Attaining the supreme destination (Taittiriya Upanisad 2.9)
Devotional service is so perfect that it can immediately destroy both pious and impious reactions and set us on the path of perfection. Krsna consciousness simultaneously closes both accounts.
Section 9: Attaining the supreme destination
The process of devotional service is so perfect that it can immediately destroy both pious and impious reactions and set us on the path of perfection. Krsna consciousness simultaneously closes both accounts, destroying not just the results of past sins, but also the tendency to commit such activities. This great secret is described in the 6th canto of Srimad Bhagavatam, where Pariksit Maharaja became anxious to hear about a process that could save sinful people from the torments of hell, leading to the description of the pastime of Ajamila. This supreme knowledge is also hinted in this passage.
Text 2.9.1
yato vāco nivartante, aprāpya manasā saha
ānandam brahmaṇo vidvān
na bibheti kutaścaneti
etam ha vāva na tapati
kim aham sādhu nākaravam, kim aham pāpam akaravam iti
sa ya evam vidvān ete ātmānam spṛṇute
ubhe hy evaiṣa ete ātmānam spṛṇute, ya evam veda
ityupaniṣat
He who knows the bliss of that Supreme Lord, the ananda-maya, whom the mind fails to find, fears nothing. Material thoughts don't affect him. He doesn't rejoice with the good or lament for the evil. He finds equanimity in both. He becomes free from both good and bad karma and attains the supreme destination. This is the secret teaching (ityupaniṣat).
Commentary: The Vedas describe many types of fruitive activities to increase one's piety, and many types of expiatory processes to counteract one's sinful reactions. The history of Ajamila, however, describes a process that can free us from both material piety and impiety, making us completely free from all types of karmic reactions and thus eligible for liberation. That's the process of devotional service, composed of hearing and chanting the holy names of the Lord, remembering his qualities and pastimes, and so on.
The process of devotional service is so perfect that it can immediately destroy both pious and impious reactions and in this way set us on the path of liberation from birth and death. Both good and bad karma are bad in a sense because both tie us to this world. Sinful reactions make us go to hell and take birth in the lower species, while reactions to pious work make us take birth as rich persons or even demigods to enjoy such results. However, as Krsna explains, we will find the same problems of birth, death, old age, and disease anywhere in this material world. Good karma is thus also bad because it forces us to remain in this material world. Krsna consciousness, on the other hand, simultaneously closes both accounts, destroying not just the results of past sins, but also the tendency to commit such activities in the first place.
After hearing the descriptions of the hellish planets at the end of the 5th canto of the Srimad Bhagavatam, Pariksit Maharaja became anxious to hear about a process that could save people from such torment. This knowledge is very confidential, therefore Sukadeva Goswami first tested him by recommending the process of expiation for sinful activities described in the Vedas. Pariksit however rejected this process considering it no better than the bath of an elephant, because it may destroy the results of one's sinful activities, but does not destroy the material desires that make one act in such ways in the first place. Pleased to see his disciple passing the test, Sukadeva Goswami explained the great secret by narrating the history of Ajamila.
As Prabhupada describes in his purport to SB 6.3.22:
"The Bhāgavatam further says, sa vai pumsām paro dharmo yato bhaktir adhokṣaje: the supreme religion is that which teaches its followers how to love the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is beyond the reach of experimental knowledge. Such a religious system begins with tan-nāma-grahaṇa, chanting of the holy name of the Lord (śravaṇam kīrtanam viṣṇoḥ smaraṇam pāda-sevanam). After chanting the holy name of the Lord and dancing in ecstasy, one gradually sees the form of the Lord, the pastimes of the Lord and the transcendental qualities of the Lord. This way one fully understands the situation of the Personality of Godhead. One can come to this understanding of the Lord, how He descends into the material world, how He takes His births and what activities He performs, but one can know this only by executing devotional service. As stated in Bhagavad-gītā, bhaktyā mām abhijānāti: simply by devotional service one can understand everything about the Supreme Lord. If one fortunately understands the Supreme Lord in this way, the result is tyaktvā deham punar janma naiti: after giving up his material body, he no longer has to take birth in this material world. Instead, he returns home, back to Godhead. That is the ultimate perfection."
Later, specifically speaking about the potency of the holy names, he reveals:
"This power of chanting the holy name was proved by the liberation of Ajāmila. When Ajāmila chanted the holy name of Nārāyaṇa, he did not precisely remember the Supreme Lord; instead, he remembered his own son. At the time of death, Ajāmila certainly was not very clean; indeed, he was famous as a great sinner. Furthermore, one’s physiological condition is completely disturbed at the time of death, and in such an awkward condition it would certainly have been very difficult for Ajāmila to have chanted clearly. Nevertheless, Ajāmila achieved liberation simply by chanting the holy name of the Lord. Therefore, what is to be said of those who are not sinful like Ajāmila? It is to be concluded that with a strong vow one should chant the holy name of the Lord — Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare/ Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare — for thus one will certainly be delivered from the clutches of māyā by the grace of Kṛṣṇa.
The chanting of the Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra is recommended even for persons who commit offenses, because if they continue chanting they will gradually chant offenselessly. By chanting the Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra without offenses, one increases his love for Kṛṣṇa. As stated by Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, premā pumartho mahān: one’s main concern should be to increase one’s attachment to the Supreme Personality of Godhead and to increase one’s love for Him." (SB 6.3.24 purport)
And then concludes:
"As stated in Bhagavad-gītā (15.15), vedaiś ca sarvair aham eva vedyaḥ: the real purpose of studying the Vedas is to approach the lotus feet of Lord Kṛṣṇa. Unfortunately, unintelligent people bewildered by the grandeur of Vedic yajñas want to see gorgeous sacrifices performed. They want Vedic mantras chanted and huge amounts of money spent for such ceremonies. Sometimes we have to observe the Vedic ritualistic ceremonies to please such unintelligent men. Recently, when we established a large Kṛṣṇa-Balarāma temple in Vṛndāvana, we were obliged to have Vedic ceremonies enacted by brāhmaṇas because the inhabitants of Vṛndāvana, especially the smārta-brāhmaṇas, would not accept Europeans and Americans as bona fide brāhmaṇas. Thus we had to engage brāhmaṇas to perform costly yajñas. In spite of these yajñas, the members of our Society performed sankīrtana loudly with mṛdangas, and I considered the sankīrtana more important than the Vedic ritualistic ceremonies. Both the ceremonies and the sankīrtana were going on simultaneously. The ceremonies were meant for persons interested in Vedic rituals for elevation to heavenly planets (jaḍī-kṛta-matir madhu-puṣpitāyām), whereas the sankīrtana was meant for pure devotees interested in pleasing the Supreme Personality of Godhead. We would simply have performed sankīrtana, but then the inhabitants of Vṛndāvana would not have taken the installation ceremony seriously. As explained here, the Vedic performances are meant for those whose intelligence has been dulled by the flowery language of the Vedas, which describe fruitive activities intended to elevate one to the higher planets.
Especially in this Age of Kali, sankīrtana alone is sufficient. If the members of our temples in the different parts of the world simply continue sankīrtana before the Deity, especially before Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, they will remain perfect. There is no need of any other performances. Nevertheless, to keep oneself clean in habits and mind, Deity worship and other regulative principles are required. Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī says that although sankīrtana is sufficient for the perfection of life, the arcanā, or worship of the Deity in the temple, must continue in order that the devotees may stay clean and pure. Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura therefore recommended that one follow both processes simultaneously. We strictly follow his principle of performing Deity worship and sankīrtana along parallel lines. This we should continue." (SB 6.3.25 purport)
This is the secret.