Text 13] Yamaraja Instructs His Messengers 153
replied, ‘“‘Yes, there is one supreme controller above everything.”
Yamaraja is in charge of some of the moving living entities, namely the
human beings, but the animals, who also move, are not under his control.
Only human beings have consciousness of right and wrong, and among
them only those who perform sinful activities come under the control of
Yamaraja. Therefore although Yamardja is a controller, he is only a
departmental controller of a few living entities. There are other
demigods who control many other departments, but above them all is one
supreme controller, Krsna. [Svarah paramah krsnah sac-cid-Gnanda-
vigrahah: the supreme controller is Krsna. Others, who control their own
departments in the affairs of the universe, are insignificant in com-
parison to Krsna, the supreme controller. Krsna says in Bhagavad-gita
(7.7), mattah parataram nanyat kincid asti dhanaijaya: “My dear
Dhanafijaya [Arjuna], no one is superior to Me.” Therefore Yamaraja
immediately cleared away the doubts of his assistants, the Yamaditas, by
confirming that there is a supreme controller above all others.

Srila Madhvacarya explains that the words ofam protam refer to the
cause of all causes. The Supreme Lord is both vertical and horizontal to
the cosmic manifestation. This is confirmed by the following verse from
the Skanda Purana:

yatha kantha-patah siitra
otah protds ca sa sthitah
evam visnav idam visvam
otam protam ca samsthitam
Like the two threads, horizontal and vertical, of which a quilt is
manufactured, Lord Visnu is situated as the vertical and horizontal cause
of the cosmic manifestation.
TEXT 13
Nn hed 2 s
a vata at fai
vafa aonfiea alata: |
TA af a a A
Fareqegrata = Fated LA
