SB 6.3.1 · Srimad-Bhagavatam

Devanagari

श्रीराजोवाच निशम्य देव: स्वभटोपवर्णितं प्रत्याह किं तानपि धर्मराज: । एवं हताज्ञो विहतान्मुरारे- र्नैदेशिकैर्यस्य वशे जनोऽयम् ॥ १ ॥

Verse text

śrī-rājovāca niśamya devaḥ sva-bhaṭopavarṇitaṁ pratyāha kiṁ tān api dharmarājaḥ evaṁ hatājṣo vihatān murārer naideśikair yasya vaśe jano ’yam

Synonyms

śrī — rājā uvāca — the King said ; niśamya — after hearing ; devaḥ — Lord Yamarāja ; sva — bhaṭa — of his own servants ; upavarṇitam — the statements ; pratyāha — replied ; kim — what ; tān — unto them ; api — also ; dharma — rājaḥ — Yamarāja, the superintendent of death and the judge of religious and irreligious activities ; evam — thus ; hata — ājṣaḥ — whose order was foiled ; vihatān — who were defeated ; murāreḥ naideśikaiḥ — by the order carriers of Murāri, Kṛṣṇa ; yasya — of whom ; vaśe — under the subjugation ; janaḥ ayam — all the people of the world .

Translation

King Parīkṣit said: O my lord, O Śukadeva Gosvāmī, Yamarāja is the controller of all living entities in terms of their religious and irreligious activities, but his order had been foiled. When his servants, the Yamadūtas, informed him of their defeat by the Viṣṇudūtas, who had stopped them from arresting Ajāmila, what did he reply?

Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)

The King said: Hearing the statements of his servants who were obstructed by the order bearers of Viṣṇu, who controls the world, what did Yamarāja, whose orders were thwarted, say to his servants? In the Third Chapter, the servants of Yama relate to Yama how the servants of Viṣṇu disrespected him, and Yama teaches them the astonishing power of bhakti. Though Yama was disrespected by the servants of Viṣṇu and his own servants, he did not become angry but rather repented that he had not taught his servants about Viṣṇu. The Third Chapter confirms the statements of the servants of Viṣṇu through the mouth of Yamarāja. It was mentioned in the last chapter that the servants of Yama told their master what had happened. (SB 6.2.21) Yamarāja asked and they replied. Parīkṣit then asks about this. The servants of Yama were obstructed by the order bearers of Viṣṇu. Thus Yama’s order was thwarted.

Purport

Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura says that although the statements of the Yamadūtas were fully upheld by Vedic principles, the statements of the Viṣṇudūtas were triumphant. This was confirmed by Yamarāja himself.