96 Srimad-Bhagavatam [Canto 7, Ch. 2

aha tan balako bhitva
yamah svayam updgatah

tatra—there; ha—certainly; preta-bandhiinam—of the friends and
relatives of the dead King; asrutya—hearing; paridevitam—the loud
lamentation (so loud that it could be heard from the planet of Yamaraja);
Gha—said; tan—unto them (the lamenting queens); bdlakah—a boy;
bhitva—becoming; yamah—Yamaraja, the superintendent of death;
svayam—personally; upaégatah—after coming.

TRANSLATION

While the queens were lamenting for the dead body of the King,
their loud cries were heard even from the abode of Yamaraja.
Assuming the body of a boy, Yamaraja personally approached the
relatives of the dead body and advised them as follows.

PURPORT

Sometimes the living entity is forced to give up his body and enter
another one according to the judgment of Yamaraja. It is difficult,
however, for the conditioned soul to enter another body unless the pres-
ent dead body is annihilated through cremation or some other means.
The living being has attachment for the present body and does not want
to enter another, and thus in the interim he remains a ghost. If a living
being who has already left his body has been pious, Yamaraja, just to give
him relief, will give him another body. Since the living being in the body
of the King had some attachment to his body, he was hovering as a ghost,
and therefore Yamaraja, as a special consideration, approached the
lamenting relatives to instruct them personally. Yamaraja approached
them as a child because a child is not restricted but is granted admittance
anywhere, even to the palace of a king. Besides this, the child was speak-
ing philosophy. People are very much interested in hearing philosophy
when it is spoken by a child.

TEXT 37

AA TAF

Tat ait = Travarai
frrsrat atefaf faate: |
