tasmāt saṅkīrtanaṁ viṣṇor
tasmāt saṅkīrtanaṁ viṣṇor
jagan-maṅgalam aṁhasām
mahatām api kauravya
viddhy aikāntika-niṣkṛtam
O descendent of the Kurus! Please understand that intense chanting the Lord’s name, auspicious for the universe, is the ultimate atonement for the greatest sins.
On the evidence of the statements of Yama and Viṣṇu’s servants, a small amount of chanting destroys all sins. Then how much more can be accomplished by intense chanting (saṅkīrtaṇam)? Śukadeva speaks this verse.
|| 6.3.32 ||
śṛṇvatāṁ gṛṇatāṁ vīryāṇy
uddāmāni harer muhuḥ
yathā sujātayā bhaktyā
śuddhyen nātmā vratādibhiḥ
One who constantly hears and chants about the activities of the Lord, which can destroy sin, purifies his soul by that bhakti. One cannot achieve such purification merely by observing vows and performing Vedic ritualistic ceremonies.
Even for devotees how chant with offense, bhakti becomes perfect. It is said:
nāmāparādha-yuktānāṁ nāmāny eva haranty agham
aviśrānti-prayuktāni tāny evārtha-karāṇi ca
Even those who chant with offense destroy their sins. By continuous chanting they attain prema. In that state of bhakti the jīva becomes purified, what to speak of the mind. Though bhakti purified the jīva from the contamination of ignorance, atonements cannot achieve this result. Though by vows and atonements performed by the karmīs there is destruction of sinful reactions, the seed of sin, desire is not destroyed. The mind becomes only a little purified at that time. O King! It is true when you said “Atonement is like an elephant taking a bath.” The devotees destroy the root of sin by bhakti. They do not go to hell but attain the Lord. The karmīs however under the control of sinful and pious results go to hell and heaven again and again. This truth is indicated by this story.
|| 6.3.33 ||
kṛṣṇāṅghri-padma-madhu-liṇ na punar visṛṣṭa-
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