Shloka 10
अक्षद्यूतप्रवेशः — Kali’s Entry and the Initiation of the Dice-Contest
यस्य दण्डभयात् सर्वे भूतग्रामा: समागता: । धर्ममेवानुरुध्यन्ति का त॑ं न वरयेत् पतिम्,“जिनके दण्डके भयसे संसारमें आये हुए समस्त प्राणिसमुदाय धर्मका ही पालन करते हैं, उन यमराजको कौन अपना पति नहीं वरेगी?
yasya daṇḍabhayāt sarve bhūtagrāmāḥ samāgatāḥ | dharmam evānurudhyanti kā taṃ na varayet patim ||
Por temor a su vara punitiva, todas las huestes de seres que han venido al mundo se ciñen únicamente al dharma. ¿Quién, entonces, no escogería por esposo a Yama?
बृहदश्व उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse presents daṇḍa (punitive authority) as a force that sustains dharma in society: fear of just punishment restrains beings and aligns conduct with moral order. It implies that a ruler/judge like Yama embodies dharma through enforcement, making him worthy of acceptance and honor.
Bṛhadaśva, while narrating, praises the authority of Yama: because all beings adhere to dharma out of fear of his punishment, the speaker rhetorically asks who would refuse to choose such a figure as husband—framing Yama’s moral-juridical power as a mark of supreme worthiness.