Ajamil and the Name He Called
At the end he was calling his son, not God — the most argued-over and most reassuring story in the Bhagavata.
Ajamil was a brahmin of Kanyakubja — at first upright, devoted to his parents, careful with his daily observances.
One day, returning from the forest, he saw something that unsettled him, and from that day his life turned. He abandoned his family, his work and every restraint. To keep himself he sank as far as cheating and theft.
Years passed. He had ten sons. The youngest he named Narayana.
That child was dearest to him. All day he called out to him — "Narayana, come here. Narayana, don't touch that."
The end came. Ajamil lay on his bed at eighty-eight, and saw the messengers of Yama approaching, terrible, with their nooses ready.
In terror he called the name that was worn into his tongue — "Narayana!"
He was calling his son.
And in that instant the messengers of Vishnu arrived and stopped Yama's men.
The two sides argued about dharma. Yama's messengers said, "His life is full of sin. He is ours." Vishnu's messengers replied, "He uttered the name at the end; his atonement is done. The power of the name rests on the name, not on the caller's intention — as medicine works even when it is swallowed unknowingly."
Yama's messengers withdrew.
Ajamil had heard all of it. When he rose from that bed he was not the same man. He left his house, went to Haridwar, and spent the rest of his life in practice.
Moral: The story does not say that wrongdoing goes unaccounted. It says the door back stays open until the last moment. And it says something else — whatever name you have practised is the one that comes out of your mouth in a crisis. So the name you want at the end is the one to start calling today.
Continue learning
Related teachings
Navaratri Night 8 — Mahagauri, the Dark Goddess Made Bright
Shiva teases Parvati about her dark skin, and she leaves to do austerities until she shines. Placed straight after the darkest night, the eighth is its answer.
Navaratri Night 1 — Shailaputri, Daughter of the Mountain
Sati walks uninvited into her father's sacrifice and gives up her body there. She is born again as the daughter of the Himalaya — and the nine nights begin.
Navaratri Night 2 — Brahmacharini, the Austerity That Moved Shiva
When beauty failed to reach Shiva, Parvati went into the forest and did not come back until he came to her. The second night honours the young woman who gave up even leaves.
Navaratri Night 3 — Chandraghanta, the Bell and the Wedding
Shiva arrives for his wedding with ghosts and goblins, and the bride's mother faints. The third night honours the bride who stood her ground — a story the devotional tradition reads into a name.
Navaratri Night 4 — Kushmanda, the Smile That Lit the Dark
Before there was anything, there was darkness — and then a goddess smiled. The fourth night's story is a creation story built entirely out of a name, and it says so.