Yama (Hinduism)


In Hinduism, Yama - also referred to as Yamaraja - is a Rigvedic deity. He is the lord of death and justice, being responsible for the dispensation of law and punishment of sinners in his abode, Yamaloka.

Characteristics

Yama's original Sanskrit mantra in the Devanagari, in the English transliteration, and in an English translation:

Literature

Vedas (Rig Veda)

In the Rig Veda, Yama is the son of Vivasvan and of Saranya and has a twin sister named Yami. He helped humankind find a place to dwell, and gave every individual the power to tread any path in life which he or she so chooses.
Yama is mentioned roughly fifty times in the Rig Veda, almost exclusively in the first and in the tenth book. Four hymns are directly addressed to or about Yama. From the Griffith / Keith / Fergus translation:
Hymn 10.10 consists of prayer by Yama's sister, Yami, to him. Agni, the god of fire, has close relations with Yama. In hymn 10.21, Agni is said to be the envoy of Vivasvat and a well-loved friend of Yama himself:
Hymn 10.52, asks who Yama's priest is:
Hymn 1.164 states Agni, Yama, and Mātariśvan are the names of One being, along with other forms of the divine:

Upanishads

In the Katha Upanishad, Yama is portrayed as a teacher to the Brahmin boy Nachiketa. Having granted three boons to Nachiketa, their conversation evolves to a discussion of the nature of being, knowledge, the Atman and moksha. From the translation by Brahmrishi Vishvatma Bawra:

Mahabharata

In the epic Mahabharata, Yama is the father of Yudhishthira, the oldest brother of the five Pandavas. Yama most notably appears in person in the Yaksha Prashna and the Vana Parva, and is mentioned in the Bhagavad Gita.

Yaksha Prashna

In the Yaksha Prashna, Yama appears as a yaksha in the form of a Crane to question Yudhishthira and test his righteousness. Impressed by Yudhishthira's strict adherence to dharma and his answers to the riddles posed, Yama revealed himself as his father, blessed him, and brought his younger Pandava brothers back to life. From the Yaksha Prashna article linked:

Vana Parva

In the Vana Parva, when Yudhishthira asks the sage Markandeya whether there has ever been a woman whose devotion matched Draupadi’s, the sage replied by relating the story of Savitri and Satyavan. After Savitri's husband Satyavan died, Yama arrived to carry away his soul. However, Yama was so impressed with Savitri's purity and dedication to dharma and to her husband, he was convinced to instead bring Satyavan back to life.
Tirtha-Yatra Parva
In the Tirtha-yatra Parva, Lomasa tells Yudhishthira 'in days of yore, there was a terrible time in the Satya Yuga when the eternal and primeval Deity assumed the duties of Yama. And, O thou that never fallest off, when the God of gods began to perform the functions of Yama, there died not a creature while the births were as usual.'
This led to an increase in the population and the Earth sinking down 'for a hundred yojanas. And suffering pain in all her limbs.' The earth sought the protection of Narayana, who incarnated as a boar and lifted her back up.

Udyoga Parva

In the Udyoga Parva, it is stated that the wife of Yama is called Urmila.

Bhagavad Gita

In the Bhagavad Gita, part of the Mahabharata, Krishna states:

Puranas

Yama and his abode are frequently mentioned in the Puranas.

Bhagavata Puruna / Srimad Bhagavatam

Third and Fourth Canto
In the third and fourth cantos of the Srimad Bhagavatam, Yama was incarnated as a shudra called Vidura due to being cursed by a sage for being too harsh in his punishments. From the A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada / Bhaktivedanta Book Trust translation:
Vidura, a devotee of Krishna, is the main protagonist in the third canto. In this canto, after being thrown out of his home by King Dhritarashtra for admonishing the Kaurava's ignoble behaviour towards the Pandavas, Vidura went on a pilgrimage where he met other devotees of Krishna such as Uddhava and the sage Maitreya, the latter of whom revealed Vidura's true origin to him:
Krishna also states Yama punishes sinners, as relayed to Vidura by Maitreya during their conversation about the origin and creation of the multiverse:
A detailed account of the punishment of a sinner upon their death is also provided, beginning with their seizure and journey to Yamaloka :
Sixth Canto
In the sixth canto, Yama instructs his messengers, the Yamadutas, when questioned about who has supreme authority in the universe since there are so many gods and demigods:
Tenth Canto
In the tenth canto, Krishna and Balarama travel to Yama's abode to bring back the dead son of their Guru, Sandipani Muni:

Brahma Purana

In the Brahma Purana, Yama is the lord of justice and is associated with Dharma. Mentions include:
In the Garuda Purana, Yama and his realm where sinners are punished are detailed extensively, including in the twelfth chapter called 'The Realm of Yama'.

Matsya Purana

In the Matsya Purana, In addition to his battles against the asuras, Yama is mentioned extensively:
  • Chapter XI: Yama as boy is cursed
  • Chapter XLIX: Yama fights Janamejaya in Hell and after being captured, gives him knowledge of emanicipation
  • Chapter XCIII: Yama is declared to be of Saturn
  • Chapter CII: Synonyms of Yama are given
  • Chapter CCXLVIII: Yama - like others - is controlled by Vishnu
  • Chapter CCLIII: Yama is 13th of the 32 Devas

Vishnu Purana

In the Vishnu Purana, Yama is the son of sun-god Surya and Sandhya, the daughter of Vishvakarma.

Iconography

In art, some Sanskrit sources say that he should be of dark color, resembling the rain-cloud, with two arms, fire-colored eyes and sharp side-tusks. He is depicted with red or black clothes, and seated either on a throne or a he-buffalo. A different iconographic form described in the Viṣṇudharmottara depicts him with four arms and wearing golden yellow garments. He holds a noose of rope in one hand. He is also depicted holding a danda which is a Sanskrit word for "stick".

Worship

Although Yama is worshiped as part of daily prayer rituals as one of the Guardians of the Directions, there are few temples dedicated to the worship of Yama. All known temples and shrines are located in India.

In Popular Culture

In addition to his depiction in movie and television adaptations of scriptures such as in the television series Krishna, Yama has also been depicted in in India, particularly to warn against the dangers of riding motorcycles without helmets.
Dharma Raja has been depicted as a character in "The Star-Touched Queen" and "A Crown of Wishes" by Roshani Chokshi.