Viṣṇu-sahasranāma—Yudhiṣṭhira’s Inquiry and Bhīṣma’s Recitation (विष्णोर्नामसहस्रम्)
यम उवाच रमणीया कथा दिव्या युष्मत्तो या मया श्रुता । श्रूयतां चित्रगुप्तस्य भाषितं मम च प्रियम्
yama uvāca ramaṇīyā kathā divyā yuṣmatto yā mayā śrutā | śrūyatāṁ citraguptasya bhāṣitaṁ mama ca priyam ||
Yama berkata: “Wahai para dewa dan maharesi! Kisah indah dan ilahi yang telah kudengar dari kalian sungguh patut dipuji. Kini dengarkanlah ujaran Citragupta—kata-kata yang juga kusayangi.”
यम उवाच
The verse frames ethical accountability: Yama, the judge of deeds, values the divine narrative and directs attention to Citragupta’s testimony, implying that moral actions are recorded and evaluated within a just cosmic order.
Yama responds to a story he has heard from his interlocutors, praises it as delightful and divine, and then transitions the discourse by inviting the listeners to hear Citragupta’s statement, which Yama finds especially agreeable.