Devanagari
एतेनैव ह्यघोनोऽस्य कृतं स्यादघनिष्कृतम् ।
यदा नारायणायेति जगाद चतुरक्षरम् ॥ ८ ॥
Verse text
etenaiva hy aghono ’sya
kṛtaṁ syād agha-niṣkṛtam
yadā nārāyaṇāyeti
jagāda catur-akṣaram
Synonyms
etena
—
by this (chanting)
;
eva
—
indeed
;
hi
—
certainly
;
aghonaḥ
—
who possesses sinful reactions
;
asya
—
of this (Ajāmila)
;
kṛtam
—
performed
;
syāt
—
is
;
agha
—
of sins
;
niṣkṛtam
—
complete atonement
;
yadā
—
when
;
nārāyaṇa
—
O Nārāyaṇa (the name of his son)
;
āya
—
please come
;
iti
—
thus
;
jagāda
—
he chanted
;
catuḥ
—
akṣaram — the four syllables ( nā-rā-ya-ṇa ) .
Translation
The Viṣṇudūtas continued: Even previously, while eating and at other times, this Ajāmila would call his son, saying, “My dear Nārāyaṇa, please come here.” Although calling the name of his son, he nevertheless uttered the four syllables nā-rā-ya-ṇa. Simply by chanting the name of Nārāyaṇa in this way, he sufficiently atoned for the sinful reactions of millions of lives.
Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)
When he chanted the four syllables “Nārāyaṇa,” atonement for the sins he committed has been accomplished.
“But Ajāmila did not chant with awareness that this was atonement. He called out for his son because he was afraid of us.” You do not understand the truth. Being materialistic, you do not understand. Even by calling for his son while not seeking to make atonement, atonement of this sinner (aghonah) was accomplished. Aghavat is here conjugated like maghavan (maghonaḥ). Just chanting at this time for his son is the atonement for all his sins. However, previously he chanted in ungrammatical language, “O Nārāyaṇa, come here, from your mother’s lap to my lap.” The atonement took place then. Not only chanting four syllables, but chanting the Lord’s name in two syllables or one syllable also destroys all sins.
Purport
Previously, when engaged in sinful activities to maintain his family, Ajāmila chanted the name of Nārāyaṇa without offenses. 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 (
nāmno balād yasya hi pāpa-buddhiḥ
). But although Ajāmila engaged in sinful activities, he never chanted the holy name of Nārāyaṇa to counteract them; he simply chanted the name Nārāyaṇa to call his son. Therefore his chanting was effective. Because of chanting the holy name of Nārāyaṇa in this way, he had already vanquished the accumulated sinful reactions of many, many lives. In the beginning he was pure, but although he later committed many sinful acts, he was offenseless because he did not chant the holy name of Nārāyaṇa to counteract them. One who always chants the holy name of the Lord without offenses is always pure. As confirmed in this verse Ajāmila was already sinless, and because he chanted the name of Nārāyaṇa he remained sinless. It did not matter that he was calling his son; the name itself was effective.