148
Śrimad-Bhāgavatam
[Canto 6, Ch. 3]
central law must control everyone. The Yamadūtas could not imagine that two judges would give two different verdicts in the same case, and therefore they wanted to know who the central judge is. The Yamadūtas were certain that Ajāmila was a most sinful man, but although Yamarāja wanted to punish him, the Viṣṇudūtas excused him. This was a puzzling situation that the Yamadūtas wanted Yamarāja to clarify.
TEXT 7
अतस्त्वमेको भूतानां सेश्वराणामधीश्वरः । शास्ता दण्डधरो नृणां शुभाशुभविवेचनः ॥ ७ ॥
atas tvam eko bhūtānām seśvarāṇām adhīśvaraḥ śāstā daṇḍa-dharo nṛṇām śubhāśubha-vivecanaḥ
ataḥ —as such;  tvam —you;  ekaḥ —one;  bhūtānām —of all living beings;  sa-īśvarāṇām —including all the demigods;  adhīśvaraḥ —the supreme master;  śāstā —the supreme ruler;  daṇḍa-dharaḥ —the supreme administrator of punishment;  nṛṇām —of human society;  śubha-aśubha-vivecanaḥ —who discriminates between what is auspicious and inauspicious.
TRANSLATION
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.
TEXT 8
तस्य ते विहितो दण्डो न लोके वर्ततेऽधुना । चतुर्भिरद्धुतैः सिद्धैराज्ञा ते विप्रलम्भिता ॥ ८ ॥