Shloka 19
यमस्य अधिकारभङ्गः — वैष्णवस्य लक्षणम्
Freedom from Yama through Hari-śaraṇāgati
इति यमवचनं निशम्य पाशी यमपुरुषस् तम् उवाच धर्मराजम् कथय मम विभो समस्तधातुर् भवति हरेः खलु यादृशो ऽस्य भक्तः
iti yamavacanaṃ niśamya pāśī yamapuruṣas tam uvāca dharmarājam kathaya mama vibho samastadhātur bhavati hareḥ khalu yādṛśo 'sya bhaktaḥ
Als der Schlingen tragende Diener Yamas die Worte Yamas vernommen hatte, sprach er zu Dharmarāja: „Sage mir, o Herr: Wie wird man in jeder Hinsicht völlig standhaft? Und wie ist wahrlich ein Verehrer Haris—was ist sein wahres Wesen?“
A pāśī (noose-bearing Yama-dūta / servant of Yama) speaking to Dharmarāja (Yama)
Concept: The verse frames bhakti as a knowable spiritual disposition whose marks can be taught and recognized.
Vedantic Theme: Dharma
Application: Seek clear criteria for devotion—ethical steadiness, inner purity, and single-minded God-remembrance—rather than mere external identity.
Vishishtadvaita: Bhakti is presented as a concrete, embodied dharma (ethical and mental discipline) oriented to Hari, not as an abstract sentiment.
Vishnu Form: Hari
Bhakti Type: Shanta
FAQs
It frames bhakti as a power that even Yama’s agents must understand, highlighting that devotion to Hari stands above ordinary karmic fear and reveals a higher spiritual order.
The verse introduces the inquiry: a true bhakta is marked by complete inner steadfastness and orientation toward Hari, prompting a doctrinal explanation of devotional identity beyond mere ritual merit.
Hari is treated as the supreme refuge whose devotee embodies a transformed state; the narrative implies Vishnu’s sovereignty extends even into Yama’s jurisdiction and the mechanisms of retribution.