Text 36] The History of the Life of Ajamila 51
rated with garlands of lotuses, and wearing very attractive helmets
on your heads and earrings on your ears, you all appear fresh and
youthful. Your four long arms are decorated with bows and
quivers of arrows and with swords, clubs, conchshells, discs and
lotus flowers. Your effulgence has dissipated the darkness of this
place with extraordinary illumination. Now, sirs, why are you
obstructing us?
PURPORT

Before even being introduced to a foreigner, one becomes acquainted
with him through his dress, bodily features and behavior and can thus
understand his position. Therefore when the Yamaditas saw the
Visnuditas for the first time, they were surprised. They said, “By your
bodily features you appear to be very exalted gentlemen, and you have
such celestial power that you have dissipated the darkness of this ma-
terial world with your own effulgences. Why then should you endeavor
to stop us from executing our duty?” It will be explained that the
Yamaditas, the order carriers of Yamaraja, mistakenly considered
Ajamila sinful. They did not know that although he was sinful
throughout his entire life, he was purified by constantly chanting the
holy name of Narayana. In other words, unless one is a Vaisnava, one
cannot understand the activities of a Vaisnava.

The dress and bodily features of the residents of Vaikunthaloka are
properly described in these verses. The residents of Vaikuntha, who are
decorated with garlands and yellow silken garments, have four arms
holding various weapons. Thus they conspicuously resemble Lord Visnu.
They have the same bodily features as Narayana because they have at-
tained the liberation of séripya, but they nevertheless act as servants.
All the residents of Vaikunthaloka know perfectly well that their master
is Narayana, or Krsna, and that they are all His servants. They are all
self-realized souls who are nitya-mukta, everlastingly liberated. Al-
though they could conceivably declare themselves Narayana or Visnu,
they never do so; they always remain Krsna conscious and serve the Lord
faithfully. Such is the atmosphere of Vaikunthaloka. Similarly, one who
learns the faithful service of Lord Krsna through the Krsna conscious-
ness movement will always remain in Vaikunthaloka and have nothing to
do with the material world.
