Shloka 25

Saṃhāra-krama (The Sequence of Cosmic Dissolution) — Yājñavalkya’s Discourse

Devanagari script

न यमो नान्तक: क्रुद्धो न मृत्युर्भीमविक्रम: । ईशते नृपते सर्वे योगस्यामिततेजस:,नरेश्वर! अमित तेजस्वी योगीपर क्रोधमें भरे हुए यमराज, अन्तक और भयंकर पराक्रम दिखानेवाली मृत्युका भी शासन नहीं चलता है

Transliteration

na yamo nāntakaḥ kruddho na mṛtyur bhīmavikramaḥ | īśate nṛpate sarve yogasyāmitatejasaḥ ||

Translation

Bhīṣma sprach: „O König, über den Yogin von unermesslichem geistigem Glanz haben weder Yama noch Antaka—der zornige Vollender—noch der Tod selbst von schrecklicher Macht Herrschaft. Wer im Yoga gefestigt ist, erhebt sich über die gewöhnliche Reichweite von Furcht, Schicksal und Zwangsgewalten.“

Word by Word

नnot

यमःYama (lord of death)

नnor/not

अन्तकःAntaka (the ender, death)

क्रुद्धःangered

नnor/not

मृत्युःDeath

भीमविक्रमःof terrible prowess

ईशतेrules/has power (over)

नृपतेO king

सर्वेall

योगस्यof yoga

अमिततेजसःof immeasurable splendor

नरेश्वरO lord of men (king)

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

Bhīṣma

Yama

Antaka

Mṛtyu (Death)

Nṛpati (the king, i.e., Yudhiṣṭhira)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

A yogin established in profound yoga possesses inner sovereignty: the usual forces that terrify or compel ordinary beings—death, fate, and the fear of punishment—do not 'rule' him, because his mind is mastered and his identity is no longer confined to the perishable body.

What is happening in the narrative?

In Śānti Parva, Bhīṣma instructs King Yudhiṣṭhira on dharma and higher disciplines. Here he praises the power of yoga, asserting that a truly radiant yogin stands beyond the dominion of Yama/Death, emphasizing spiritual attainment as the highest protection.