Q. Has the word ‘Narayana’ got any other meaning?

A. Of course, it has.

‘Nara’ means ‘Sarupya mukti’. He who is the abode of that mukti is Narayana.

Nara means the sinner. Ayan means to go. If one takes refuge with Narayana, he is relieved of all sins, so He is called Narayana.

Nar means moksha, Punya Ayanam means desired knowledge. Those who take refuge in Narayana gain moksha and also gain the desired knowledge. So, He is called Naemrayana.

If a person utters ‘Narayana’ once, he gains the fruit of bathing in all the tirthas like Ganga for three hundred kalpas.

Q. You first said that as soon as one would hear the name ‘Narayana’, it would take away all the sins accumulated during many previous births. Now you have said that ‘Narayana’ once uttered, gives the fruit of bathing in the Ganga and other tirthas for three hundred kalpas. Can you give me a concrete example in which by uttering ‘Narayana’ once, a person had shed all his sins?

A. Of course, it has happened. Now hear this story:

Once upon a time there lived a Brahmin named Ajamil who possessed the knowledge of all the shastras, was mild in nature and had good character. He acted according to shastrik injunctions and was full of forgiveness. He had controlled his senses, used to observe all fasts and other rituals, was truthful and had knowledge of true significance of mantra. He was devoted to his parents and observed the hygienic laws. Bereft of any sense of pride, he used to serve Guru, fire, guests and the old. He was a well-wisher of all living creatures. He was a sadhu and was sparing of speech.

One day, according to the directions of his father, he had gone to the forest to collect flower and leaves, wood and straw for puja. Whilst returning he saw a drunk shudra pair indulging in sex. They were naked. The drunkard was not abashed by the presence of Ajamil but went on with his indulgence even in his presence. Ajamil’s mind became unsteady on seeing this sight. With his knowledge and patience, he tried his best to steady his mind but he could not stop his mind thinking of the shudra woman. Ultimately, he forsook his young wife who came from a good family and also his own parents. He gave up his tapasya, forsook the control of senses, shed his knowledge and took shelter at the feet of the shudra woman. He started to spend his father’s money in order to satisfy her needs.

Q. Does such a thing happen?

A. Of course it does. No one can foretell what would happen to a person at any time. To go on with the story, by living with the shudra woman of bad character, Ajamil lost all his virtues. He even forgot that he was a Brahmin. One by one he had ten children from this woman. To maintain his family, he had to take recourse to gambling, theft, cheating and other dishonest means. He never thought of his old parents or his young wife. He had no other work except drinking, thieving and indulging in sex with this woman.

He had named his youngest son ‘Narayana’ and he used to love him greatly. While drinking or eating or at the time of sleeping, he used to keep this boy with himself. When the boy used to play, Ajamil used to watch him with pleasure. The youngest son, Narayana, had occupied the heart of Ajamil completely.

Thus, he passed eighty-eight years and the time of his death came. Three terrifying looking messengers of Yama appeared before him with ropes to tie him up. Ajamil began trembling seeing their terrifying appearance. He did not know what to do. Narayana was playing at some distance. Then a piercing cry for Narayana came from his heart.

At the time of his death, as soon as Ajamil uttered the name of Narayana, a few attendants of Lord Vishnu arrived there illuminating all four sides with rays of their beauty. They were wearing robes of yellow silk, had crowns on their heads, ear-rings, and wore beautiful garlands of lotuses. All had four arms which bore arrow, mace, discus and lotus and carried bows on their backs. They told the messengers of Yama, “You do not touch His person.”

The messengers of Yama said in reply, “Who are you? The radiance from your bodies is illuminating all sides. Even the rays of the sun seem to lose their brightness in presence of your rays. Who is your master and why are you forbidding us from taking away this great sinner? Are you gods or demigods or siddhas? We are the messengers of Dharmaraja Yama. Why are you forbidding us to obey his orders?”

The messengers of Lord Vishnu laughed in a voice sounding like thunder and replied, “If you are the messengers of Dharmaraja, then tell us what is the real sign of dharma? How should you punish the sinner? Who is the person really deserving of punishment and why does he make himself liable to punishment?”

The messengers of Yama replied, “Whatever has been laid down in the Vedas as one’s duty amounts to dharma and whatever has been prohibited is adharma. As the Vedas have come from Narayana himself, so the Vedas are the same as Narayana. As they have been born from Narayana’s breath, so they are called swayambhu (self-born). He who in His own self exhibits the gunas of sattwa, rajah and tamah, the qualities are bestowed on different jivas, who in His own self exhibits all the works or study and teaching, battle, rule, agriculture, trade and service; and who properly explains the four varnas like Brahman etc. and the four ashramas like Brahmacharya, Grahastya etc. is Narayana. The sun, the moon, the sky, the winds, morning and evening, day and night, the various directions, the earth and water are all witnesses of a person’s work of dharma and also of his adharma. It is adharma which is the object of punishment. All people, according to their respective deeds suffer from the punishment earned by their sins.”

In this way, after describing other signs of dharma, the messengers of Yama concluded, “This Brahmin is a great sinner. His whole life has been full of sins. He has violated all the injunctions of the shastras, and has indulged in drinking, thieving, sex with a shudrani, and has done many such abominable acts. He has not done any prayaschitta (expiation) for these sins. We shall take him to Dharmaraja, there he will purify him by making him undergo punishment.”

The messengers of Lord Vishnu replied, “Oh, what a great pity! You mean to say that He, on whose lap people keep their heads when they sleep, does not know what is dharma and what is adharma?

This Brahmin has done prayaschitta for sins committed in a crore of lives, what to say of this one life, because he has uttered the name of Hari spontaneously and without thinking. By this one act, he has not only done prayaschitta for his sins but has done sadhana for gaining moksha. By the uttering of Hari-Naam, all his sins have been destroyed. When he has uttered the four syllables of ‘Narayana’, there cannot be a trace of sin in him.

For the person, who is a thief, drinker, betrayer of friends, murderer of a Brahmin, who covets his Guru’s wife, is the killer of woman, king, father and cows and who commits other dreadful sins, the uttering of Naam is the real and correct prayaschitta. If one utters God’s name, then God looks upon that person with the sentiment that “He is mine, so I shall protect him in every way possible.”

The extent of purity that is gained by one by simply uttering God’s name is not gained even by one’s doing prayaschitta according to the instructions of Brahma-vadis, i.e. those who are learned in scriptures.

When one does prayaschitta, no doubt his sins are repelled but his mind again is attracted towards the evil. Sin is not completely uprooted by prayaschitta. Whoever desires to destroy his sins from the roots should do kirtan of Hari Naam, as this is the best form of prayaschitta. Naam kirtan purifies the mind.

Therefore you (messengers of Yama) should not take this Brahmin to the abode of Yama as all his sins have been destroyed by uttering the name ‘Narayana’ at the time of his death.

Whether by indication (in the form of uttering one’s son’s name) or in joke or without any meaning or in taunt, if one utters Hari’s name, his innumerable sins are destroyed.

Even if a person is hurt by a fall from a height or slips on the road, if he suffers from fever or is hit by a stick, if he utters the name Hari even without thinking about Him, all his or her pain is removed.

Just as fire destroys pieces of wood, in the same way Naam destroys all sins, whether it is sung with knowledge or in ignorance or in any way whatsoever.

Just as a powerful medicine act by itself even if it is taken in whatever way one likes and in ignorance of its quality, Naam-Mantra in whatever way it may be uttered, produces its result.

After saying all these things, the messengers of Sri Vishnu untied Ajamil from the knots tied by Yama’s messengers. The latter went to Yama and narrated all that had happened.

Q. This Brahmin, Ajamil, got liberated from the clutches of Yama’s messengers when, out of fear, he had called out his son’s name ‘Narayana’ and not with the intention of uttering God Narayana’s name. This is wonderful and unthinkable.

A. Material strength does not depend on whether one has faith in it or not.

Q. Narayana, Narayana, Narayana...When will my faith in Naam get established?

A. There is no harm even if you do not have any faith.

Go on repeating Narayana, Narayana, Narayana, Narayana, Narayana.