tat kṣamyatāṁ sa bhagavān puruṣaḥ purāṇo
nārāyaṇaḥ sva-puruṣair yad asat kṛtaṁ naḥ
svānām aho na viduṣāṁ racitāñjalīnāṁ
kṣāntir garīyasi namaḥ puruṣāya bhūmne
tat - that; kṣamyatām - let it be excused; saḥ - He; bhagavān - the Supreme Personality of Godhead; puruṣaḥ - the Supreme Person; purāṇaḥ - the oldest; nārāyaṇaḥ - Lord Nārāyaṇa; sva-puruṣaiḥ - by my own servants; yat - which; asat - impudence; kṛtam - performed; naḥ - of us; svānām - of my own men; aho - alas; na viduṣām - not knowing; racita-añjalīnām - folding our hands together to beg Your pardon; kṣāntiḥ - forgiveness; garīyasi - in the glorious; namaḥ - respectful obeisances; puruṣāya - unto the person; bhūmne - supreme and all-pervading.
Lord Yamarāja took upon himself the responsibility for the offense committed by his servants. If the servant of an establishment makes a mistake, the establishment takes responsibility for it. Although Yamarāja is above offenses, his servants, practically with his permission, went to arrest Ajāmila, which was a great offense. The nyāya-śāstra confirms, bhṛtyāparādhe svāmino daṇḍaḥ: if a servant makes a mistake, the master is punishable because he is responsible for the offense. Taking this seriously, Yamarāja, along with his servants, prayed with folded hands to be excused by the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Nārāyaṇa.