FolioCorpusŚrīmad-Bhāgavatam

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 6.3.12

यम उवाच परो मदन्यो जगतस्तस्थुषश्च ओतं प्रोतं पटवद्यत्र विश्वम् । यदंशतोऽस्य स्थितिजन्मनाशा नस्योतवद्यस्य वशे च लोक: ॥ १२ ॥
yama uvāca
[yama uvaacha]
paro mad-anyo jagatas tasthuṣaś ca
[paro mad-anyo jagatas tasthushash cha]
otaṁ protaṁ paṭavad yatra viśvam
[otam protam patavad yatra vishvam]
yad-aṁśato ’sya sthiti-janma-nāśā
[yad-amshato ’sya sthiti-janma-naashaa]
nasy otavad yasya vaśe ca lokaḥ
[nasy otavad yasya vashe cha lokah]
Word-for-word
yamaḥ uvāca — Yamarāja replied paraḥ — superior mat — than me anyaḥ — another jagataḥ — of all moving things tasthuṣaḥ — of nonmoving things ca — and otam — crosswise protam — lengthwise paṭavat — like a woven cloth yatra — in whom viśvam — the cosmic manifestation yat — of whom aṁśataḥ — from the partial expansions asya — of this universe sthiti — the maintenance janma — the creation nāśāḥ — the annihilation nasi — in the nose ota-vat — like the rope yasya — of whom vaśe — under the control ca — and lokaḥ — the whole creation.
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
yama uvāca
yamaḥ uvāca
Yamarāja replied
paro mad-anyo jagatas tasthuṣaś ca
paraḥ
superior
mat
than me
anyaḥ
another
jagataḥ
of all moving things
tasthuṣaḥ
of nonmoving things
ca
and
otaṁ protaṁ paṭavad yatra viśvam
otam
crosswise
protam
lengthwise
paṭavat
like a woven cloth
yatra
in whom
viśvam
the cosmic manifestation
yad-aṁśato ’sya sthiti-janma-nāśā
yat
of whom
aṁśataḥ
from the partial expansions
asya
of this universe
sthiti
the maintenance
janma
the creation
nāśāḥ
the annihilation
nasy otavad yasya vaśe ca lokaḥ
nasi
in the nose
ota-vat
like the rope
yasya
of whom
vaśe
under the control
ca
and
lokaḥ
the whole creation.
Yamarāja said: My dear servants, you have accepted me as the Supreme, but factually I am not. Above me, and above all the other demigods, including Indra and Candra, is the one supreme master and controller. The partial manifestations of His personality are Brahmā, Viṣṇu and Śiva, who are in charge of the creation, maintenance and annihilation of this universe. He is like the two threads that form the length and breadth of a woven cloth. The entire world is controlled by Him just as a bull is controlled by a rope in its nose.
Purport

The order carriers of Yamarāja suspected that there was a ruler even above Yamarāja. To eradicate their doubts, Yamarāja immediately replied, “Yes, there is one supreme controller above everything.” Yamarāja is in charge of some of the moving living entities, namely the human beings, but the animals, who also move, are not under his control. Only human beings have consciousness of right and wrong, and among them only those who perform sinful activities come under the control of Yamarāja. Therefore although Yamarāja is a controller, he is only a departmental controller of a few living entities. There are other demigods who control many other departments, but above them all is one supreme controller, Kṛṣṇa. Īśvaraḥ paramaḥ kṛṣṇaḥ sac-cid-ānanda-vigrahaḥ: the supreme controller is Kṛṣṇa. Others, who control their own departments in the affairs of the universe, are insignificant in comparison to Kṛṣṇa, the supreme controller. Kṛṣṇa says in Bhagavad-gītā (7.7) , mattaḥ parataraṁ nānyat kiñcid asti dhanañjaya: “My dear Dhanañjaya [Arjuna], no one is superior to Me.” Therefore Yamarāja immediately cleared away the doubts of his assistants, the Yamadūtas, by confirming that there is a supreme controller above all others.

Śrīla Madhvācārya explains that the words otaṁ protam refer to the cause of all causes. The Supreme Lord is both vertical and horizontal to the cosmic manifestation. This is confirmed by the following verse from the Skanda Purāṇa:

yathā kanthā-paṭāḥ sūtra otāḥ protāś ca sa sthitāḥ evaṁ viṣṇāv idaṁ viśvam otaṁ protaṁ ca saṁsthitam

Like the two threads, horizontal and vertical, of which a quilt is manufactured, Lord Viṣṇu is situated as the vertical and horizontal cause of the cosmic manifestation.

— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Gauḍīya Ācāryas
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura Gauḍīya
Translation
Yamarāja said: There is a Lord of all moving and non-moving beings superior to me, whose portions create, maintain and destroy this universe, in whom this universe exists like cloth with interwoven threads, and by whom all people are controlled like oxen tied by the nose. You are great offenders! What nonsense you are speaking! Hear the truth. There is a controller superior to me, though you think I am the controller. He is superior to all the devatās as well. I am the lord only of those who moving beings who commit sin. But I am his servant. He is the Lord of all of us. Who is he? Within him exists the universe, like a cloth with threads woven lengthwise and crosswise. From his expansions, Viṣṇu, Śiva and Brahmā, arise creation, maintenance and destruction. All exist under his control like a bull with a rope in his nose.
Related lectures
Personal Guidance
Yamarāja confesses: 'You took me as Supreme, but I am not.' Above him and every demigod stands one Lord, whose partial manifestations are Brahmā, Viṣṇu and Śiva. True teachers point past themselves.
Reflection Questions
  • When honored, do I deflect the honor toward Kṛṣṇa or quietly accept it as mine?
  • Whom in my life is functioning as my 'Yamarāja' — powerful but not ultimate?
📝 My note

Source: vedabase.io

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