Yama (Hinduism)

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.

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.

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 reports to Lord Shiva the Destroyer, an aspect of Trimurti (Hinduism's triune Godhead). Three hymns (10, 14, and 35) 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, 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

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. ^*

Yama is called Kala ("time"), while Shiva is called Mahakala ("greater time"). ^*

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. ^*

Yama in popular culture

In the Spriggan manga, Yama was a virus programmed from ancient text that overran an ARCAM compound in the United States, brainwashing its occupants to kill intruders by flashing the words "KILL THEM ALL!"
In the Bleach manga, a Yama type being is occasionally seen pulling people through a portal to hell.
In the Naruto manga, as well as a Hanuman type creature, and a charecter names after an asura, there is a Yama type creature that seems to be based upon classical Indian depictions.
In the comic book Micronauts, Yama was a warrior companion of the Wayfarer from the Microverse.
In the comic book Tex Willer, Yama is the son of Tex' archnemesis Mefisto.
In the anime and manga Dragon Ball, Enma (The Japanese name for Yama) is portrayed as a harried bureaucrat with a short temper, attended to by an army of office-worker oni. Though the ruler of the afterlife, he is surpassed in power by both the four Kaiō and the one remaining Kaiōshin (higher gods in whose hands rest the stewardship of the entire universe).
He is depicted in a similar fashion in YuYu Hakusho, as the pen-pushing ruler of the spirit world and a shadowy figure known for his temper; however, he is also the father of Koenma (literally, "Child-Enma"), who often runs the underworld in his father's stead. He is known as "Yemma" (based on an older Japanese pronunciation) in the English-dubbed Dragon Ball Z anime, and Yama in the English version of YuYu Hakusho.
In Mahou Sentai Magiranger, the main villain of the series, N-Ma, is derived from Enma's name; both being Hell Gods.
Yama, identified as a "Chinese spirit of the underworld", appears played by Todd Newton in the episode Dead Man Dating of the television series Charmed.
Emma-Ō appears as a character in the arcade game Genpei ToumaDen.
Yama is a minor character in the anime and manga One Piece who commands Eneru's army
The Jigoku Shoujo anime focuses on a 'hell girl' and concepts similar to Naraka.
Yama turns up in many other forms of popular entertainment, but especially Indian, Chinese and Japanese television.

External links

Dying, Yamaraja and Yamadutas
Painting of Yama
Yama's subordinance to Vishnu
Foundations of Yoga - Discussion of Yama and Niyama, by Swami Nirmalananda Giri

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.

Adityas | Lokapala | Death gods | Hindu gods

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Characteristics of Yama

Subordination to Shiva and Vishnu

Yama in popular culture

See also

External links

References