Shloka 55
Vishnu-sahasranāma-style Japa: Vishnu as Cosmic Cause and Inner Self
Antaryāmin
यमस्य कारणं चैव (३२०)ईशानस्य च कारणम् / यक्षाणां कारणं चैव रक्षसां कारणं परम्
yamasya kāraṇaṃ caiva (320)īśānasya ca kāraṇam / yakṣāṇāṃ kāraṇaṃ caiva rakṣasāṃ kāraṇaṃ param
وہ یم کا بھی سبب ہے اور ایشان کا بھی سبب؛ وہ یکشوں کا بھی سبب ہے اور راکشسوں کا برتر سبب بھی وہی ہے۔
Lord Vishnu (speaking to Garuda/Vinata-putra)
Afterlife Stage: Yamaloka Journey
Concept: The Supreme cause underlies even Yama (death/judgment), Īśāna (a Rudra aspect), Yakṣas and Rākṣasas (liminal beings).
Vedantic Theme: Non-dual dependence: all powers—benign or terrifying—are manifestations within the Supreme’s order; fear is mitigated by knowing the ultimate ground.
Application: When facing fear of death or hostile forces, anchor the mind in the Supreme as the controller of all; cultivate ethical living to align with dharma under Yama’s jurisdiction.
Primary Rasa: adbhuta
Secondary Rasa: shanta
Type: realm
Related Themes: Garuda Purana Pretakalpa: Yama’s role as judge and the soul’s journey (conceptual linkage though this verse is cosmological); Garuda Purana: descriptions of yakṣa/rākṣasa classes in cosmography
FAQs
This verse frames even powerful cosmic administrators like Yama and other classes of beings as dependent on a higher, supreme causal source—supporting the Purana’s theological hierarchy and dharmic order.
By identifying Yama as deriving from a higher cause, the verse implies that the post-death governance of karma (often associated with Yama) operates within a divinely grounded cosmic order rather than being autonomous.
Treat moral accountability as universal and structured: live ethically (dharma), since karmic consequences are portrayed as part of an ordered system overseen by higher principles, not mere chance.