The Visnudutas charged that the Yamadutas did not know whom to arrest and whom not to arrest. The Yamadutas regularly arrest sinful persons, but in this case the Yamadutas came to arrest Ajamila, who had been released from all sinful reactions simply by chanting Narayana! The Visnudutas criticized the Yamadutas, saying, You do not know whom to punish and whom not to punish. Even though Ajamila committed so many sinful activities, he is now freed from the reactions to his sins. He has completely counteracted all those sins by chanting the holy name of Narayana. Why are you now attempting to arrest this person as if he were a criminal? Although he had no intention of chanting the holy name, still he has chanted it, and therefore he is now free of sin.

The Yamadutas had considered only the external situation of Ajamila. Since he was extremely sinful during his life, they thought he should be taken to Yamaraja. They did not know that he had become free from the reactions of all his sins. The Visnudutas thus instructed them that because he had chanted the name Narayana at the time of his deathand also throughout his lifehe was freed from all sinful reactions. In this regard Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura quotes the following verses from the scriptures:

These are some verses explaining why the Visnudutas stopped the Yamadutas from taking Ajamila to Yamaraja.

There are different kinds of sins, one of which is stealing. Thieves and burglars are very sinful. Another sinful activity is drunkenness. Those who are addicted to intoxication and stealing are condemned by the Visnudutas. Other examples of sins are being unfaithful to ones friends, killing a brahmana or Vaisnava, dishonoring ones spiritual master or teacher, killing a woman, killing a king, and killing a cow. These are among the worst sins. But the Visnudutas say that even though a person has committed many such sins, if he utters the holy name of Narayana even once, he at once becomes free from sinful reactions.

Sridhara Svami says, Chanting the holy name of Narayana, Lord Hari, not only counteracted all of Ajamilas sinful reactions, but it made him eligible to become liberated, and therefore at the time of death he was transferred to the spiritual world. Chanting the holy name of Krsna counteracts all sinsmore than one can possibly commit. Because Ajamila had chanted the holy name without offense, and because he chanted sincerely, he completely freed himself from all sinful reactions. This is why we are stressing the chanting of Hare Krsna so much. Pious activities, austerity, sacrificeeverything is done simply by chanting the Hare Krsna mantra. There is no need of any other process of yoga, atonement, or austerity and penance. Simply by chanting without offense one achieves the results of all other ritualistic performances prescribed in the Vedas.

Previously, when engaged in sinful activities to maintain his family, Ajamila chanted the name of Narayana, but he did so without offense. To chant the holy name of the Lord just to counteract ones sinful activities, or to commit sinful activities on the strength of chanting the holy name, is offensive (namno balad yasya hi papa-buddhih). But although Ajamila engaged in sinful activities, he never chanted the holy name of Narayana to counteract them; he simply chanted the name Narayana to call his son. Therefore his chanting was effective. Because he chanted the holy name in this way, he had already vanquished the accumulated sinful reactions of many, many lives. The conclusion is that one who always chants the holy name of the Lord without offense is always pure. As confirmed in these verses, Ajamila was already sinless, and because he chanted the name of Narayana he remained sinless. It did not matter that he was calling his son; the name itself was effective.

Foolish persons say that one can chant any name, even a demigods name, and get the same result as chanting the holy name of the Lord. This is Mayavada philosophy. The Mayavadis think that everyone is God; they say, The demigods are God, I am God, you are God. Therefore they say one can chant any name and become liberated. In Bengal it is very popular to hold a kali-kirtana. A party of people meet and chant, Kali! Kali! Kali! or the names of so many so-called avataras. One rascal added his wifes name to the chanting, and his foolish followers accepted it. In this way Mayavadi philosophers are leading their followers straight to hell. Caitanya Mahaprabhu has therefore strongly warned against hearing from the Mayavadi philosophers, lest ones spiritual life be spoiled and the path of devotional service blocked. We should always remember this when there is any question of chanting other names. We should chant the holy name of Visnu, the holy name of Krsnano one elses name.

The scriptures advise us to chant only the name of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Krsna. There are thousands of names of Visnu, and in once sense Krsna and Visnu are the same, yet the scriptures explain that chanting a thousand names of Visnu gives the result of chanting the name Rama just once, and chanting Rama three times gives the result of chanting Krsna once. In other words, one automatically gets all good results just by chanting the holy name of Krsna.

Caitanya Mahaprabhu therefore recommends this chanting process, according to sastric injunction:

By taking up this chanting process, we are immediately freed from all sinful reactions. Thus we begin our spiritual life. Without being freed from sinful life, there is no possibility of becoming a pure Vaisnava.