4 - An Appeal by Yama

Yama said:

1. O Lord Pitamaha, Grandsire of the world, listen to my words. O Lord, humiliation of one’s exploits is worse than death.

2. O lotus-born deity, he who is devoid of selfish motives and desire, and does not carry out his appointed task, falls into hell which is like a blind well.

3. O lotus-seated one, the employee who does not implement the direction, but continues to consume the wealth of his master, shall be a worm in the decaying wood.

4. The employee who, out of greed, consumes (i.e. misappropriates) the wealth of the common subjects or the king falls into hell for a period of three hundred Kalpas.

5. He who is interested only in selfish gains and so robs his master, sha11 be a slow-witted mouse in the house for three hundred Kalpas.

6. The employee who, enjoying himself in his house, shirks his own work and compels the king’s servants to do his work also, shall take the birth of a cat.

7-8a. O Lord! It is at your behest that after due consultation with sages and texts on Dharma Shastra that I been administering justice and governing the subjects commending the merit of the meritorious and condemning the sin of the sinners.

8b-9. Since the beginning of the present Kalpa so long as it is your day, I can carry out my duties by dint of your command. But today I have been defeated (and overpowered) in my work by King Rukmangada.¹

1.VV. 9-25 a: This is another way of describing the glory and   efficacy of the Ekadashi Vrata. thereof. But O Brahma, the seed that originates from the nurse is sown by another. It may perhaps redeem both the sides, the one who is offered the Pinda the one to whom the hotly belongs. But the wife has no seed nor the wife holds him in her womb. Then, O Lord of the Universe, how does her side attain the greatest region through the greatness of the merit of the son-in-law? Therefore, my head aches.

10. O L0rd of the Universe, afraid of that king, the entire ocean-girt Earth does not eat anything on the day of vishnu (the Ekadashi day) that is destructive of all sins.

11. People eschew all holy rites; they abandon the worship of Pitris, they do not worship Devas, they neglect pilgrimages, holy ablutions and other good rites.

12. O bestower of honour, they eschew both the systems of philosophy-Yoga and Sankhya. They neglect the perfect knowledge and the knowable; they abandon self-study of Vedas and the performance of Homas; (over and above all these) they commit many number of sins.

13-15a. Still they go to the region of Vishnu by observing fast on the day of Hari. They go to the world of Vishnu alongwith their fathers and grandfathers. Their fathers and father’s fathers, mother’s fathers, their fathers and their ancestors-all these go to the world of Vishnu.

15b-19. O Lord, this is the misery that cuts me to the quick wiping off my writings (i.e. decrees), the fathers of their beloved ones go to the abode of Vishnu (?). A man is born of the seed of his ancestors, he is held in the belly of the bearer (woman). He who commits any sin, has to experience the fruits

20. O Lord, no purpose of mine is served, thanks to this sort of employment, whoever observes fast on the Ekadashi day leaves me off and goes to Hari.

21. O Lotus-born deity, he uplifts three generations including himself. After leaving off my path, he goes to Hari’s mansion.

22-24. No man attains such a destination as    that of a devotee who       performs  the   holy rite of Vishnu-Not even if he performs sacrifices (Yajnas), goes on         pilgrimage to the holy centres  or gives charitable         gifts or performs those Vratas with the exception of those pertaining to Vishnu. No one giving up life in water or fire attains such a goal.  O god Brahma neither the person who gives up his body by the Yoga practice nor he who falls down from a precipice attains that goal. O most excellent one among those who attain good goals, it is the truth that has been uttered by me.

25. Any human being, even if he perpetrates extremely wicked actions, goes to the world of Dharanidhara (Vishnu who holds and supports the Earth). If the man smears his limbs with the fruits of embylic myrobalan and if he has no interest in sweet juices and meals on the Ekadashi day.

26.I have become disappointed because I have no work on the Earth. Hence, I have resorted to your pair of lotus like feet. 0 cause of creation, sustenance and dissolution (of the universe) make time propitious for the attainment of fearlessness on this mere intimation. *

*But if the reading   is   sarga-sthiti-nasha-hetoh     as in my text, the means.

         “O Lord, who grant immunity from fear by mere request, fix up the time for attaining creation, sustenance and destruction.”

27.May not the sinful men be devoid of restraint through my Bhutaganas (attendants). Let them be chained or tied with ropes. Let them come near 1ne and be under my control.

28. The path oppressed by the heat of the sun is broken because crowds of people are being released very quickly at the hands of Vishnu’s attendants from the hell Kumbhi. They go to the splendid abode of the lord who is greater than the greatest.