Shloka 103
गोप्रदान-माहात्म्ये गोलोक-प्रश्नः
Gopradāna-Māhātmya: Inquiry into Goloka
प्रोवाच नीयतामेष सो5नन््य आनीयतामिति । वह आक्रमण करके उसी ब्राह्णको उठा लाया, जिसके लिये यमराजने मना कर दिया था। शक्तिशाली यमराजने उठकर उसके लाये हुए ब्राह्मणकी पूजा की और दूतसे कहा -- इसको तुम ले जाओ और दूसरेको यहाँ ले आओ'
provāca nīyatām eṣa so 'nanya ānīyatām iti | sa ākramaṇaṃ kṛtvā tam eva brāhmaṇam utthāpya ānayat, yasya viṣaye yamarājena pratiṣiddham āsīt | śaktimān yamarāja utthāya tena ānītena brāhmaṇena pūjāṃ cakāra, dūtaṃ ca uvāca—enaṃ tvaṃ naya, anyam iha ānaya |
Bhīṣma said: “Let this one be taken away; bring that other one instead.” Acting on this command, the messenger forcefully seized and brought the very Brāhmaṇa whom Yama had earlier forbidden to be taken. Then mighty Yama rose, honored the Brāhmaṇa who had been brought, and instructed his attendant: “Take this man away, and bring another here.” The episode underscores the moral weight of a Brāhmaṇa’s sanctity and the truth that even the lord of death upholds dharma by correcting an improper seizure and restoring rightful order.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even supreme power (Yama’s authority over death) is bound by dharma: wrongful taking must be corrected, and a Brahmin—symbolizing learning, ritual purity, and moral order—deserves honor and protection. Justice includes the willingness to reverse an improper act and restore the proper person to be taken.
A messenger, acting forcefully, brings a Brahmin whom Yama had previously forbidden to be taken. Yama rises, honors the Brahmin, and orders the messenger to take him away and instead bring another person—indicating a correction of the earlier misdirected seizure and reaffirming dharmic procedure.