This article is about the deity Yama in Hinduism. For yama in the sense of a code of conduct, see
Yamas. For a general article about Yama, see Yama.
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This article contains Indic text.
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| Yama |
Yama's Court and Hell.
The Blue figure is Yama with Yami and Chitragupta
17th century Painting from Government Museum, Chennai |
| God of Death |
| Devanagari: |
यम |
| Affiliation: |
Deva |
| Abode: |
Naraka |
| Weapon: |
Danda |
| Consort: |
Yami or Syamala |
| Mount: |
water buffalo |
|
Yama (Sanskrit: यम) is the lord of death in Hinduism, first recorded in the Vedas. Yama belongs to an early stratum of
Indo-Iranian mythology. In Vedic tradition Yama was considered to have been the
first mortal who died and espied the way to the celestial abodes, and in virtue of precedence he became the ruler of the
departed. In some passages, however, he is already regarded as the god of death. Yama's name can be interpreted to mean "twin",
and in some myths he is paired with a twin sister Yamī.
Yama is assisted by Chitragupta who is assigned with the task of keeping complete records
of actions of human beings on the earth, and upon their death, deciding as regards sending them to the heaven or the hell,
depending on their actions on the earth (Karma).
Yama is also the lord of justice and is sometimes referred to as Dharma, in reference to his unswerving dedication to maintaining order and adherence to harmony. It is said that
he is also one of the wisest of the devas.
Yama can be loosely related to the Greek deity Hades
or Pluto, the god of the underworld.
Characteristics of Yama
Yama is a Lokapāla and an Aditya. In
art, he is depicted with green or red skin, red clothes, and riding a water buffalo. He holds a loop of rope in his left hand with which he
pulls the soul from the corpse. He is the son of Surya (Sun) and twin brother of Yami, or Yamuna, traditionally the first human pair in the Vedas. He was also
worshiped as a son of Vivasvat and Saranya. He is one of the Guardians of the directions and
represents the south. He is described as reporting to either Vishnu (the maintainer) or
Shiva (the destroyer) from the Trimurti (Hinduism's triune
Godhead). Three hymns (10, 14, and 135) in the Rig Veda Book 10 are addressed to him.
Yama is also the lord of justice and is sometimes referred to as Dharma, in reference to his unswerving dedication to maintaining order and adherence to harmony. It is said that
he is also one of the wisest of the devas. In the Katha Upanishad, among the most famous Upanishads, Yama is portrayed
as a teacher. He is the father of Yudhisthira (also known as Dharmaraja), the oldest brother
of the 5 Pandavas (Karna was born prior to Kunti's wedlock, so technically Karna is
Yudhishthira's older brother) and is said to have incarnated as Vidura by some accounts in the
Mahabharata period.
Garuda Purana mentions Yama often. His description is in
2.5.147-149: "There very soon among Death, Time, etc. he sees Yama with red eyes, looking fierce and dark like a heap of
collyrium, with fierce jaws and frowning fiercely, chosen as their lord by many ugly, fierce-faced hundreds of diseases,
possessing an iron rod in his hand and also a noose. The creature goes either to good or to bad state as directed by him." In
2.8.28-29, "...the seven names of Yama, viz Yama, Dharma-raja, Mrtyu, Antaka, Vaivasvata, Kala, Sarva-pranahara...". His wife is
Syamala (3.17.4-5, 3.29.16, 24-25).
Subordination to Shiva and Vishnu
A modern depiction of Yamaraja's Court, by Dominique Amendola
Yama, although a controller, is still subordinate to the ultimate controllers Shiva and
Vishnu. A story of Yama's subordinance to Shiva is
well-illustrated in the story of Markandeya. [1]
Yama is called Kala ("time"), while Shiva is called Mahakala
("greater time"). [2]
Another story, found in the Bhagavata Purana, shows Yama's subordinance to
Vishnu. The man Ajamila had committed many evil acts during his
life such as stealing, abandoning his wife and children, and marrying a prostitute. At the moment of his death he involuntarily chanted the name of Narayana (the Sanskrit name for Vishnu) and achieved moksha, becoming saved from the messengers of Yama. Although Ajamila had actually been thinking the
name of his youngest son, Narayana's name has powerful effects, and thus Ajamila was released from his great sins. [3]
See also
External links
References
Meid, W. 1992. Die Germanische Religion im Zeugnis der Sprache. In Beck et al., Germanische Religionsgeschichte –
Quellen und Quellenprobleme, pp. 486-507. New York, de Gruyter.
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