Text 48]
The Demigods Appeal to the Lord
197
nāvamaḥ karma-kalpo 'pi viphalāyeśvarārpitaḥ kalpate puruṣasyaiva sa hy ātmā dayito hitaḥ
na—not; avamaḥ—very little, or insignificant; karma—activities; kalpaḥ—rightly executed; api—even; viphalāya—go in vain; īśvara-arpitaḥ—because of being dedicated to the Supreme Personality of Godhead; kalpate—it is so accepted; puruṣasya—of all persons; eva—indeed; saḥ—the Supreme Personality of Godhead; hi—certainly; ātmā—the Supersoul, the supreme father; dayitaḥ—extremely dear; hitaḥ—beneficial.
TRANSLATION
Activities dedicated to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, even if performed in small measure, never go in vain. The Supreme Personality of Godhead, being the supreme father, is naturally very dear and always ready to act for the good of the living entities.
PURPORT
In  Bhagavad-gītā  (2.40), the Lord says  svalpam apy asya dharmasya trāyate mahato bhayāt : this  dharma , devotional service, is so important that even if performed to a very small, almost negligible extent, it can give one the supreme result. There are many instances in the history of the world in which even a slight service rendered to the Lord has saved a living entity from the greatest danger. Ajāmila, for example, was saved by the Supreme Personality of Godhead from the greatest danger, that of going to hell. He was saved simply because he chanted the name Nārāyaṇa at the end of his life. When Ajāmila chanted this holy name of the Lord, Nārāyaṇa, he did not chant knowingly; actually he was calling his youngest son, whose name was Nārāyaṇa. Nonetheless, Lord Nārāyaṇa took this chanting seriously, and thus Ajāmila achieved the result of  ante nārāyaṇa-smṛtiḥ , remembering Nārāyaṇa at the end of life. If one somehow or other remembers the holy name of Nārāyaṇa, Kṛṣṇa or Rāma at the end of life, he immediately achieves the transcendental result of going back home, back to Godhead.