View source for We have to understand like this. Somehow or other, if you chant the holy name of the Lord, knowingly or unknowingly, it will have its effect

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{{terms|"We have to understand like this. Somehow or other, if you chant the holy name of the Lord, knowingly or unknowingly, it will have its effect"}}
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{{compiler|Soham}}
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[[Category:We Have To]]
[[Category:Understand]]
[[Category:Like This]]
[[Category:Somehow or Other]]
[[Category:If You]]
[[Category:Chanting the Holy Names of God]]
[[Category:Knowingly or Unknowingly]]
[[Category:Will Have]]
[[Category:Effect]]
[[Category:Pages Needing Audio - SOHAM]]
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<h2>Lectures</h2>
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<h3>Srimad-Bhagavatam Lectures</h3>
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Here the example is that Ajāmila, although he had forgotten Nārāyaṇa, but on account of his chanting the holy name of Nārāyaṇa, although he meant his son, it was effective. We have to understand like this. Somehow or other, if you chant the holy name of the Lord, knowingly or unknowingly, it will have its effect. Just like you touch fire knowingly or unknowingly, it will burn; similarly, if you chant Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra knowingly or unknowingly, it will be effective on your life. Therefore we see it practically that in the Western countries, although they did not know who is Nārāyaṇa or Kṛṣṇa. . . It is in the dictionary, English dictionary, there is statement, "Kṛṣṇa is the name of Hindu god." So. . . but nobody is consulting dictionary for chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa. But the śāstra says that somehow or other, if you chant the holy name of God, then you gradually become purified.
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[[Vanisource:750814 - Lecture SB 06.01.56-57 - Bombay|750814 - Lecture SB 06.01.56-57 - Bombay]]
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Prabhupāda:

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:ayaṁ hi śruta-sampannaḥ
:śīla-vṛtta-guṇālayaḥ
:dhṛta-vrato mṛdur dāntaḥ 
:satya-vāṅ mantra-vic chuciḥ
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:gurv-agny-atithi-vṛddhānāṁ

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:śuśrūṣur anahaṅkṛtaḥ
:sarva-bhūta-suhṛt sādhur
:mita-vāg anasūyakaḥ 
:([[Vanisource:SB 6.1.56-57|SB 6.1.56-57]])
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These are qualification of the most exalted person. In the society the brāhmaṇa is the topmost division of human society, not by caste or by birth but by qualification. These things are spoken about Ajāmila. These are ajāmila-upākhyāna, the history of Ajāmila. Ajāmila, although he was a very well trained brāhmaṇa boy at the beginning of his life, but later on, on account of bad association he became the most sinful man in the world. But at the end of his life he chanted the holy name of Nārāyaṇa, not meaning Nārāyaṇa the Supreme Personality of Godhead, but his youngest son's name was Nārāyaṇa. He called the holy name of Nārāyaṇa, calling his son. He did not know that he is chanting the holy name of Nārāyaṇa, and still, he got salvation. That is the purport of this history, that the holy name of God, Nārāyaṇa, Kṛṣṇa, Rāma. . . There are many names of the Lord. Nāmnām akāri bahudhā (Śikṣāṣṭaka 2). He has got thousands of names, and you can chant any one of them, either Kṛṣṇa or Rāma, Govinda, Nārāyaṇa, like that. So you get the result.

So here the example is that Ajāmila, although he had forgotten Nārāyaṇa, but on account of his chanting the holy name of Nārāyaṇa, although he meant his son, it was effective. We have to understand like this. Somehow or other, if you chant the holy name of the Lord, knowingly or unknowingly, it will have its effect. Just like you touch fire knowingly or unknowingly, it will burn; similarly, if you chant Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra knowingly or unknowingly, it will be effective on your life. Therefore we see it practically that in the Western countries, although they did not know who is Nārāyaṇa or Kṛṣṇa. . . It is in the dictionary, English dictionary, there is statement, "Kṛṣṇa is the name of Hindu god." So. . . but nobody is consulting dictionary for chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa. But the śāstra says that somehow or other, if you chant the holy name of God, then you gradually become purified. Ceto-darpaṇa-mārjanaṁ bhava-mahā-dāvāgni-nirvāpaṇaṁ śreyaḥ-kairava-candrikā-vitaraṇaṁ vidyā-vadhū-jīvanam (CC Antya 20.12). So this history of Ajamila's life is described in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam to show the importance of chanting the holy name of God. That is the purpose.

So the Ajāmila later on became a great sinful person. Therefore he was to be taken to Yamarāja. But because he chanted at the end of his life "Nārāyaṇa," he became purified from all sinful activities. So the order carriers of Nārāyaṇa came to deliver him, save him from the hands of the Yamadūta. So the Yamadūta is describing the history of Ajāmila in the past, how he was in the beginning. Because he was the son of a brāhmaṇa, his father trained up the brāhmaṇa boy like a brāhmaṇa. So as such, he got this training. What is that? Ayaṁ hi śruta-sampannaḥ: "This boy got training to become expert in Vedic knowledge." Śruta-sampannam. Śruta means Vedic knowledge, and sampannaḥ means finished. Within twelve years a brāhmaṇa's son is supposed to finished all the studies of Vedas, vyakāraṇa, grammar. That was education. From five years he is trained up. He goes to. . . Nowadays also, the children are sent to school at five years' age, but the mode of education, different. Formerly, within twenty years a student, a brahmacārī, was trained up with all these qualifications, as it is described. What is that? The first is śruta-sampannaḥ, "expertly aware of Vedic knowledge." Ayaṁ hi śruta-sampannaḥ, śīla, śīla-vṛtta-guṇālayaḥ. Śīla means śuddhacara, cleansing.
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