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A Second Chance: The Story of a Near-Death Experience
The amazing narrative of Ajamila’s transforming near-death experience is chronicled in Srimad-Bhagavatam. In this book based on that narrative, Srila Prabhupada shows us how we can employ the techniques of mantra meditation and bhakti-yoga to overcome the obstacles of materialism, meet the challenge of death, and ultimately attain spiritual perfection.
Death is the moment when mysterious forces act to determine our destiny. At a time when reincarnation is accepted, not only with the growing ranks of people reporting out-of-body and near-death experiences but with the public at large, A Second Chance shows us how we can use meditation and yoga to meet the challenge of death.
As the sinful Ajamila lay on his deathbed, he was terrified to see three fierce humanlike creatures coming to drag him out of his dying body and take him away to the abode of Yamaraja, the lord of death, for punishment.
Surprisingly, Ajamila escaped this terrible fate. How? You’ll find out in the pages of A Second The Story of a Near-Death Experience.
You’ll also learn many vital truths about the fundamental nature of the self and reality, so you can better prepare yourself for your own inevitable encounters with death and dying.
Even today, people momentarily on the verge of death report encounters like Ajamila’s, lending credibility to the idea that there is life after death.
The history of Ajamila is dramatic, powerful, and engaging. And the sharp philosophical and metaphysical debates that punctuate the action as Ajamila confronts the messengers of death and finds deliverance are bound to excite the interest of those concerned with life’s deepest questions.
Death is the moment when mysterious forces act to determine our destiny. At a time when reincarnation is accepted, not only with the growing ranks of people reporting out-of-body and near-death experiences but with the public at large, A Second Chance shows us how we can use meditation and yoga to meet the challenge of death.
As the sinful Ajamila lay on his deathbed, he was terrified to see three fierce humanlike creatures coming to drag him out of his dying body and take him away to the abode of Yamaraja, the lord of death, for punishment.
Surprisingly, Ajamila escaped this terrible fate. How? You’ll find out in the pages of A Second The Story of a Near-Death Experience.
You’ll also learn many vital truths about the fundamental nature of the self and reality, so you can better prepare yourself for your own inevitable encounters with death and dying.
Even today, people momentarily on the verge of death report encounters like Ajamila’s, lending credibility to the idea that there is life after death.
The history of Ajamila is dramatic, powerful, and engaging. And the sharp philosophical and metaphysical debates that punctuate the action as Ajamila confronts the messengers of death and finds deliverance are bound to excite the interest of those concerned with life’s deepest questions.
- GenresNonfictionSpirituality
148 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 1991
24 people are currently reading
166 people want to read
About the author
A.C. Bhaktivedanta
813 books718 followersHis Divine Grace Abhay Charanaravinda Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada (अभय चरणारविन्द भक्तिवेदान्त स्वामी प्रभुपाद)was born as Abhay Charan De on 1 September 1896 in Calcutta, India.
He first met his spiritual master, Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Gosvami, in Calcutta in 1922. Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati, a prominent devotional scholar and the founder of sixty-four branches of Gaudiya Mathas (Vedic institutes), liked this educated young man and convinced him to dedicate his life to teaching Vedic knowledge in the Western world. Srila Prabhupada became his student, and eleven years later (1933) at Allahabad, he became his formally initiated disciple.
At their first meeting, in 1922, Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura requested Srila Prabhupada to broadcast Vedic knowledge through the English language. In the years that followed, Srila Prabhupada wrote a commentary on the Bhagavad-gita and in 1944, without assistance, started an English fortnightly magazine.
In the last ten years of his life, in spite of his advanced age, Srila Prabhupada circled the globe twelve times on lecture tours that have took him to six continents. In spite of such a vigorous schedule, Srila Prabhupada continued to write prolifically. His writings constitute a veritable library of Vedic philosophy, religion, literature and culture.
He first met his spiritual master, Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Gosvami, in Calcutta in 1922. Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati, a prominent devotional scholar and the founder of sixty-four branches of Gaudiya Mathas (Vedic institutes), liked this educated young man and convinced him to dedicate his life to teaching Vedic knowledge in the Western world. Srila Prabhupada became his student, and eleven years later (1933) at Allahabad, he became his formally initiated disciple.
At their first meeting, in 1922, Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura requested Srila Prabhupada to broadcast Vedic knowledge through the English language. In the years that followed, Srila Prabhupada wrote a commentary on the Bhagavad-gita and in 1944, without assistance, started an English fortnightly magazine.
In the last ten years of his life, in spite of his advanced age, Srila Prabhupada circled the globe twelve times on lecture tours that have took him to six continents. In spite of such a vigorous schedule, Srila Prabhupada continued to write prolifically. His writings constitute a veritable library of Vedic philosophy, religion, literature and culture.
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
January 2, 2014
One has to read this book to really experience the pain involved at the time of death.
January 9, 2015
Beautiful story, reveals many secrets about death. Also presents simplest method for permanent happiness.
May 24, 2019
The story of Ajamila who got deviated from his path and got entangled with a prostitute but still he went Back to Godhead. Read the 📖 to know how just by calling his son "Narayan", Ajamila went Back to Godhead.
October 3, 2020
The book isn't bad..but it says that when a human reminds the God's name at his death, he is sure that he will reach the lord...foolish may understand that "it's no problem to make sins as we would chant the lord name at our death"...but I suppose it would be better to teach that we shouldn't make mistakes instead of chanting the Lord's name at our death..and also this book isn't good to the children to read this book as it repeatedly chants the Ajamila's illicit relationship with a prostitute ...
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 23, 2019
Awesome book. The climax is really the climax
July 27, 2020
For a coming of age mind, this book is a must read. Regardless of the book's pious nature, it has in it (inadvertently perhaps) good lessons for life.
December 7, 2020
Spiritual content
March 19, 2023
There is no loss of having Krishna consciousness but the gain will be infinite.
June 25, 2019
A great treatise on Vedic cosmology, ontology, the glorious position of the Holy Name and the devotees of Supreme Lord. The book is an in-depth commentary on the story of Ajamila taken from the Bhagavata Purana (Srimad Bhagavatam). The devotional perspective in the narration adds a priceless layer of understanding the inner working of the classical text.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews