Shloka 48

Devanagari script

नीयते यमदूतैस्तु यमस्याज्ञाकरैर्बलात्‌

Transliteration

nīyate yamadūtais tu yamasya ājñākarair balāt

Translation

Vaiśampāyana said: He is forcibly led away by Yama’s messengers—those who carry out the Lord of Death’s commands—showing how inexorable the consequences of one’s deeds become when the time of judgment arrives.

Word by Word

• नीयते: is being led/taken
• नीयते: Karma
• Type: Verb
• Root: नी (नयति)
• Form: Present (Lat), Passive (Karmani), 3rd, Singular

• यमदूतैः: by Yama's messengers
• यमदूतैः: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: यमदूत
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental, Plural

• तु: indeed/but
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु

• यमस्य: of Yama
• यमस्य: Sambandha
• Type: Noun
• Root: यम
• Form: Masculine, Genitive, Singular

• आज्ञाकरैः: by the command-executors (obedient servants)
• आज्ञाकरैः: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: आज्ञाकर
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental, Plural

• बलात्: by force/forcibly
• बलात्: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: बल
• Form: Neuter, Ablative, Singular

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Vaiśampāyana
• Yama
• Yamadūtas

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse underscores the inevitability of karmic accountability: when the appointed time comes, the agents of Yama enforce the moral order, and one cannot evade the consequences of one’s actions.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vaiśampāyana describes a person being seized and taken away by Yama’s messengers, who act under Yama’s authority, emphasizing the forceful and unavoidable nature of the transition to judgment after death.