Shloka 48
Prāyaścitta, the ‘Elephant Bath’ Problem, and the Opening of Ajāmila-Upākhyāna
मनसैव पुरे देव: पूर्वरूपं विपश्यति । अनुमीमांसतेऽपूर्वं मनसा भगवानज: ॥ ४८ ॥
manasaiva pure devaḥ pūrva-rūpaṁ vipaśyati anumīmāṁsate ’pūrvaṁ manasā bhagavān ajaḥ
Le tout-puissant Yamarāja est comparable au seigneur Brahmā : tout en demeurant dans sa propre demeure, il réside aussi dans le cœur de tous comme Paramātmā ; par l’esprit il observe les actes passés de l’être vivant et comprend ainsi comment il agira dans les vies futures.
One should not consider Yamarāja an ordinary living being. He is as good as Lord Brahmā. He has the complete cooperation of the Supreme Lord, who is situated in everyone’s heart, and therefore, by the grace of the Supersoul, he can see the past, present and future of a living being from within. The word anumīmāṁsate means that he can decide in consultation with the Supersoul. Anu means “following.” The actual decisions concerning the next lives of the living entities are made by the Supersoul, and they are carried out by Yamarāja.
FAQs
This verse explains that before manifest creation, the unborn Supreme Lord beholds the universe’s archetypal form within His own mind and mentally arranges what will newly appear.
To emphasize that the Supreme Lord is not a product of creation—He exists eternally and initiates creation by His own divine will and intelligence.
It encourages faith that the cosmos is guided by higher intelligence and invites a devotee to cultivate inner clarity—using the mind in service (bhakti) rather than being ruled by it.