ਅਜਾਮਲੁ (ajaamal)
Meaning: noun: A wicked Brahmin.
Quote:
ਅਜਾਮਲੁ ਪਾਪੀ ਜਗੁ ਜਾਨੇ ਨਿਮਖ ਮਾਹਿ ਨਿਸਤਾਰਾ॥
ajaamal paapee jag jaane nimakh maahi nistaaraa.
The whole world knows about Ajamal, a sinner, but he was redeemed in an instant (through the remembrance of the Divine). – Guru Teg Bahadar Sahib, Guru Granth Sahib, 632
Message: According to legend, Ajamal was a Brahmin from Kanauj, Uttar Pradesh, India. He was labelled as ‘a highly immoral person’ because he used to go to a prostitute.
To encourage him to forego his immoral conduct, a sage advised him to worship the Divine. But Ajamal told the sage that it was a very tough job for him, and he could not do it.
As the legend goes, the sage advised him to name his youngest son, Narayan (which is another name for the Divine). The underlying thought of the sage was that since the youngest son would be around his parents most of the time, Ajamal would call him by his name ‘Narayan’, thus he would unwittingly be remembering the Divine and slowly change as a result.
Thus through the remembrance of the Divine, Ajamal eventually steered his life towards a better direction. He turned over a new leaf. He was freed of his wrong doings.
The story tells us that it is never too late to begin our steps towards the Divine. The Almighty is very kind and loving. He redeems whosoever comes to His embrace.
