SB 6.2.10

The chanting of the holy name of Lord Viṣṇu is the best process of atonement for a thief, for a drunkard, for one who betrays a friend or relative, for one who kills a brāhmaṇa, for one who indulges in sex with the wife of his guru or another superior, for one who kills women, the king, his father, or cows, and for all other sinful men. Simply by chanting the holy name of Lord Viṣṇu, such sinful persons attract the attention of the Supreme Lord. “The name of the Lord may destroy sins, but how can nāmābhāsa be the atonement for thousands of grave sins which cannot be destroyed by thousands of twelve year vows?” Stenaḥ means a gold thief. Chanting is the best atonement (suniṣkṛtam), since it destroys the root of sin. A twelve year vow of atonement, though it destroys the effects of sin, cannot destroy the root of sin. That is not the only result, because from chanting the name of the Lord, the Lord’s mind dwells on that person who chants (tad-viṣayā-matiḥ). The Lord thinks, “This person belongs to me. I will always protect him.” This is Śrīdhara Svāmī’s meaning of the phrase. “Hearing his name being chanted, and remembering Ajāmila, the Lord ordered us to bring Ajāmila, who was chanting his name.” Then how much more the Lord will remember a person who chants the Lord’s name with a service attitude! This is the implication. To show this to the servants of Yama, the servants of Viṣṇu said that Ajāmila chanting at the time of death had destroyed all his sins, but actually, from the first time that Ajāmila called his son Nārāyaṇa, out of all the times he called, all his sins had been destroyed. The rest of the chanting after that produced bhakti. The past tense of yad vyājahāra (he chanted) in verse 7 also indicates that from the first time he chanted the name, all sins had been destroyed. The word vivaśaḥ in that verse means “spontaneously, out of affection for his child.” “But after chanting repeatedly, there were repeated sins such as going to the prostitute and drinking wine. In order to destroy those sins he had to chant at the end of his life, since there was again appearance of sin.” This cannot be said, because it will be said later vaikuṇṭha-nāma-grahaṇam aśeṣāgha-haram: chanting the Lord’s name destroys unlimited sins. (SB 6.2.16) The following verses also show that chanting releases one from the bondage of saṁsāra. vartamānam ca yat pāpaṁ yad bhūtaṁ yad bhaviṣyati tat sarvaṁ nirdahatyāśu govindānala-kīrtanāt All sins in the present, past and future are quickly destroyed by chanting the name of Govinda which is like fire. Hari-bhakti-vilāsa 11.339 yan-nāma sakṛc chravaṇāt pukkaśo 'pi vimucyate saṁsārāt By hearing one of your names once, even the outcaste is delivered from the material world. SB 6.16.44 naivaṁ-vidhaḥ puruṣa-kāra urukramasya puṁsāṁ tad-aṅghri-rajasā jita-ṣaḍ-guṇānām citraṁ vidūra-vigataḥ sakṛd ādadīta yan-nāmadheyam adhunā sa jahāti bandham Such power is not surprising from persons who have conquered the six senses by the dust from the lotus feet of the Lord, since even an outcaste becomes immediately free of bondage of karma by chanting the Lord’s name even once. SB 5.1.35 Because there is no mention of a particular time span for the effect to occur, it should be understood that by the first chanting there is destruction of all sins, all desires and as well, ignorance, which is the root cause, because only then sin will not reappear in the future. “Why then did sin not leave Ajāmila after chanting the first time? How could he continue to be attached to the woman and commit sin for so long if all his sins had been destroyed?” Like the karmas of the jīvanmukta which remain for some time simply as impressions, Ajāmila’s sins which lasted till his death were like the bites of a toothless snake and did not generate results. Moreover the Lord himself will cause continuance of sin in order that other philosophies (karma-kāṇḍa etc.) will not be completely uprooted. If one were to explain the scriptural statements concerning the powers of the name to be exaggerated praise of the Lord’s name, then one would be committing offense. Tathārtha-vādo hari-nāmni kalpanam: it is an offense to interpret the name or think its powers are exaggeration. (Padma Purāṇa) nāmāśrayaḥ kadācit syāt taraty eva sa nāmataḥ nāmno hi sarva suhṛdo hy aparādhāt pataty adhaḥ One who takes shelter of the name at any time crosses material life by the name. One falls to hell from offense to the name of the Lord, the friend of all beings. Padma Purāṇa arthavadam harer-namni sambhavayati yo narah sa papistho manusyanam niraye patati sphutam Those most sinful of men who interpret the name of the Lord fall to hell Katyāyana Saṁhitā, Padma Purāṇa yan-nāma-kīrtana-phalaṁ vividhaṁ niśamya na śraddadhāti manute yad utārthavādam yo mānuṣas tam iha dukḥa-caye kṣipāmi saṁsāra-ghora-vividhārti nipīḍitāṇgam That person who even after hearing about the wonderful results of chanting the Lord’s name refuse to develop sincere faith in the name, and on the contrary, interprets the name, is hurled by me into the deep gloom of material nescience after being dragged through excruciating suffering. Parma Purāṇa śruti-smṛti-purāṇeṣu nāma-māhātmya-vādiṣu ye ’rthavāda iti bruyur na teṣāṁ niraya-kṣayaḥ Persons who interpret the śrutis, smṛtis, and purāṇas, which wonderfully glorify the Lord’s name, stay in hell forever. Jaimini Saṁhitā Thus from scriptures like Parma Purāṇa and Kātyāyana-saṁhitā there are thousands of statements showing fall down from interpreting the name. Parīkṣit has just said: kvacin nivartate 'bhadrāt kvacic carati tat punaḥ prāyaścittam atho 'pārthaṁ manye kuṣjara-śaucavat After withdrawing from sin one commits the sin again. I think atonement is useless, like an elephant bathing. SB 6.1.10 He has condemned atonements because of seeing that the tendency for sin remains, but he does not criticize bhakti, though seeing sinful tendencies in some of the devotees. And Ajāmila, a sinner, by the strength of nāmābhāsa attained Vaikuṇṭha, but smārtas and others, though knowing scriptures, and though chanting the name, continue existence in frightful saṁsāra because of the offense of interpreting the name. But one should not worry that everyone will immediately become liberated on seeing such power in the name. Though sin is completely uprooted just by chanting the name once, in most cases the name shows its fruits to the world after some time, just as fruit trees bear fruit after some time only, not immediately. And in some cases the name does not show its effects at all, in order that the material scriptures (such as karma-kāṇḍa) are not completely destroyed. Then, after doing this, the name takes the person who has chanted without offense to the Lord’s abode. This conclusion should be understood. “I accept that because of offense to the name, those who interpret the name as exaggeration go to hell. However, if chanting the name destroys all sins, all karmīs, jṣānīs, yogīs and bhaktas should not go to hell for illicit sex or violence if they chant. And if the name does not destroy all sin, all these people, and even the bhakta, should go to hell to suffer the results of their sin, even if they chant.” Though a merchant protects a person under his shelter according to the degree that the person surrenders to him, if the person offends him, the merchant becomes displeased with him, and does not give protection to that surrendered person. But one should not think that the merchant is incapable of protecting him. And according to the degree that the offense diminishes, the merchant begins to show mercy to that person. When the offense is completely gone, the merchant shows all mercy. The name is similar. Those who take shelter of Bhakti-devī, representing the name, as a secondary practice, in order bring out results of karma and jṣāna, are called karmīs or jṣānīs, even though bhakti is present in a minor position. This is according to the rule that things are named according to the predominant factor. [Note: prādhānyena vyapaeśā bhavanti] They are thus not called Vaiṣṇavas. By their natures they are offenders to the name in one aspect, for it is said dharma-vratatyāgahutādi-sarvaśubhakriyā-sāmyamapi pramādaḥ: the eighth offense is to consider the name equivalent to dharma, vratas, sacrifices and other karma-kāṇḍa rites. If considering the name to be equal to karma and dharma is an offense, then the offense is much more if one considers the name secondary to karma and dharma, being a mere limb of karma or dharma. Though recognizing that they have offended her, out of compassion, Bhakti-devī thinks, “Karma-yoga and these other processes should not be fruitless” since they have accepted a small portion of her shelter. Thus, though she has become only a limb of karma, she gives the results of karma, jṣāna and other processes without obstruction. Similarly, when bhakti is a limb of atonement, she destroys the sins in those persons practicing atonements. It is not otherwise. And those who do not perform atonements go to hell to experience the results of their sins. However, Vaiṣṇavas do not need to perform atonements. Furthermore, if those persons commit other offenses, such as interpreting the name or committing offense to the devotee, and then perform dharma and other process, Bhakti-devī gives them no results for their efforts, even though she is still a limb of dharma and other process. ke te 'paradhā vipendra namno bhagavatah krtāḥ vinighnanti nṛnam krtyam prakrtam hy anayanti ca O brāhmaṇa! Offenses to the name destroy men’s pious actions and lead them to material world. Padma Purāṇa, Brāhma-khanda If those persons become free from offense and dedicate themselves to chanting or other bhakti processes, they will get results for their karma and jṣāna in proportion to the destruction of offenses. However, with complete destruction of offense by association with devotees, attainment of the results of chanting is certain, by the direct mercy of Bhakti-devī. “From the words of the servants of Yama it is understood that Ajāmila was previously involved in karma. (He was not a devotee, but performed bhakti secondarily, and therefore all his sins should not have been removed by chanting.)” That is true, and by sinful acts like drinking his status as a brāhmaṇa was destroyed, what to speak of his pious acts of karma. It will be explained: “Ajāmila was a brāhmaṇa who because of bad association had given up all brahminical culture and religious principles. Becoming most fallen, he stole, drank and performed other abominable acts. He even kept a prostitute.” (SB 6.2.45) When his pious karmas were destroyed, his secondary bhakti was also destroyed. Then pure bhakti appeared when he called out the name of his son Nārāyaṇa. “But if there is a scriptural rule that one should perform bhakti as a limb of karma or jṣāna, how can that be offensive?” One should not recognize as authoritative scripture those statements which permit secondary bhakti out of mercy for persons of crooked mentality, who have no faith in bhakti but faith in karma and jṣāna, and do not believe statements like “All processes accomplish their results by bhakti alone; by a particle of bhakti the greatest sins are destroyed.” In attaining Svarga through animal sacrifices by following rules, the fault of violence is not destroyed. Similarly though the offender attains the results of karma and jṣāna by secondary bhakti according to rules, his offense is not destroyed. Those offenders who accept a Vaiṣṇava guru by Vaiṣṇava initiation, take shelter of Bhakti-devī purely or as the primary process (but mixed), and then worship the Lord by chanting, are called Vaiṣṇavas. According to the degree of bhakti, they attain destruction of offenses, and according to the degree of Bhakti-devī’s mercy, they attain the principle result of bhakti (prema). The Lord himself says: yathā yathātmā parimṛjyate 'sau mat-puṇya-gāthā-śravaṇābhidhānaiḥ tathā tathā paśyati vastu sūkṣmaṁ cakṣur yathaivāṣjana-samprayuktam To the degree that the ātmā becomes purified by hearing and chanting my glories, a person is able to perceive my real form and qualities, and experience their sweetness, just as the eye when smeared with special ointment, is able to see finer objects. SB 11.14.26 bhaktiḥ pareśānubhavo viraktir anyatra caiṣa trika eka-kālaḥ prapadyamānasya yathāśnataḥ syus tuṣṭiḥ puṣṭiḥ kṣud-apāyo 'nu-ghāsam Devotion, direct experience of the Supreme Lord, and detachment from other things—these three occur simultaneously for one who has taken shelter of Kṛṣṇa, in the same way that pleasure, fullness of the stomach and relief from hunger are experienced simultaneously, with each bite, for a person engaged in eating.