Srimad-Bhagavatam 6.1.21 Nitai: “In the country known as Kanyakubja there was a brahmana of the name Ajamila. Later on, he married a kept maidservant, a prostitute. On account of the association with the low-class woman, he lost all his brahminical qualities.” Prabhupada: This is the history. Yesterday we talked, itihasam udaharanti, atra codaharanti imam itihasam puratanam. This Kanyakubja… kanyakubje dvijah kascid dasi-patir ajamilah namna nasta-sadacaro dasyah samsarga-dusitah This Kanyakubja is still there. It is now known as Kanauj, within the division of Kanpur. It is very old city resided by brahmanas especially. Still, in that city the most inhabitants are brahmanas. Just like Nadia, Navadvipa. It was formerly, even in Caitanya Mahaprabhu’s time, inhabited by brahmanas, learned scholars. So similarly, in northern India this place, Kanauj, since very long, long time, it is a very celebrated place. Now this place is very much famous for manufacturing perfumes, rosewater, scented attars, like that. So anyway, it is history. Long, long ago there was a brahmana, dvija. Dvija means twice-born: first birth by the father and mother… That kind of birth is obtainable by any person, man or animal. As soon as you take birth, there must be father and mother. Without father- mother, there is no question of birth. Therefore, in the human society they do not take this birth as very important. We are very much proud of becoming American or Indian on account of birth, but according to the Vedic civilization, simply the birth by father- mother is not very important. There must be second birth, dvija. Dvi means second, and ja means birth. So according to the Vedic civilization, a human being must be trained up to become dvija, or take his birth second time. This is human civilization. Samskarad bhaved dvijah. Janmana jayate sudrah. Simply by ordinary birth by father and mother, it is sudra. But the civilization is how a sudra or less than sudra can be elevated to the position of a brahmana. That is civilization. So, as I was explaining yesterday, that if you keep people fourth- class man, then that is not advancement of civilization. Attempt should be made how a fourth-class man can be raised to the first- class position by culture and education. So this Ajamila, he was trained up by his parents to be a qualified brahmana. What is that qualified brahmana? You have heard many times: samo damah satyam saucam arjavam titiksa, jnanam vijnanam astikyam brahma-karma svabhava-jam. These qualities should be developed. First of all, sama. Sama means equilibrium in the mental position. Mind is never disturbed. There are so many causes of the mind being disturbed. When the mind is not disturbed, that is called samah. Gurunapi duhkhena na vicalyate. That is perfection of yoga. yam labdhva caparam labham manyate nadhikam tatah yasmin sthito na duhkhena gurunapi na vicalyate This is training. Mind is very flickering. Even five thousand years ago, when Arjuna was advised by Krsna that “You make your restless mind fixed up,” he frankly said, “Krsna, it is not possible.” Cancalam hi manah krsna pramathi balavad drdham: “I see my mind is always very much agitated, and to control the mind is exactly an attempt to stop the wind. So it is not possible.” But actually his mind was fixed up in Krsna. So those who mind have been fixed up at the lotus feet of Krsna, they have conquered. Their mind is fixed up. That is wanted. Sa vai manah krsna-padaravindayor vacamsi vaikuntha-gunanuvarnane. These are the qualifications of Maharaja Ambarisa. He was very responsible emperor, but his mind was fixed up at the lotus feet of Krsna. That is wanted. So this is brahminical qualification, to practice how to fix up the mind at the lotus feet of Krsna, and that is the perfection of yoga. Yoga means not to show some magical feats. No. Real perfection of yoga means to fix up the mind at the lotus feet of Krsna. Therefore in the Bhagavad-gita you will find the last conclusion of this yoga chapter, Sixth Chapter, yoginam api sarvesam mad-gatenantar-atmana sraddhavan bhajate yo mam sa me yuktatamo matah [Bg. 6.47] That was encouraging to Arjuna because Arjuna thought, “Then I am useless. I cannot fix up.” But his mind was already fixed up. Therefore Krsna encouraged him, “Don’t be discouraged. Anyone whose mind is already fixed up in Me always, he is the first-class, topmost yogi.” Therefore we should be always thinking of Krsna. That is Hare Krsna mantra. If you chant Hare Krsna, Hare Krsna, that means your mind is fixed up in Krsna. That is the perfection of yoga. So to become a brahmana, this is the first qualification, to keep the mind fixed up, not being agitated, sama. And when your mind is fixed up, then your senses will be controlled. If you fix up your mind that “I shall simply chant Hare Krsna and take prasadam, no more business,” then the senses will be controlled automatically. Ta’ra madhye jihwa ati, lobhamoy sudurmati. So these are the different stages, how to become a brahmana. Samah damah, then satyam, truthful. Truthful means in one sense ordinary truthful. But real truthful means to know the Absolute Truth. Absolute Truth. So that Absolute Truth, who is Absolute Truth? Krsna. We are searching after truth, what is the truth, what is the relative truth. But when you come to Krsna, that is Absolute Truth. Sarva-karana-karanam [Bs. 5.1] This is truth. Then what is the cause of this truth? This is the… This is the… Neti, neti. So when you come to Krsna, so above Him there is no more truth. Krsna has no cause, but He is the cause of everything, sarva-karana-karanam. Isvarah paramah krsnah sac-cid-ananda-vigrahah, anadih [Bs. 5.1]. He has no… People ask generally that “Everything has cause. What is the cause of Krsna?” The answer is anadi: “He has no cause.” That is God. Anadir adih: “He is the cause of everyone.” Anadir adir govindah sarva-karana-karanam [Bs. 5.1]. So if our mind is fixed up in Krsna, then naturally the senses will be controlled. If we fix up our mind that we shall not do anything, drdha-vratah… Bhajante mam drdha-vratah. This is determination, that “I shall have nothing to do without Krsna.” Then you are first- class yogi—dvija, brahmana, everything. Everything. So this is…, these are the qualification of not dvija… Dvija is primary qualification of becoming a brahmana. Samskarad bhaved dvijah. By samskara, by the reformatory process, one is initiated—that is called dvija, dvitiya-janma. The spiritual master is the father, and the Vedic knowledge is the mother. This is called dvija, dvitiya-janma, second birth. So after being dvija, when the spiritual master sees that he is acquired sadacara… Sadacara means these four things: no illicit sex, no intoxication, no meat-eating, no gambling; taking bath thrice, rising early in the… These are called sadacara. These are brahminical qualification. So this Ajamila was very nicely trained up, born of a brahmana father, and his father trained up. But unfortunately, when he was young man, he was passing through the road, he saw one sudra is embracing another sudrani, or prostitute. Now it is very common affair all over the world: a man is embracing, kissing. But this was not allowed in gentlemen’s society. The sudras, the fourth-class man, they used to do that. Sometimes, not always. So he was young man. Naturally, when he saw that a young sudra is embracing another young girl, sudrani, and she is not properly dressed, he became attracted. He became attracted. And they were drunk. So in this way he fell a victim of that prostitute. He liked that prostitute, and later on, he remained with her, and he had very good wife, very respectable family, brahmana, but he forgot everything. Therefore it is said, nasta-sadacarah: “He lost all brahminical qualification.” So he was so much trained up, and still, by seeing the sex behavior of a sudra and sudrani, he fell down long, long years ago. Now these things are very common affair. How the young man can be saved? It is very difficult. Therefore Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu has given one panacea: “Chant Hare Krsna.” That can save you. Otherwise it is very difficult. Harer nama harer nama harer namaiva kevalam, kalau nasty eva nasty eva… [Adi 17.21]. By practicing the tapasya and yoga and… Nothing will help you, because the age is very fallen. He especially mentioned, kalau nasty eva nasty eva nasty eva gatir anyatha. Otherwise one cannot… So he lost all sadacara. Kanyakubje dvijah kascit. Kascit, kascit means “some are…” Every brahmana was very elevated. One, somebody, kascit. Kascid dasi-patih. And why he fell down? Because he married one maidservant, prostitute. The prostitute class, you will find in the history of India, but they are a class, a low-class woman. Otherwise, in gentleman class or higher class, namely the brahmana, ksatriya, and vaisya, it is not possible to mix freely. That is not possible. They still, in respectable families, the young girls, they are not allowed to go out, not to mix with any… The first young man, this, her husband, when the father-mother selects, then… This is the process. So prostitution was existent. Now I do not know what is the position. But in the low class, dasi-pati, maidservant, sweeper, maidservant. One could mix and have the advantage of prostitution in the lower class, not in the higher class. So therefore it is stated that kascid dasi-patih, dasi-pati. Not the married wife, but dasi-pati, a maidservant. And his name was Ajamila. Dasi-patir ajamilah namna. So what was his condition? Nasta-sadacarah. He had no…, he lost all the sadacara. Sadacara, these are the sadacara: to rise early in the morning, to take bath, attend mangala-aratrika, and chant Hare Krsna mantra, read books, Vedic literature, and then prasadam—always some prescribed duty for Krsna consciousness. That is called sadacara. So Ajamila, on account of this association of this prostitute, he lost all good qualities, sadacara, and then he took all abominable professional for earning money. That will be described next verse. Thank you very much. (end)
by His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
Chicago, July 5, 1975