of chanting the holy name: chanting with offense, chanting as a liberated person, and chanting with full love of God. These progressive stages of chanting are like the ripening of a mango. An unripe mango tastes sour, but when the fruit is fully ripened, it tastes very sweet. Initially we may be reluctant to chant, but when we become liberated the chanting is so sweet that we cannot give it up. In this regard, Srila Rupa Gosvami has composed a beautiful verse describing the sweetness of the holy name of Krsna:

tunde tandavini ratim vitanute tundavali-labdhaye
karna-kroda-kadambini ghatayate karnarbudebhyah sprham
cetah-prangana-sangini vijayate sarvendriyanam krtim
no jane janita kiyadbhir amrtaih krsneti varna-dvayi

“I do not know how much nectar the two syllables Krs-na have produced. When we chant the holy name of Krsna, it appears to dance within the mouth, and we then desire many, many mouths. When the name of Krsna enters the holes of the ears, we desire many millions of ears. And when the holy name dances in the courtyard of the heart, it conquers the activities of the mind, and therefore all the senses become inert.”

These are the symptoms of one who is on the liberated platform of chanting. At that stage, called prema, one has a great relish for chanting Hare Krsna, Hare Krsna, Krsna Krsna, Hare Hare/ Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare. But this stage is attainable only if one follows the regulative principles. We have to be cautious. After being cured of a diseased condition, we first enter the convalescent stage. If we do something wrong, the disease may return. It is not that we become liberated and can do anything and everything. At all times we have to stick by the regulative principles of devotional life.

Accumulated Benefits from Chanting the Holy Name

Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura provides additional insight into the power of the holy name in his commentary to verses 9 and 10. He writes this commentary in the form a dialogue concerning how one can become free from all sinful reactions simply by chanting the holy name of the Lord:

“Someone may say, ‘It may be accepted that by chanting the holy name of the Lord one becomes freed from all the reactions of sinful life. However, if a person commits sinful acts in full consciousness, not only once but many, many times, he is unable to free himself from the reactions of such sins even after atoning for them for twelve years or more. How is it possible, then, that simply by once chanting the holy name of the Lord one immediately becomes freed from the reactions of such sins?’ ”

Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura replies by quoting verses 9 and 10 of this : “ ‘The chanting of the holy name of Lord Visnu is the best process of atonement for one who steals gold or other valuables, for a drunkard, for one who betrays a friend or relative, for one who kills a brahmana, or for a person who indulges in sex with the wife of his guru or another superior. It is also the best method of atonement for a person who murders his father, the king, or women, for one who slaughters cows, and for all other sinful men. Simply by chanting the holy name of Lord Visnu, such sinful persons attract the attention of the Supreme Lord, who then considers, “Because this man has chanted My holy name, My duty is to give him protection.’ ”

“One may atone for sinful life and vanquish all sinful reactions by chanting the holy name, and this is beyond ordinary atonement. Ordinary atonement may temporarily protect a sinful person, but it does not completely cleanse his heart of the deep-rooted desire to commit sinful acts. Therefore atonement is not as powerful as the chanting of the holy name of the Lord. In the sastras it is said that if a person only once chants the holy name and completely surrenders unto the lotus feet of the Lord, the Lord immediately considers him His ward and is always inclined to give him protection. This is confirmed by Sridhara Svami. Thus when Ajamila was in great danger of being carried off by the order-carriers of Yamaraja, the Lord immediately sent His personal order-carriers to protect him, and because Ajamila was freed from all sinful reactions, the Visnudutas spoke on his behalf.

“Ajamila had named his son Narayana, and because he loved the boy very much, he would call him again and again. Although he was calling for his son, the name itself was powerful, because the name Narayana is not different from Lord Narayana. When Ajamila named his son Narayana, all the reactions of his sinful life were neutralized, and as he continued calling his son and thus chanting the holy name of Narayana thousands of times, he was actually unconsciously advancing in Krsna consciousness.

“One may argue, ‘Since Ajamila was constantly chanting the name of Narayana, how was it possible for him to be associating with a prostitute and thinking of wine?’ By his sinful actions he was bringing suffering upon himself again and again, and therefore one may say that only his chanting of the holy name of Narayana at the time of death—and not his chanting during his lifetime—was the cause of his being freed. However, his chanting during his life would then have been a nama-aparadha. Namno balad yasya hi papa-buddhih: one who continues to act sinfully and tries to neutralize his sins by chanting the holy name of the Lord is a nama-aparadhi, an offender to the holy name.

“In response it may be said that Ajamila’s chanting throughout his life was inoffensive because he did not chant the name of Narayana with the purpose of counteracting his sins. He was in so much illusion that he did not realize he was addicted to sinful actions, nor did he know that his chanting of the holy name Narayana was neutralizing them. Thus during his life he did not commit a nama-aparadha, and his repeated chanting of the holy name of Narayana while calling his son may be called pure chanting.

“Because of this pure chanting, Ajamila unconsciously accumulated the results of bhakti, devotional service. Indeed, even his first utterance of the holy name was sufficient to nullify all the sinful reactions of his life. To cite a logical example, a fig tree does not immediately yield fruits, but in time the fruits are available. Similarly, Ajamila’s devotional service grew little by little, and therefore although he committed very sinful acts, the reactions did not affect him. In the sastras it is said that if one chants the holy name of the Lord even once, the reactions of past, present, or future sinful life do not affect him. To give another example, if one extracts the poison fangs of a serpent, this saves the serpent’s future victims from poisonous effects, even if the serpent bites repeatedly. Similarly, if a devotee chants the holy name even once inoffensively, this protects him eternally. He need only wait for the results of the chanting to mature in due course of time.”

Next chapter (SC 16)