समपृच्छदथाऽऽगत्य यमं सर्वार्थकोविदम् । परायणं हि प्रभवः सन्देहेष्वनुजीविनाम् ॥ १६ ॥
samapṛcchadathā’’gatya yamaṁ sarvārthakōvidam | parāyaṇaṁ hi prabhavaḥ sandēhēṣvanujīvinām || 16 ||
Translation
Then he came to Yama, who knows the sense of all things, and asked him; for masters are the refuge of their servants in their doubts.
Word by word
- samapṛcchad
- (samapṛcchat) asked
- atha
- then
- āgatya
- he came
- yamaṁ
- to Yama
- sarva
- of all things
- artha
- the sense
- kōvidam
- who knows
- parāyaṇaṁ
- the refuge
- hi
- for
- prabhavaḥ
- masters
- sandēhēṣu
- in their doubts
- anujīvinām
- of their servants
Meaning
Death returns to Yama a second time. The maxim in the second line is the commentary's own: when a servant is in doubt, his master is his refuge. The story keeps its hierarchy carefully: Death acts, Yama knows, and the knowledge Yama gives is what the sarga is for.