Shloka 13

गोप्रदान-माहात्म्ये गोलोक-प्रश्नः

Gopradāna-Māhātmya: Inquiry into Goloka

Devanagari script

यम उवाच नाहं कालस्य विद्िितं प्राप्रोमीह कथंचन । यो हि धर्म चरति वै तं॑ तु जानामि केवलम्‌,यमराजने कहा--ब्रह्मन! मैं कालके विधानको किसी तरह नहीं जानता। जगत्‌में जो पुरुष धर्माचरण करता है, केवल उसीको मैं जानता हूँ

Transliteration

Yama uvāca: nāhaṁ kālasya vidhitaṁ prāpnomīha kathaṁcana | yo hi dharmaṁ carati vai taṁ tu jānāmi kevalam ||

Translation

ยมตรัสว่า “ดูก่อนพราหมณ์! เรามิอาจหยั่งรู้บัญญัติแห่งกาลได้ ณ ที่นี้; เรารู้จักเพียงผู้ที่ประพฤติธรรมเท่านั้น”

Word by Word

यमःYama

उवाचsaid

नnot

अहम्I

कालस्यof Time / of Death

विधितम्ordinance, rule, dispensation

प्राप्नोमिI attain / I come to know

इहhere, in this world

कथंचनin any way, at all

यःwho

हिindeed

धर्मम्dharma, righteousness

चरतिpractices, follows

वैindeed, surely

तम्him

तुbut

जानामिI know

केवलम्only, solely

Speaker

यम उवाच

Characters & Entities

Yama

Kāla (Time)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Even Yama, the lord of justice and death, does not claim mastery over the mysterious ordinance of Time; his criterion is ethical: he ‘knows’ (recognizes and is aligned with) the one who practices dharma. The verse elevates lived righteousness over speculation about fate or cosmic determinism.

What is happening in the narrative?

Yama is speaking to a Brahmin interlocutor and clarifies his own scope: he does not profess to explain Time’s hidden workings, but he can identify the truly righteous person—one who actively conducts life according to dharma.