In the srimad bhagavatham, the glory of the bhagavannama is explained mainly, whether it is the story of ambarisha or krishna or gajendra moksham, it is the greatness of bhakthi and bhagavannamasankeerthanam that's being told. But in the ajAmila charithram, especially the greatness of the bhagavannamakeerthanam is explained separately. About ajAmila, he lived in a desam called kAmyakubhjam, he was with all achAram, read all the vedas, sastras having performed all seva to the guru - srutasampannaHa - wherever there is good happening,he will go and listen. For the parents and elders, he did what all needed to be done properly. He knew everything and was a very good man.
"sruta-sampannah sila-vrtta-gunalayah" - he had very good gunas, used to fast on ekadasi, srirama navami, gokulashtami and was a mruduhu - soft spoken with everyone. He was a dhanthaha - one who had controlled his indriyas, sathyavan - always speaking the truth, mantravith - he was chanting many mantras and he used to be very clean. Once he went to the forest to get the samith and darbha for his homa and went very far and felt thirsty. There was a intoxicating drink kept below the tree and thinking that its ok in this situation, he drank it. There was a disturbance in his mind and due to this even his guna became disturbed. Due to this he developed an association with a different woman. As he had consumed intoxicating drink and an association with different woman, his family kept him separate. He therefore left his family and lived with the different woman and begot 10 children out of that association. Like this his age turned 88. He was a person well ordained in the sastras but as he had taken a wrong path, who would respect him now and accept him to do pooja and offer him money. So he earned money in all possible wrong ways and doings.
"sruta-sampannah sila-vrtta-gunalayah" - he had very good gunas, used to fast on ekadasi, srirama navami, gokulashtami and was a mruduhu - soft spoken with everyone. He was a dhanthaha - one who had controlled his indriyas, sathyavan - always speaking the truth, mantravith - he was chanting many mantras and he used to be very clean. Once he went to the forest to get the samith and darbha for his homa and went very far and felt thirsty. There was a intoxicating drink kept below the tree and thinking that its ok in this situation, he drank it. There was a disturbance in his mind and due to this even his guna became disturbed. Due to this he developed an association with a different woman. As he had consumed intoxicating drink and an association with different woman, his family kept him separate. He therefore left his family and lived with the different woman and begot 10 children out of that association. Like this his age turned 88. He was a person well ordained in the sastras but as he had taken a wrong path, who would respect him now and accept him to do pooja and offer him money. So he earned money in all possible wrong ways and doings.
First they told about him as "srutha sampannaH - one who was very good following the good path, chanting mantras, japam, soft spoken but when after consuming wine and following the wrong path - "bandy-aksaih kaitavais cauryair garhitam vrttim asthitah bibhrat kutumbam asucir yatayam asa dehinah" - how much bad he can do he did, he played dice, thieved, getting bad name from all - "Kutumbam bibhrat" - he had 10 children now, he became hated by all "asuchihi", "yatayam asa dehinah" - thus he led his family life. "tesam tu yo ‘vamah balo narayano namna pitros ca dayito bhrsam" - he named his 10th son as "Narayana". How he came to name his 10th son Narayana is told in a beautiful story by a mahatma. When his 10th son was born, ajAmila was not at his home and gone out somewhere. A sanyasi in that place who had followed all anustanams and acharams had come it seems. "Today I need to take bhiksha and which home is most suitable where one is following much achara and anustana", he asked. When others are hesitating to answer, the sanyasi asks the children playing nearby whether there is someone like this. There will be some mischievous child usually and he comes forward and answers to the sanyasi telling him that there is such a home and shows the home of ajAmila. The sanyasi believing all this goes to the home of ajAmila. The lady of the home is much surprised that a mahatma of this calibre has come searching to her home. But the mahatma on seeing inside the home understood the situation. Thinking it is such a bhagyam to have the darshan of this great mahatma, she put the child who had just born on that day at the feet of this mahatma. As mahatmas will always say nama even in the most difficult of circumstances, when the child was laid at his feet chanted "Narayana, Narayana". That was the name she gave this child of hers.
Just like that this mahatma had come and due to that this child got the name narayana and because of that, ajAmila got liberated with that name. Even for an instant, if one gets the sangham of a mahan the whole family becomes pure, this itself is proof. "balo narayano namna pitros ca dayito bhrsam"- for reasons unknown, just because the child was named narayana, ajAmila had so much affection for this child. This old man relished the words spoken by this child and became very happy even being 88 years old. Being engrossed with the activities of this child and immersed in it, he forgot that he was an old man. Even while sitting for his dinner, the first question he would ask is where is narayana.
"sa baddha-hrdayas tasminn, arbhake kala-bhasini, niriksamanas tal-lilam, mumude jaratho bhrsam"
"bhunjanah prapiban khadan, balakam sneha-yantritah, bhojayan payayan mudho, na vedagatam antakam". Whatever his wife offers him food, fruits, sweets or anything, he would offer first to Narayana out of love for him. his last child, he had such enormous love and was infatuated by him enormously. He always was thinking of his son Narayana, how intelligent he is and how nicely he speaks, walks etc. All the time speaking about him and treating him, ajAmila did not even remembered his age, nor the fact that he is soon going to die and yama about to come and get him. Right from the time this child was born, his mind was completely filled with the thoughts of his son only.
Whenever he went out and came back, ajAmila would keep asking about narayana only. All the time his thoughts were filled with narayana. As far as this name narayana is concerned, this was the name of his last child only. We will think that it is only his child name that's been called but in fact this name is the divine lord's name. To understand this better, say we go to somebody's place and see a small boy there, we ask what is the name of this boy. They say for example Gandhi. The instant we hear this name we think of Mahatma Gandhi and remember him realising that it is the name of that mahatma that has been given to this boy. Whatever be the intent behind that name or to whomsoever it may be assigned, the person whose name is famous for is what will come to the mind and that corresponding form is what will come to the mind. So if ajAmila called out narayana always, in the story later, we see that this name will be called out in his ultimate smrithi also, but if we observe carefully, without his knowledge ajAmila is performing the Avarthi of narayana constantly. What is Avarthi, it is the constant chanting of the nama. Even if we are offering to the lord, we simply should not say "argyam samarpayami" (water), "pAdam samarpayami" (at his feet) rather we should say with the name of the lord included - "premikavarada swamin argyam samarpayami", "premikavaradhan swamin pAdam samarpayami". Because even in that mode the avarthi of the bhagavan should constantly keep coming from us. How did ajAmila get the name in the ultimate smrithi, just because he kept on saying - did narayana eat?, did narayana take bath?, did narayana sleep?, did narayana play?, where did narayana go?, why is narayana not here for some time?, narayana why do you cry?, usually parents will call out like this. Somehow ajAmila got this deep affection for this child. Maybe because of this child being the last one or something, such an infatuation came over ajAmila. Because of being so filled with passion, his chanting of his sons name became more and more and this child became his pet. Unaware of this himself, for ajAmila it became an Avarthi. For the child because it needs protection, until it becomes self dependant, it will usually attach itself very closely with the parents. The effect of mAya is such that, when the child is small, it will persist that it will sleep only with us, crave for being lifted always, if we start to go out somewhere it will cry and say "I want to come with you". If we go off to some place it will cry, again and again, like this the infatuation will develop greatly. But once it starts to grow and then go out to school, friends, education, marriage and then has its own kids etc. it will start to become less attached, which, will not be the same when it was a small child. There will be a gap created. For the grown up son or daughter they can manage and move forward, but some parents cannot manage and will crave deeply for their children. The parents will not understand how their children are managing and moving on and will worry much, however the son or daughter who is growing up will be gaining friends and many associations will develop and therefore he or she will not be as close to the parents as they were in early childhood. The parents will expect that their son or daughter should be still like their 3 year old and due to the generation gap created, in addition to the possessiveness, there will be some family problems in many families. This is nature. Let alone humans, if we see birds, when it comes out of the egg it will be so attached to the mother, only if the mother brings grains and feeds through the nose it is possible for the young one to get food even. Once the wings develop it goes away somewhere and mother goes somewhere. Even a cow and its calf is like this. In the villages they will tie the calf separately and leave the cow to graze in the fields from morning till evening. When the cow is returning along with the herd, I have noticed that the mother cow as it approaches to where its calf is tied, will speed up due to affection and make loud noises as it comes closer. The reason is due to its love for its calf, the vAthsalyam. Once the calf grows, vivEkam develops, the grown up cow is sold to someone and the mother of this cow gets separated and does not worry anymore. So in order for the child to grow, bhagavan develops such an affection and love in the parents towards their child and likewise for the child too. That's how ajAmila had such a great attachment towards his last child.
Subham!
Radhe Radhe
Read more translations of the other episodes at: http://aranganinarumai.blogspot.com/
A Lifetime of Divine Treasure trove within Azhaikindran Arangan DVD. All the Complete Episodes...for your own treasured copy contact Madhuram - a Unit of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu Namabhiksha Kendra +91 9442613710
