SB 06.01.63 tan-nimitta-smara-vyaja... cited

Expressions researched:
"graha-grasto vicetanah" |"sva-dharmad virarama ha" |"tam eva manasa dhyayan" |"tan-nimitta-smara-vyaja-"

SB Canto 6

SB 6.1.63, Translation and Purport:

In the same way that the sun and moon are eclipsed by a low planet, the brāhmaṇa lost all his good sense. Taking advantage of this situation, he always thought of the prostitute, and within a short time he took her as a servant in his house and abandoned all the regulative principles of a brāhmaṇa.

By speaking this verse, Śukadeva Gosvāmī wants to impress upon the mind of the reader that Ajāmila's exalted position as a brāhmaṇa was vanquished by his association with the prostitute, so much so that he forgot all his brahminical activities. Nevertheless, at the end of his life, by chanting the four syllables of the name Nārāyaṇa, he was saved from the gravest danger of falling down. Svalpam apy asya dharmasya trāyate mahato bhayāt: even a little devotional service can save one from the greatest danger. Devotional service, which begins with chanting of the holy name of the Lord, is so powerful that even if one falls down from the exalted position of a brāhmaṇa through sexual indulgence, he can be saved from all calamities if he somehow or other chants the holy name of the Lord. This is the extraordinary power of the Lord's holy name. Therefore in Bhagavad-gītā it is advised that one not forget the chanting of the holy name even for a moment (satataṁ kīrtayanto māṁ yatantaś ca dṛḍha-vratāḥ (BG 9.14)). There are so many dangers in this material world that one may fall down from an exalted position at any time. Yet if one keeps himself always pure and steady by chanting the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra, he will be safe without a doubt.

Srimad-Bhagavatam Lectures

Lecture on SB 6.1.63 -- Vrndavana, August 30, 1975:

Prabhupāda:

tan-nimitta-smara-vyāja

graha-grasto vicetasaḥ

tām eva manasā dhyāyan

sva-dharmād virarāma ha

(SB 6.1.63)

So the one word is very significant in this connection: graha-grasto vicetasaḥ. Graha-grasto means ghostly haunted or influenced by bad star, graha-grasto. Sometimes we become... We are always graha-grasto in this material world. It is said by some Vaiṣṇava poet, piśāci pāile yena mati-cchana haya māyār graṣṭa jīvera sei dāsa upajaya. Piśāci, ghostly haunted or inspired by the witches, when one becomes so, mati-cchana, he becomes bewildered and his intelligence becomes scattered. Mati-cchana. That is the condition of all living entities within this material world in different degrees. Everyone is ghostly haunted. And what is that ghostly haunted? That ghostly haunted, tan-nimitta-smara-vyāja. This Ajāmila had seen one śūdra and one śūdrāṇī were embracing, kissing, laughing, enjoying in lusty affairs. So he became tan-nimitta. By seeing these activities of the śūdra and the śūdrāṇī, naturally the lusty desire is there, which I explained yesterday. It is called hṛd-roga-kāma. This kāma, lusty desire, is a heart disease. So he was infected by the heart disease by seeing the scene, that one woman and man is embracing kissing, immediately.

Lecture on SB 6.1.63 -- Vrndavana, August 30, 1975:

So this is the example. The Ajāmila was trained up as a nice brāhmaṇa, but he was not still expert to become Vaiṣṇava. Therefore... But still, the seed of Vaiṣṇavism was there because a brāhmaṇa is trained up how to worship Viṣṇu, how to worship Nārāyaṇa. That is essential. So this boy was also trained up how to worship Nārāyaṇa, Viṣṇu. And it was beneficially at the last stage of his life. Svalpam apy asya dharmasya trāyate mahato bhayāt. Even if you practice little of devotional service, it can save you from the greatest danger of life. That actually happened in the life of Ajamila. So tan-nimitta. So in this age, especially Kali-yuga, it is very, very difficult to save oneself from these infections of life. We have got already... We have come to this material world to fulfill our lusty desires. Naturally whenever there is any lusty activities, our heart disease immediately becomes impeted, and the same thing happened to Ajāmila. And graha-grasto vicetasaḥ. Graha-grasta. Just like when we are haunted by ghost—a ghost captures, then vicetasaḥ, we are lost, lost of our our consciousness, our intelligence—he became like that. Tām eva manasā dhyāyan. Then, instead of meditating on Kṛṣṇa, he began to meditate on the lusty affairs of the śūdra and the śūdrāṇī.

Lecture on SB 6.1.64-65 -- Vrndavana, September 1, 1975:

So this man, although he was being trained up as a brāhmaṇa, his attention was diverted all of a sudden by seeing one śūdra and śūdrāṇī embracing, kissing, talking. So that became his meditation. Instead of meditating on Viṣṇu, he began to meditate on that śūdrani. Svayam eva toṣayām āsa. In the first verse, tan-nimitta-smara vyāja-graha-grasto vicetasaḥ. He became mad, vicetasa, bewildered, as if haunted by ghost. Tām eva manasā dhyāyan. Always meditating, "How shall I get that woman? How shall I please that woman so that she may satisfy my lusty desires?" Therefore tām eva toṣayām āsa: "His only business was how to please her." Now they require money. So he was not earning money, but pitṛyeṇa, whatever money he inherited from the father's earning... The son generally inherits father's property. He was the only son. So he was squandering the father's money in that way just to please that śūdrāṇī-tām eva toṣayām āsa pitṛyenārthena yāvatā—as much as possible. If he could get more money, then he would have spent them only for that women. Grāmyaiḥ. Grāmyair manoramaiḥ. This word grāmya is very significant. Grāmya means external, material. Grāmyair manoramaiḥ. By the sense gratification, whatever we find very pleasing, that is called grāmya manorama. Actually that is not pleasing. That is entangling. But he became entangled. So grāmyair manoramaiḥ kāmaiḥ. The basic principle is lust. Kāmaiḥ prasīdeta yaḥ. Wanted to satisfy the woman here and there as soon as meets. We can see these examples very often. Then next step was,

viprāṁ sva-bhāryām aprauḍhāṁ

kule mahati lambhitāṁ

visasarjācirāt pāpaḥ

svairiṇyāpāṅga-viddha-dhīḥ

(SB 6.1.65)