Text 36] The History of the Life of Ajamila 49
you demigods from the heavenly planets, are you sub-demigods,
or are you the best of devotees?

PURPORT

The most significant word used in this verse is siddha-sattamah,
which means “the best of the perfect.” In Bhagavad-gita (7.3) it is said,
manusyanam sahasresu kascid yatati siddhaye: out of millions of per-
sons, one may try to become siddha, perfect—or, in other words, self-
realized. A self-realized person knows that he is not the body but a
spiritual soul (aharh brahmdsmi). At the present moment practically
everyone is unaware of this fact, but one who understands this has at-
tained perfection and is therefore called siddha. When one understands
that the soul is part and parcel of the supreme soul and one thus engages
in the devotional service of the supreme soul, one becomes siddha-sat-
tama. One is then eligible to live in the Vaikuntha planets or Krsnaloka.
The word siddha-sattama, therefore, refers to a liberated, pure devotee.

Since the Yamadiitas are servants of Yamaraja, who is also one of the
siddha-sattamas, they knew that a siddha-sattama is above the demigods
and sub-demigods and, indeed, above all the living entities within this
material world. The Yamaditas therefore inquired why the Visnuditas
were present where a sinful man was going to die.

It should also be noted that Ajamila was not yet dead, for the
Yamaditas were trying to snatch the soul from his heart. They could not
take the soul, however, and therefore Ajamila was not yet dead. This will
be revealed in later verses. Ajamila was simply in an unconscious state
when the argument was in progress between the Yamaditas and the
Visnuditas. The conclusion of the argument was to be a decision regard-
ing who would claim the soul of Ajamila.

TEXTS 34-36
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