Dharma means bhāgavata-dharma. Otherwise it is not dharma; it is cheating. Otherwise, why Kṛṣṇa said, sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja (BG 18.66)? Because that is bhāgavata-dharma. Bhagavān is speaking. Therefore, what Bhagavān is speaking, that is in relationship with Bhagavān. Therefore it is called bhāgavata. Bhāgavata means in relationship with God, or Bhagavān. Bhāgavata-śabda and then bhāgavata. That is dharma. So bhāgavata-dharma. Dharma means bhāgavata-dharma. Dharma does not mean I manufacture at my home some religion and it becomes dharma. No. That kind of religion is rejected. Dharmaḥ projjhita kaivato 'tra: "That kind of cheating religion is rejected." Projjhita. Prakṛṣṭa-rūpeṇa ujjhita. That is not religion. Religion is for. . . Religion means the relationship between Bhagavān and me, or everything. Bhāgavata-dharma.
So the Bhāgavata-dharma is spoken by Bhagavān Himself, Bhagavad-gītā. So He says that cātur-varṇyaṁ mayā sṛṣṭaṁ guṇa-karma-vibhāgaśaḥ (BG 4.13). The human society must be divided into four classes: brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya, vaiśya, śūdra. He says. That is bhāgavata-dharma. If you abolish this, everyone is śūdra, no brāhmaṇa. That brāhmaṇa means guṇa-karma-vibhāgaśaḥ—guṇa, quality, and action, not by birth. He never says "by birth." Anyone who is qualified. . . Just like in ordinary life, any man who is a qualified medical man, he is given the title "doctor," medical practice, not that a doctor's son is necessarily a doctor. Even if he is a son of a doctor, still, he has to be educated as a medical man; then he will be accepted as doctor. This is bhāgavata-dharma. Cātur-varṇyaṁ mayā sṛṣṭam (BG 4.13). And in another place it is stated, yasya hi yad lakṣaṇaṁ proktaṁ varṇābhivyañjakam (SB 7.11.35). It is said by Nārada Muni to Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira, yasya hi yad lakṣaṇaṁ proktam. There are symptoms that he has. . . Here are the symptoms of a brāhmaṇa: satva śama dama titikṣa ārjavaṁ, jñāna-vijñāna āstikyaṁ brahma-karma svabhāva-jam (BG 18.42). So then Nārada Muni said that yasya hi yad lakṣaṇaṁ proktam: "In the śāstra, as the symptoms are described, if such symptom," yadi anyatra vidṛśyeta, "if such symptoms are visible in other place," tat tenaiva vinirdiśet (SB 7.11.35), "if the symptoms of a brāhmaṇa is found in a place, other place than, either in the śūdra family or vaiśya family or kṣatriya family, then he should be accepted as a brāhmaṇa. Similarly if somebody in a brāhmaṇa family, his symptoms are like kṣatriya or vaiśya or śūdra, then he should be designated like that." So this is bhāgavata-dharma, strictly following the words and the injunction of God. That is bhāgavata-dharma. And that is real dharma.
So this man deviated from bhāgavata-dharma. Therefore he was to be arrested by the Yamadūta for purification. That was his external affair. But by chance, by the grace of the Lord, at the time of his death he chanted "Nārāyaṇa," not exactly meaning the Supreme Lord Nārāyaṇa, but his son's name was Nārāyaṇa. He was thinking that "I am being dragged by the Yamadūta. So my son will save me." Therefore he exclaimed, "Nārāyaṇa, please save me." So he meant his son, but Nārāyaṇa, actual Nārāyaṇa, heard it—"O Nārāyaṇa, please save me." This is the. . . Nārāyaṇa is so kind that although the name of Nārāyaṇa was called by Ajāmila, meaning his son, still, because he has chanted the name, holy name of Nārāyaṇa, it was immediately taken seriously by Lord Nārāyaṇa, and His order carriers, the Viṣṇudūtas, were sent to save this man. Svalpam apy asya dharmasya trāyate mahato bhayāt (BG 2.40).
So this process of Kṛṣṇa consciousness is so nice that svalpam apy asya dharmasya, even slightly executed in due time. . . Because the process is we are educating people to chant Hare Kṛṣṇa to practice, so in due time, Hare Kṛṣṇa at the time of death especially, if we can chant this holy name of God, Hare Kṛṣṇa, then our life is successful. So unless we practice, how it will be possible to chant at the time of death? Because at the time of death the whole system, anatomical-physiological system, becomes disturbed, in bewilderedness, in coma, in unconsciousness. But still, if one has practiced, there is possibility of chanting the holy name of the Lord, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Nārāyaṇa. Then that is success of life. In Bengali there is a proverb, bhajana kara sādhana kara mūrti jānle haya(?), that "Whatever you are executing as a bhajana, sādhana, that's all right, but it will be tested at the time of your death." It will be test. Just like a parrot is chanting "Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa," but when some cat comes in, "Kaw-kaw-kaw." No. Then missing. So parrot life will not help you. You must be really chanting, without any offense. Then it is possibility that at the time of death. . . Death will be there. You may be very proud of your body, that "I am permanent." No. "As sure as death." And after death you have to change your body. Tathā dehāntara-prāptiḥ (BG 2.13). That we do not know, what kind of body I will enjoy. "Now I have got sevjī's body," that's all right. But your karma will decide the next body.