Srimad Bhagavatham : 6.1.56 & 57.

Skandham-6.


Chapter-1.


Slokam-56 & 57.




56 -

ayam   hi   sruta-sampannah   sila-vrtta-gunalayah,



dhrta-vrato   mrdur dantah  satya-van   mantra-vic   chucih.





ayam  =  this person (known as Ajāmila);

hi  =  indeed;

sruta-sampannah  =  well educated in Vedic knowledge;

sila  =  of good character;

vrtta  =  good conduct;

guna  =  and good qualities;

alayah  =  the reservoir;

dhrta-vratah  =  fixed in the execution of the Vedic injunctions;

mrduh  =  very mild;

dantah  =  completely controlling the mind and senses;

satya-vak  =  always truthful;

mantra-vit  =  knowing how to chant the Vedic hymns;

sucih  =  always very neat and clean;




57-

gurv-agny-atithi-vrddhanam  susrusur   anahankrtah,



sarva-bhuta-suhrt   sadhur   mita-vag   anasuyakah.





guru  =  the spiritual master;

agni  =  the fire-god; atithi—guests;

vrddhanam  =  and of the old household members;

susrusuh  =  very respectfully engaged in the service;

anahankrtah  =  without pride or false prestige;

 sarva-bhuta-suhrt  =  friendly to all living entities;

sadhuh  =  well behaved (no one could find any fault in his character);

mita-vak  =  talking with great care not to speak nonsense;

anasuyakah  =  not envious.



In the beginning this brahmaṇa named Ajamila studied all the Vedic literatures. He was a reservoir of good character, good conduct and good qualities. Firmly established in executing all the Vedic injunctions, he was very mild and gentle, and he kept his mind and senses under control. Furthermore, he was always truthful, he knew how to chant the Vedic mantras, and he was also very pure. Ajamila was very respectful to his spiritual master, the fire-god, guests, and the elderly members of his household. Indeed, he was free from false prestige. He was upright, benevolent to all living entities, and well behaved. He would never speak nonsense or envy anyone.


The order carriers of Yamaraja, the Yamadutas, are explaining the factual position of piety and impiety and how a living entity is entangled in this material world. Describing the history of Ajamila’s life, the Yamadutas relate that in the beginning he was a learned scholar of the Vedic literature. He was well behaved, neat and clean, and very kind to everyone. In fact, he had all good qualities. In other words, he was like a perfect brahmana. A brahmana is expected to be perfectly pious, to follow all the regulative principles and to have all good qualities. The symptoms of piety are explained in these slokam-s. Sri Viraraghavacharya comments that dhrta-vrata means dhrtam vratam  stri-sanga-rahityatmaka-brahmacarya-rupam. In other words, Ajamila followed the rules and regulations of celibacy as a perfect brahmacari and was very softhearted, truthful, clean and pure. How he fell down in spite of all these qualities and thus came to be threatened with punishment by Yamaraja will be described in the following slokam-s.

To be continued  ...