Shloka 7
Yamavākya
The Words of Yama
सोऽहं देव तवादेशात् प्रजा धर्मेण शासयन् । पुण्येन पुण्यकर्तारं पापं पापेन कर्मणा ॥ ७ ॥
so'haṃ deva tavādeśāt prajā dharmeṇa śāsayan | puṇyena puṇyakartāraṃ pāpaṃ pāpena karmaṇā || 7 ||
सोऽहं देव तवादेशात् प्रजाः धर्मेण शासयन्, पुण्यकर्तारं पुण्येन, पापं च पापेन कर्मणा प्रतिकरोमि।
A righteous ruler/king (addressing Deva, i.e., the Lord as the divine authority behind kingship)
Vrata: none
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: vira
FAQs
It frames governance as a sacred duty performed under divine command, where justice mirrors karma: merit is met with auspicious results and sin with painful results, preserving dharma in society.
Bhakti is implied through obedience to the Lord’s ādeśa: a devotee-ruler serves God by protecting dharma and acting as an instrument of divine order rather than personal desire.
While not a technical Vedanga passage, it reflects dharma-śāstra logic—cause-and-effect ethics akin to disciplined reasoning used in textual interpretation (nirukta/nyāya style), applied to real-world administration of justice.