98
Śrimad-Bhāgavatam
[Canto 6, Ch. 2]
“By once chanting the holy name of the Lord, which consists of the two syllables  ha-ri , one guarantees his path to liberation.” ( Skanda Purāṇa )
These are some of the reasons why the Viṣṇudūtas objected to the Yamadūtas’ taking Ajāmila to the court of Yamarāja.
TEXT 8
एतेनैव ह्यधोनोऽस्य कृतं स्यादधनिष्कृतम् । यदा नारायणायेति जगाद चतुरश्वरम् ॥ ८ ॥
etenaiva hy aghono ’sya   kṛtam syād agha-niṣkṛtam   yadā nārāyaṇāyeti   jagāda catur-akṣaram
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.
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