Shloka 21

Yama-mārga (Adhvan) and the Courts of Yama: Vaivasvatī and Chitragupta

Devanagari script

तत्रस्थो भगवान् धर्म आसने तु समे शुभे / दशयो जनविस्तीर्णे नीलजीमूतसन्निभे

Transliteration

tatrastho bhagavān dharma āsane tu same śubhe / daśayo janavistīrṇe nīlajīmūtasannibhe

Translation

Dort saß der ehrwürdige Herr Dharma auf einem ebenen, glückverheißenden Thron, zehn Yojanas breit, dunkel wie ein Gewölk blauer Regenwolken.

Word by Word

• तत्र: there
• तत्र: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatra (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; देशवाचक क्रियाविशेषण (locative adverb)

• स्थः: standing/being
• स्थः: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: √स्था (धातु) → स्थ (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक, क्त/क्तवत्-प्राय)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन; 'स्थित/स्थ' = standing/being

• भगवान्: the venerable lord
• भगवान्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhagavat (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन; विशेष्य (honorific)

• धर्मः: Dharma (Yama)
• धर्मः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dharma (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन

• आसने: on the seat/throne
• आसने: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: āsana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7), एकवचन

• तु: indeed
• तु: Sambandha-bodhaka (Discourse particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tu (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निपात

• समे: even, level
• समे: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7), एकवचन; विशेषण (agreeing with आसने)

• शुभे: auspicious
• शुभे: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: śubha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7), एकवचन; विशेषण (agreeing with आसने)

• दश: ten
• दश: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: daśa (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययवत् संख्या; (यहाँ) विशेषण; 'दश' = ten

• योजन: yojanas
• योजन: Measure-specifier (Pramāṇa)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yojana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, (समासपूर्वपद-रूप) बहुवचनार्थे; 'दश-योजन' इति मापवाचक

• विस्तीर्णे: spread out, extensive
• विस्तीर्णे: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वि-√स्तॄ (धातु) → विस्तीर्ण (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक, क्त)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7), एकवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त; विशेषण (आसने)

• नीलजीमूतसन्निभे: resembling a dark cloud
• नीलजीमूतसन्निभे: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: नील + जीमूत + सन्निभ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष-समासः (नीलजीमूतवत् सन्निभम्)

Speaker

Lord Vishnu (narrating to Garuda/Vinata-putra)

Pretakalpa Layer

Afterlife Stage: Yamaloka Journey

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Dharma is enthroned—stable, auspicious, and vast—signaling that moral order is sovereign over all beings.

Vedantic Theme: Īśvara as dharma-niyantā (governor of moral law); the jīva’s subjection to niyati through karma.

Application: Align choices with dharma even when unseen; cultivate inner steadiness (sthiti) like the ‘even throne’—non-reactive integrity.

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: bhayanaka

Secondary Rasa: adbhuta

Geographic Context

Type: throne dais/audience seat

Cross References

Related Themes: Garuda Purana Pretakalpa: portrayal of Yama/Dharma as ruler and judge; descriptions of his form, court, and function

Characters & Entities

• Dharma (Dharmaraja/Yama)

FAQs

What is the importance of Dharmaraja’s court in the Garuda Purana?

This verse depicts Dharmaraja’s majestic seat, emphasizing that the after-death journey culminates in an ordered, auspicious realm of moral accounting where Dharma presides as cosmic judge.

How does this verse explain the path of the soul after death?

By placing Dharmaraja ‘there’ in a formal assembly setting, the verse situates the soul’s post-mortem passage within a structured process—arrival to a realm where deeds are weighed under Dharma’s authority.

Practical application of this wisdom today?

Live with accountability: treat actions as consequential and reviewable—cultivating truthfulness, restraint, charity, and duty—so one’s karmic record aligns with Dharma.