Shloka 5
Yamarāja Instructs the Yamadūtas: Supreme Authority, Mahājanas, and the Glory of the Holy Name
यदि स्युर्बहवो लोके शास्तारो दण्डधारिण: । कस्य स्यातां न वा कस्य मृत्युश्चामृतमेव वा ॥ ५ ॥
yadi syur bahavo loke śāstāro daṇḍa-dhāriṇaḥ kasya syātāṁ na vā kasya mṛtyuś cāmṛtam eva vā
Jika di alam ini ada ramai pemerintah dan hakim yang memegang hukuman, maka siapa yang dihukum dan siapa yang tidak? Siapa mendapat kematian dan siapa pula memperoleh keabadian?
Because the Yamadūtas had been unsuccessful in carrying out the order of Yamarāja, they doubted whether Yamarāja actually had the power to punish the sinful. Although they had gone to arrest Ajāmila, following Yamarāja’s order, they found themselves unsuccessful because of the order of some higher authority. Therefore they were unsure of whether there were many authorities or only one. If there were many authorities who gave different judgments, which could be contradictory, a person might be wrongly punished or wrongly rewarded, or he might be neither punished nor rewarded. According to our experience in the material world, a person punished in one court may appeal to another. Thus the same man may be either punished or rewarded according to different judgments. However, in the law of nature or the court of the Supreme Personality of Godhead there cannot be such contradictory judgments. The judges and their judgments must be perfect and free from contradictions. Actually the position of Yamarāja was very awkward in the case of Ajāmila because the Yamadūtas were right in attempting to arrest Ajāmila, but the Viṣṇudūtas had baffled them. Although Yamarāja, under these circumstances, was accused by both the Viṣṇudūtas and the Yamadūtas, he is perfect in administering justice because he is empowered by the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Therefore he will explain what his real position is and how everyone is controlled by the supreme controller, the Personality of Godhead.
FAQs
This verse argues that if many independent punishers ruled, outcomes like protection, death, or immortality would become arbitrary—implying a single, coherent divine authority behind cosmic law.
After the Yamadūtas were stopped in Ajāmila’s case, Yamarāja instructs them about the true structure of dharma and higher authority, emphasizing that cosmic justice cannot be chaotic or conflicting.
Align decisions with consistent principles (dharma) rather than conflicting impulses or “many authorities” in the mind—seek one clear moral compass grounded in sacred guidance.