Arguments of Yamadūtas - On Dharma, Sin, and the Soul

This article presents a thematic survey of the arguments presented by the Yamadūtas regarding the laws of karma, the definition of sin, and the entrapment of the soul. It organizes the philosophical teachings found in the Vaniquotes category Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam Verses Spoken by the Yamadūtas.

The Yamadūtas are the fearsome servants of Yamarāja, tasked with dragging sinful souls to the hellish planets after death. In the Sixth Canto, they attempt to arrest the dying brāhmaṇa Ajāmila. However, they are stopped by the beautiful servants of Lord Viṣṇu. The resulting debate offers a unique glimpse into the cosmic legal system, highlighting the difference between the mechanical administration of justice (represented by the Yamadūtas) and the causeless mercy of the Supreme Lord (represented by the Viṣṇudūtas).

The Challenge to the Viṣṇudūtas

When the Yamadūtas attempt to drag the soul of Ajāmila from his body, they are suddenly blocked by four effulgent personalities—the Viṣṇudūtas. Shocked that anyone would dare interfere with the jurisdiction of Death, the Yamadūtas challenge the intruders, asking for their identity and authority.

Who Are You?

The Yamadūtas inquire about the identity of these beautiful beings. Accustomed to seeing only the sinful and grotesque forms in the hellish regions, the sight of the Viṣṇudūtas—with their four arms, lotus-like eyes, and blinding effulgence—is completely foreign and bewildering to them.

  • "When the order carriers of Yamarāja, the son of the sun-god, were thus forbidden, they replied: Who are you, sirs, that have the audacity to challenge the jurisdiction of Yamarāja?"
  • "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?"
  • "Yamadūtas said: Your eyes are just like the petals of lotus flowers. Dressed in yellow silken garments, decorated with garlands of lotuses, and wearing very attractive helmets on your heads and earrings on your ears, you all appear fresh and youthful."
  • "Your four long arms are decorated with bows and quivers of arrows and with swords, clubs, conchshells, discs and lotus flowers. Your effulgence has dissipated the darkness of this place with extraordinary illumination. Now, sirs, why are you obstructing us?"

The Definition of Justice (Dharma & Punishment)

In response to the Viṣṇudūtas' question—"What is dharma?"—the Yamadūtas provide a strict, scriptural definition. They argue that religion is not man-made but is the direct order of the Supreme Lord found in the Vedas. Therefore, anyone who violates Vedic injunctions is automatically punishable.

What is Dharma?

The Yamadūtas define dharma as the injunctions of the Vedas, which are the breathing of Nārāyaṇa. One cannot manufacture religion in the legislative assembly; real religion is given directly by God (dharmam tu sākṣād bhagavat-praṇītam). The Yamadūtas correctly identify the source of authority but fail to understand the higher principle of the Lord's causeless mercy.

  • "The Yamadūtas replied: That which is prescribed in the Vedas constitutes dharma, the religious principles, and the opposite of that is irreligion. The Vedas are directly the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Nārāyaṇa, and are self-born. This we have heard from Yamarāja."
  • "The supreme cause of all causes, Nārāyaṇa, is situated in His own abode in the spiritual world, but nevertheless He controls the entire cosmic manifestation according to the three modes of material nature—sattva-guṇa, rajo-guṇa and tamo-guṇa."
  • "All living entities are awarded different qualities, different names (such as brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya and vaiśya), different duties according to the varṇāśrama institution, and different forms. Thus Nārāyaṇa is the cause of the entire cosmic manifestation."

The Universal Witnesses

The Yamadūtas explain that no sin goes unnoticed because the sun, moon, and other elements act as witnesses. People may think they are committing sins in secret, but the Supreme Lord has appointed agents like the sun, fire, and the Supersoul to record every act. There is absolutely no escape from this cosmic surveillance.

  • "The sun, fire, sky, air, demigods, moon, evening, day, night, directions, water, land and Supersoul Himself all witness the activities of the living entity."
  • "The omnipotent Yamarāja is as good as Lord Brahmā for while situated in his own abode or in everyone's heart like the Paramātmā, he mentally observes the past activities of a living entity and thus understands how the living entity will act in future lives."

Everyone is Punishable

They argue that since all living entities in the material world are contaminated by the modes of nature, they are all liable for punishment. In this material world, everyone is to some degree criminal; otherwise, they would not be here. Therefore, the Yamadūtas believe they have the right to arrest anyone who has not strictly followed the Vedas.

  • "The candidates for punishment are those who are confirmed by these many witnesses to have deviated from their prescribed regulative duties. Everyone engaged in fruitive activities is suitable to be subjected to punishment according to his sinful acts."
  • "You (Viṣṇudūtas) are sinless, but those within this material world are all karmīs, whether acting piously or impiously. Both kinds of action are possible for them because they are contaminated by the three modes of nature and must act accordingly."
  • "One who has accepted a material body cannot be inactive, and sinful action is inevitable for one acting under the modes of material nature. Therefore all the living entities within this material world are punishable."
  • "Not a single living entity can remain unengaged even for a moment. One must act by his natural tendency according to the three modes of material nature because this natural tendency forcibly makes him work in a particular way."

The Science of the Soul (Transmigration)

To prove Ajāmila's guilt, the Yamadūtas present a sophisticated analysis of how the soul transmigrates. They explain that the subtle body (mind, intelligence, ego) carries the soul to the next body based on its desires. This section is highly scientific, detailing the mechanism of bondage.

The Subtle Body and the 16 Elements

The Yamadūtas describe the anatomy of the subtle body, which consists of sixteen parts. The mind is the chief element of the subtle body and the reservoir of all material desires. The soul is entrapped by these sixteen elements and is forced to enjoy or suffer in the material world.

  • "The subtle body is endowed with sixteen parts - the five knowledge-acquiring senses, the five working senses, the five objects of sense gratification, and the mind. This subtle body is an effect of the three modes of material nature."
  • "Above the five senses of perception, the five working senses and the five objects of the senses is the mind, which is the sixteenth element. Above the mind is the seventeenth element, the soul."
  • "Above the mind is the seventeenth element, the soul, the living being himself, who, in cooperation with the other sixteen, enjoys the material world alone. The living being enjoys three kinds of situations, namely happy, distressful and mixed."

The Mechanism of Rebirth

They explain that one's future body is determined by the desires cultivated in this life. Just as air carries aromas, the subtle body carries the conception of the next life. If one acts like an animal, the subtle body develops an animalistic nature, forcing the soul to take an animal birth.

  • "This subtle body is an effect of the three modes of material nature. It is composed of insurmountably strong desires, and therefore it causes the living entity to transmigrate from one body to another in human life, animal life and life as a demigod."
  • "The fruitive activities a living being performs, whether pious or impious, are the unseen cause for the fulfillment of his desires. This unseen cause is the root for the living entity's different bodies."
  • "The living entity takes birth in a particular family and receives a body which is either like that of his mother or like that of his father because of his intense desire. The gross and subtle bodies are created according to his desire."
  • "In proportion to the extent of one's religious or irreligious actions in this life, one must enjoy or suffer the corresponding reactions of his karma in the next."

The Springtime Analogy

The Yamadūtas use a poetic analogy: just as the current springtime indicates the nature of past and future springs, one's current condition indicates past deeds. A person's present happiness or distress is the direct result of past activities, and their current activities will determine their future.

  • "Just as springtime in the present indicates the nature of springtimes in the past and future, so this life of happiness, distress or a mixture of both gives evidence concerning the religious and irreligious activities of one's past and future lives."
  • "The living entities are thus known as peaceful, restless and foolish; as happy, unhappy or in-between; or as religious, irreligious and semireligious. We can deduce that in the next life these three kinds of material nature will similarly act."
  • "We can see three different varieties of life, which are due to the contamination of the three modes of nature. The entities are thus known as peaceful, restless and foolish; as happy, unhappy or in-between; or as religious, irreligious and semireligious."

Entrapment and Struggle

They compare the conditioned soul to a silkworm trapped in its own cocoon or a dreamer identifying with a dream body. The living entity weaves a web of karma through his own actions and then finds no way to escape, struggling in vain until he takes shelter of the Lord.

  • "He (the foolish embodied living entity, inept at controlling his senses and mind) is like a silkworm that uses its own saliva to create a cocoon and then becomes trapped in it, with no possibility of getting out."
  • "The living entity traps himself in a network of his own fruitive activities and then can find no way to release himself. Thus he is always bewildered, and repeatedly he dies."
  • "As a sleeping person acts according to the body manifested in his dreams and accepts it to be himself, so one identifies with his present body, which he acquired because of his past religious or irreligious acts and is unable to know his past or future lives."
  • "In all conditions, however, he is actually miserable. His miserable condition is called saṁsṛti, or transmigration in material life."
  • "The foolish embodied living entity, inept at controlling his senses and mind, is forced to act according to the influence of the modes of material nature, against his desires."

The Fall of Ajāmila (Case History)

The Yamadūtas present the specific charges against Ajāmila. They detail his transformation from a qualified brāhmaṇa to a sinful wretch, arguing that his degradation makes him a prime candidate for hell. This serves as a stark warning about the danger of illicit association.

His Previous Piety

They acknowledge that Ajāmila began his life as a virtuous brāhmaṇa. Even a highly qualified person can fall down if they are not vigilant against the senses. Ajāmila was not an ordinary man; he was a reservoir of good qualities before his fall.

  • "In the beginning this brāhmaṇa named Ajāmila studied all the Vedic literatures. He was a reservoir of good character, good conduct and good qualities."
  • "He was always truthful, he knew how to chant the Vedic mantras, and he was also very pure. Ajāmila was very respectful to his spiritual master, the fire-god, guests, and the elderly members of his household. Indeed, he was free from false prestige."
  • "He (Ajāmila) was upright, benevolent to all living entities, and well behaved. He would never speak nonsense or envy anyone."
  • "Firmly established in executing all the Vedic injunctions, he was very mild and gentle, and he kept his mind and senses under control."

The Fatal Mistake

The Yamadūtas recount the moment of his fall: seeing a lusty śūdra embracing a prostitute. The eyes are the gateways to the mind. By seeing this scene, the dormant lust in Ajāmila's heart was awakened, proving that even a learned person is susceptible to the arrows of Cupid if he is not careful.

  • "Once this brāhmaṇa Ajāmila, following the order of his father, went to the forest to collect fruit, flowers and two kinds of grass, called samit and kuśa."
  • "On the way home, he came upon a śūdra, a very lusty, fourth-class man, who was shamelessly embracing and kissing a prostitute. The śūdra was smiling, singing and enjoying as if this were proper behavior."
  • "Both the śūdra and the prostitute were drunk. The prostitute's eyes were rolling in intoxication, and her dress had become loose. Such was the condition in which Ajāmila saw them."
  • "The śūdra, his arm decorated with turmeric powder, was embracing the prostitute. When Ajāmila saw her, the dormant lusty desires in his heart awakened, and in illusion he fell under their control."

Degradation and Sin

They describe his subsequent degradation: spending his inheritance, abandoning his wife, and engaging in criminal activities. One sin inevitably leads to another. To maintain the prostitute, Ajāmila had to resort to cheating and theft, completely destroying his brahminical culture.

  • "As far as possible he patiently tried to remember the instructions of the śāstras not even to see a woman."
  • "With the help of this knowledge and his intellect, he tried to control his lusty desires, but because of the force of Cupid within his heart, he failed to control his mind."
  • "In the same way that the sun and moon are eclipsed by a low planet, the brāhmaṇa lost all his good sense."
  • "The victimized Ajāmila engaged in sinful acts in her association because his intelligence was pierced by the lustful glance of the prostitute. He even gave up the company of his very beautiful young wife, who came from a very respectable brāhmaṇa family."
  • "Thus Ajāmila began spending whatever money he had inherited from his father to satisfy the prostitute with various material presentations so that she would remain pleased with him. He gave up all his brahminical activities to satisfy the prostitute."
  • "Although born of a brāhmaṇa family, this rascal, bereft of intelligence because of the prostitute's association, earned money somehow or other, regardless of whether properly or improperly, and used it to maintain the prostitute's sons and daughters."
  • "He irresponsibly spent his long lifetime transgressing all the rules and regulations of the holy scripture, living extravagantly and eating food prepared by a prostitute. Therefore he is full of sins. He is unclean and is addicted to forbidden activities."

The Arrest and Confusion

The Yamadūtas argue that because he did not perform atonement (prāyaścitta), he must be punished. They are baffled when the Viṣṇudūtas stop them simply because he called out "Nārāyaṇa," not realizing that the Holy Name is more powerful than any ritual.

  • "This man Ajāmila did not undergo atonement. Therefore because of his sinful life, we must take him into the presence of Yamarāja for punishment. There, according to the extent of his sinful acts, he will be punished and thus purified."
  • "As soon as the sinful Ajāmila uttered the name Nārāyaṇa, these four beautiful men immediately arrived and reassured him, saying, 'Do not fear. Do not fear.'"
  • "We (Yamadūtas) were bringing the most sinful Ajāmila toward the hellish planets, following your (Yamarāja's) order, when those beautiful persons from Siddhaloka forcibly cut the knots of the ropes with which we were arresting him."

The Appeal to Yamarāja (Who is Supreme?)

After being defeated by the Viṣṇudūtas, the Yamadūtas return to Yamarāja, confused. They had always believed Yamarāja was the supreme judge. Now, seeing their order overruled, they question the hierarchy of the universe.

One Judge or Many?

The Yamadūtas ask if there are multiple controllers, arguing that if there are many judges, chaos will ensue. In any government, there must be one final authority. The Yamadūtas' question leads to the revelation that Yamarāja himself is but a humble servant of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

  • "The Yamadūtas said: Our dear lord, how many controllers or rulers are there in this material world?"
  • "Since there are many different karmīs, or workers, there may be different judges or rulers to give them justice, but just as one central emperor controls different departmental rulers, there must be one supreme controller to guide all the judges."
  • "The supreme judge must be one, not many. It was our understanding that you are that supreme judge and that you have jurisdiction even over the demigods."
  • "Our impression was that you are the master of all living entities, the supreme authority who discriminates between the pious and impious activities of all human beings."
  • "Now we (Yamadūtas) see that the punishment ordained under your (Yamarāja's) authority is no longer effective, since your order has been transgressed by four wonderful and perfect persons."
  • "We wish to know about them from Your Lordship. If you think we are able to understand them, kindly describe who they are."

The Three Destinations

They conclude by describing the three results of karma—happiness, distress, and fear—corresponding to the demigods, humans, and animals.

  • "When the living entity gets the body of a demigod, he is certainly very jubilant, when he gets a human body he is always in lamentation, and when he gets the body of an animal, he is always afraid."
  • "How many causes are responsible for manifesting the various results of activities performed under the three modes of material nature (sattva-guṇa, rajo-guṇa and tamo-guṇa)?"

Dive Deeper into Śrīla Prabhupāda's Vani

This article is a thematic compilation of the teachings presented in the Vaniquotes category Bhagavatam Verses Spoken by the Yamadutas. We invite you to visit the link to read the complete collection of verses presented in alphabetical order.

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