The original story (from Wikipedia)
Ajamila is a figure from the Puranas. The story of Ajamila is taken from Bhagavata Purana, Canto 6. Ajamila was raised according to the Vedic regulations. He was a perfectly trained brahmana and had a chaste and beautiful wife.
But one day, while he was out in the fields collecting flowers for worshipping the Lord, he happened to see a drunken sudra and a prostitute engaged in sexual embrace. Ajamila became bewildered and attracted; his mind becoming more and more attached to the prostitute. Although Ajamila was a strict brahmana he became helplessly entangled by seeing a man and woman engaged in sexual act.
Consequently he took this prostitute into his home as a maidservant. Inevitably, he became so entangled that he abandoned his family, wife and children and went off with the prostitute. Due to his illicit connection with the prostitute, he lost all his good qualities. He became a thief, a liar, a drunkard, even a murderer. He completely forgot about his original training as a Brahmin, and his whole life was ruined.
Engaging in sinful activities, Ajamila fell down from his position, and he begot many children through the prostitute. Even towards the end of his life, around the age of eighty, he was still begetting children. It is explained that while he was dying, which is a very fearful time, he began to call out to his beloved child, whose name was Narayana. Narayana is a name of God or Krishna.
At that time, the Yamadutas, the messengers of death, were coming. They were tying up the subtle body of Ajamila and preparing to take him to be punished by Yamaraja, the lord of death. At the same time, because he happened to be speaking the holy name of the Lord Narayana, the beautiful Visnudutas, the messengers of Vishnu, also arrived there. They checked the activities of the Yamadutas, refusing to allow them to take Ajamila for punishment. The Yamadutas were astonished. "Why are these effulgent and beautiful personalities checking our action? It's our duty to take sinful men to Yamaraja for punishment; then they are awarded another material body for the next life so that they can get the result of their sinful activity."
There was a discussion between the Yamadutas and the Visnudutas. The conclusion was that although Ajamila was sinful throughout his life and gave up his religious life, his wife and children and begot children through a prostitute, he nevertheless was purified from all these sins because at the last moment he chanted the holy name of Narayana. Although Ajamila had committed so many sins, because he chanted the name of Narayana, he was relieved of all sinful activities.
And now, our conclusion
We should read Srimad Bhagavatam with the mirror in our mind and reflect the message into the heart.
That's how Srimad Bhagavatam works. If we're reading everything as it appears to be, we'll probably get it all wrong, end up in a wrong alley and will be very confused.
Srimad Bhagavatam is about changing our perspective and we should try this approach more often in our lives.
Nothing that we thought we knew is valid any more because the Bhagavatam's reality is actually the opposite one, it's quite different. Why? Because the Bhagavatam is all about spirtual world, about supreme goal of our lives and about nothing else. A tree mirrored in the river of material understanding is what we see, that's our in-born perception, understanding in this world. We don't see a real tree. To correct our faulty perception we must use mirror, or think differently, try to change ourselves. In other words, we ought looking directly at reality the beautiful.
So Srimad Bhagavatam is a symbol of change, a rather radical change in our lives if we're to perceive the beautiful reality as it is.
Bhagavatam's language is quite symbolic too. It's very metaphorical, poetical. Sukadeva, the narrator of Srimad Bhagavatam, was a poet par excellence, we can undoubtedly see that. His soul is so poetical, joyous and free. Just compare his words and Suta Goswami's words, and then compare them with the words of other narrators and you'll notice the significant difference in style and storytelling. Sukadeva's words are also different from Vyasadeva's, his father's. While Vyasadeva's style is deep and serious, profound and reaching through the vast volume of Vedic scriptures, Sukadeva's words are joyous, playful, amazingly soothing, sparkling like water in the fountain. Poetically metaphorical.
The story about Ajamila actually tells about the virtues of his wife, who was not his wife actually, but the embodiment of Krisna's mercy, Krisna's love. She was considered to be a prostitute, but was actually greater and more merciful than her husband, who was a known brahmana. A learned man, a man deeply rooted in this world, in customs, in tradition, in society. She gave him children, all and each named by Lord's names, which means, she was his good fortune. Who else could give such wonderful gifts as children, all named by Lord's names if not a remarkable woman? Let us think about this.
Also, let us ask ourselves, where our good fortune comes from? We should also think, and ask ourselves, who stays with us all the time, even when we're most miserable, same as Ajamila's new wife stood with him, all the time, although she was a prostitute? How can a prostitute be so faithful, so merciful to him? How could she love him so much? If she was a real prostitute, why didn't she leave him? We should think like that, take every detail under the loupe of inner understanding.
The answer is imminent: that's Krisna's mercy only. That's who she was. So in other words, this is not a story about some male person called Ajamila, some brahmana; this story is actually universal. It applies to all of us.
In this world, Krisna's mercy (his love) is unwanted, she's a real prostitute. She's an outcast here in this world of distorted vision. She wanders around, despised by everyone, looking for someone who will accept her, and take her closer to heart. She's so beautiful, so opulent, fragrant and charming, but is unwanted, because it disturbs our social life, our worldly goals, our mundane interests, habits, concerns, our mundane taste. She doesn't fit in our distorted, twisted perception of reality.
Usually people at the bottom of our social structures turn their heads to God; those who are always suffering, who are troubled, who are socially not well recognised. God is their only comfort. In this case, Ajamila saw a low caste sudra embracing the prostitute, but he also wanted the same. Why? Because she was so beautiful. And because she wanted him as well; the attraction was mutual. Even for a lucky brahmana, a learned man, a man of great influence in society, Krishna's mercy was so beautiful that he has decided to take her closer to his life.
If someone's lucky enough to recognise her, he'll be an outcast man in this world of selfishness. The conjecture will be same as marrying the prostitute. But actually, in reality, that person becomes very lucky because the Lord will come into his life as his good fortune, and also as his good future.
We say our children are our future in this world, and by accepting Krisna's mercy and Krisna's love for us, our future will be all auspicious. Our future, our fortune will be wonderful, although we don't recognise it in the beginning.
So Sukadeva is not asking us to continue with the prescribed religious duties and well regulated social life, a life set in rules and ceremonies, but rather to take a brave step forward. Do something brave! Break those rules which actually entangle your attraction for the love of Krishna. Yes, come close to Krisna's mercy, embrace his love. End your miserable life in this world of duality and misery once and for all and come into God's embrace.
Ordinary people will chastise you, because you dared to set free, to break the rules. You usurped the society and you will carry that mark of a rebel till the very end of your life. But don't worry: there's no harm. Even so called death and deadly fears won't touch you because you're protected by God himself.
Krisna's mercy is so wonderful. Even at the end of our lives, when we're so weak, helpless, lying on our bed waiting for the moment of departure from this world, in times when our mind falters ... the fruits of our even short loving affair with Krisna's mercy will save us.
I believe this is the true story of Ajamila, his wife and children. Let us start reading Bhagavatam from inside out, let us take quite a different approach. Let us plunge into Sukadeva's reality, into that wonderful fountain of Krisna's love for us, and our love for Krisna.
Ys,
Laksmana rupa das
