36 Srimad-Bhagavatam [Canto 6, Ch. 1

PURPORT

The fault of illicit connection with women is that it makes one lose all
brahminical qualities. In India there is still a class of servants, called
Stidras, whose maidservant wives are called sidranis. Sometimes people
who are very lusty establish relationships with such maidservants and
sweeping women, since in the higher statuses of society they cannot in-
dulge in the habit of woman hunting, which is strictly prohibited by
social convention. Ajamila, a qualified bréhmana youth, lost all his
brahminical qualities because of his association with a prostitute, but he
was ultimately saved because he had begun the process of bhakti-yoga.
Therefore in the previous verse, Sukadeva Gosvami spoke of the person
who has only once surrendered himself at the lotus feet of the Lord
(manah krsna-padaravindayoh) or has just begun the bhakti-yoga pro-
cess. Bhakti-yoga begins with sravanam kirtanam visnoh, hearing and
chanting of Lord Visnu’s names, as in the mahd-mantra—Hare Krsna,
Hare Krsna, Krsna Krsna, Hare Hare/ Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama
Rama, Hare Hare. Chanting is the beginning of bhakti-yoga. Therefore
Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu declares:

harer nama harer nama
harer ndmaiva kevalam

kalau nasty eva nasty eva
nasty eva gatir anyatha

“In this age of quarrel and hypocrisy the only means of deliverance is
chanting the holy name of the Lord. There is no other way. There is no
other way. There is no other way.” The process of chanting the holy
name of the Lord is always superbly effective, but it is especially effec-
tive in this age of Kali. Its practical effectiveness will now be explained
by Sukadeva Gosvami through the history of Ajamila, who was freed
from the hands of the Yamaditas simply because of chanting the holy
name of Narayana. Pariksit Maharaja’s original question was how to be
freed from falling down into hell or into the hands of the Yamaditas. In
reply, Sukadeva Gosvami is citing this old historical example to convince
Pariksit Maharaja of the potency of bhakti-yoga, which begins simply
