Copyright © r The Bhaktivedanta Book Trust International, Inc.His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda, Founder Ācārya of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness
| Canto 6: Prescribed Duties for Mankind | Chapter 3: Yamarāja Instructs His Messengers |
Bhaktivedanta VedaBase: Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 6.3.30
tat kshamyatām sa bhagavān purushah purāno
nārāyanah sva-purushair yad asat kritam nah
svānām aho na vidushām racitāñjalīnām
kshāntir garīyasi namah purushāya bhūmne
SYNONYMS
tat — that; kshamyatām — let it be excused; sah — He; bhagavān — the Supreme Personality of Godhead; purushah — the Supreme Person; purānah — the oldest; nārāyanah — Lord Nārāyana; sva-purushaih — by my own servants; yat — which; asat — impudence; kritam — performed; nah — of us; svānām — of my own men; aho — alas; na vidushām — not knowing; racita-añjalīnām — folding our hands together to beg Your pardon; kshāntih — forgiveness; garīyasi — in the glorious; namah — respectful obeisances; purushāya — unto the person; bhūmne — supreme and all-pervading.
TRANSLATION
[Then Yamarāja, considering himself and his servants to be offenders, spoke as follows, begging pardon from the Lord.] O my Lord, my servants have surely committed a great offense by arresting a Vaishnava such as Ajāmila. O Nārāyana, O supreme and oldest person, please forgive us. Because of our ignorance, we failed to recognize Ajāmila as a servant of Your Lordship, and thus we have certainly committed a great offense. Therefore with folded hands we beg Your pardon. My Lord, since You are supremely merciful and are always full of good qualities, please pardon us. We offer our respectful obeisances unto You.
PURPORT
Lord Yamarāja took upon himself the responsibility for the offense committed by his servants. If the servant of an establishment makes a mistake, the establishment takes responsibility for it. Although Yamarāja is above offenses, his servants, practically with his permission, went to arrest Ajāmila, which was a great offense. The nyāya-śāstra confirms, bhrityāparādhe svāmino dandah: if a servant makes a mistake, the master is punishable because he is responsible for the offense. Taking this seriously, Yamarāja, along with his servants, prayed with folded hands to be excused by the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Nārāyana.
Copyright © r The Bhaktivedanta Book Trust International, Inc.
His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda, Founder Ācārya of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness