Srimad Bhagavatham : 6.1.32 & 33.

Skandham-6.


Chapter-1.


Slokam-s : 32 & 33.



Slokam : 32 ( When the order carriers of Yamaraja, the son of the sun-god, were thus forbidden, they replied: Who are you, sirs, that have the audacity to challenge the jurisdiction of Yamaraja? ) 



ucur nisedhitas tams te    vaivasvata-purahsarah



ke    yuyam     pratiseddharo   dharma-rajasya   sasanam




ucuh   =   replied; 

nisedhitah   =   being forbidden; 

tan   =   to the order carriers of Lord Vishnu;

te—they; 

vaivasvata—of Yamaraja; 

purah-sarah   =    the assistants or messengers;

 ke   =   who;

yuyam   =   all of you; 

pratised-dharah   =   who are opposing; 

dharma-rajasya   =   of the king of religious principles, Yamaraja;

sasanam   =   the ruling jurisdiction.




According to the sinful activities of Ajamila, he was within the jurisdiction of Yamaraja, the supreme judge appointed to consider the sins of the living entities. When forbidden to touch Ajamila, the order carriers of Yamaraja were surprised because they had never been hindered in the execution of their duty by anyone within the three worlds.



Slokam-33. ( Dear sirs, whose servants are you, where have you come from, and why are you forbidding us to touch the body of Ajāmila? Are you demigods from the heavenly planets, are you sub-demigods, or are you the best of devotees? )




kasya va kuta ayatah   kasmad    asya   nisedhatha,



kim   deva    upadeva    ya     yuyam    kim    siddha-sattamah.





kasya   =   whose servants; 

va   =   or;

kutah   =   from where; 

ayatah   =   have you come; 

kasmat   =   what is the reason; 

asya   =   (the taking away) of this Ajamila; 

nisedhatha   =   are you forbidding; 

kim   =   whether; 

devah   =   demigods; 

upadevah   =   sub-demigods; 

yah   =   who; 

yuyam   =   all of you; 

kim   =   whether; 

siddha-sat-tamah   =   the best of the perfect beings, the pure devotees.



The most significant word used in this verse is siddha-sattamāḥ, which means “the best of the perfect.” In Bhagavad-gita (7.3) it is said, manushyanam  sahasreshu   kascid    yatati    siddhaye: out of millions of persons, one may try to become siddha, perfect—or, in other words, self-realized. A self-realized person knows that he is not the body but a spiritual soul (). At the present moment practically everyone is unaware of this fact, but one who understands this has attained perfection and is therefore called siddha. When one understands that the soul is part and parcel of the supreme soul and one thus engages in the devotional service of the supreme soul, one becomes siddha-sat-tama. One is then eligible to live in the Vaikuntam. The word siddha-sattama, therefore, refers to a liberated, pure devotee.



Since the Yamadutas are servants of Yamaraja, who is also one of the siddha-sattamas, they knew that a siddha-sattama is above the demigods and sub-demigods and, indeed, above all the living entities within this material world. The Yamadūtas therefore inquired why the Viṣṇudūtas were present where a sinful man was going to die.



It should also be noted that Ajamila was not yet dead, for the Yamadutas were trying to snatch the soul from his heart. They could not take the soul, however, and therefore Ajamila was not yet dead. This will be revealed in later verses. Ajamila was simply in an unconscious state when the argument was in progress between the Yamadutas and the Vishnudutas. The conclusion of the argument was to be a decision regarding who would claim the soul of Ajāmila.

To be continued ...