Yama on His Mount (Source: Wikimedia Commons)
Death is the greatest equalizer. Poor or rich, man or woman, higher or lower castes, it sees no difference, it meets everyone with the same attitude. Thus it is no wonder that the God of Death in India, Yama, is also the Lord of Justice and Dharmaraja, the protector of order.
Yamaraj is known by many names, each describing his roles and attributes:
🔶Kala — the personification of Time
🔶Mrityu — meaning Death itself
🔶Antaka — the Ender
🔶Vaivasvata — son of Vivasvan (Surya, the Sun God)
🔶Sarvapranahara — the taker of all lives
🔶Dharmaraja — the Lord of Dharma (Justice)
Often mentioned as he who takes away the soul of the departed, riding his buffalo, Yama is much more than a dark deity of death. Since the Vedic period, when he was the first human to die and become the Lord of the Dead, Yama is a powerful god worshiped as a protector of people and ruler of Mrityuloka (the earth, realm of Mrityu or death).
“Yama, the king of righteousness, instructs Nachiketa about the eternal self that transcends death.” — Katha Upanishad
Yama, Sandstone Sculpture, 12th Century, Rajasthan (Source: Galerie Hioco)
Yama is the son of Surya and Sandhya, and the twin brother of Yami or Yamuna, the river goddess. According to some legends, when the Sun god visited his wife who was pregnant with Yama, she was unable to bear his brightness and closed her eyes, thus being unable to greet her husband properly.
Angered, Surya cursed Sandhya and the child, that he would be popular as a fearsome being and a cause of disruption. The relationship between Yama and Yami, the twin children of Surya and Sandhya has been described in Vedic as well as Puranic texts.
Bhai Dooja (Bhaiya Dooj), celebrates the special bond between brothers and sisters. This tradition is linked to Yama and Yamuna:
According to legends, Yama once visited Yamuna who welcomed him with festivities. Happy with the arrangements, Yama gave a boon to Yamuna, according to which anyone who visited their sister on the day (of Bhai Dooja) and brothers and sisters who bathed in the waters of Yamuna, would never be tormented by Yama and the fear of untimely death.
In Hindu culture, Yama is more than just the god of death he is also is worshipped as a member of the Ashtadikpalakas (Eight Directional Guardians) in Hindu cosmology. He protects the southern direction, which symbolizes the realm of ancestors and death.
✅ Vastu Tip: In Vastu Shastra, Yama’s icon is placed in the southern area of a building plan to guard the entrance and maintain spiritual order.
🔶In the Vedic period, Yama is often evoked with Agni and Pitra (ancestors) and the ruler of the realm of the dead.
🔶In the Mahabharata, Yama is cursed by a sage to become Vidura or a shudra showing his connection to justice even in human form.
🔶The Naradiya Samhita, a text of the Pancharatra tradition of Vaishnavism, prescribes devotees to worship Yama for the boon of longevity.
🔶Katha Upanishad, one of the most famous dialogues between Yama and Nachiketa, where Yama explains the nature of the soul and liberation from the cycle of rebirth.
The Yama-Sukta is a sacred hymn dedicated to Yama found in the Rig Veda (Mandala 10, Hymn 14), one of the oldest and most revered Vedic texts. It contains 16 mantras (riks) that praise Yama as the guide of departed souls and the guardian of the afterlife.
🔶The mantras (7 and 8) in which the preta (soul) is advised to travel by the ancient path and meet Yama.
🔶The 9th mantra of the Sukta commands evil spirits of the Shmashan or cremation grounds to go away as the ground has been given by Yama to the preta.
🔶In the 10th mantra, the preta is asked to travel safely and avoid the dogs of Yama, while Yama is asked to tell his dogs to protect the spirit.
✅ Note: The pitra and Sarameyas (two dogs of Yama) said to guard the gates of Yama’s realm, ensuring no soul wanders back to the mortal world.
Some of the mantras of the Yama-Sukta are used in or rites performed after the death of a person in Hindu traditions.
The Yamagita literally “The Song of Yama” is a lesser-known spiritual discourse in Hindu literature. Inspired by the Bhagavad Gita, several other “Gitas” were written in Indian literature. this collection of verses records Yama’s teachings on karma, righteous living, and freedom from fear of death.
The Yamagita appears in various Puranas, such as:
🔶Agnipurana
🔶Vishnupurana
🔶Narasimhapurana.
The story in the Puranas tells that Maitreya asks Rishi Parashara about karma or deeds that make a person free from the clutches of Yama. Parashara narrates that during the Mahabharata period, Nakula, one of the Pandavas also asked the same question to his grandfather, Bhishma, who told him about Yama and his Dutas and the kind of human beings that are protected from the danger of death.
Once a Duta or messenger of Yama was advised by him to never touch the devotee of Lord Vishnu. Yama says that a devotee of Vishnu-
🔶Never transgresses duties of varna and ashram
🔶Treats friends and enemies equally
🔶Never harms anyone
🔶Maintains purity of mind and heart
🔶Meditates sincerely on Vishnu
🔶Stays free of greed, jealousy, and lust
🔶Remains calm, peaceful, and truthful
🔶Avoids sinful deeds and destructive acts
On the contrary, someone who sins, steals, hurts others, does not perform yajna, and always indulges in evil actions is to be the focus of torments of the Yama-duta. Thus, the essence of Yamagita is that the devotees of Vishnu are always protected and never touched by the fear of Yama.
The iconography of Yama in Hinduism is described in the Puranas. In the Vishnudharmottara Purana, he is described as a four-armed or Chaturbhuja god, with fangs on his mouth, a garland of flames, red/blue/yellow color of clothes, carrying a noose, mace or sword, and Danda (staff). He rides a buffalo and also wears golden garments, with a body colored like rain-filled clouds.
A Blue-Skinned Yama with Danda and Noose on Buffalo (Source: Wikimedia Commons)
According to traditions, the image of Yama should always be made with his companions. Traditional art often includes:
🔶Chitragupta: His is often referred to as the scribe who lives in the land of Yama and keeps a record of everyone’s Karma.
🔶Kala: Another companion symbolizing time and the inevitable passage toward death.
🔶Dutas: Yama’s fearsome messengers who escort souls from the earthly realm to Yama’s court for judgment.
🔶Consort Dhumorna: Some scriptures mention Yama’s wife, described with skin like a blue lotus, sitting gracefully on his lap.
The nature and powers of Yama remain almost similar to Hinduism, as reaches the cultural realm of Buddhism. Birth, old age, illness, punishment for wrongdoings, and death are seen as the messengers of Yama in Buddhism. After death, when one reaches the Loka of Yama, he asks the person if they have seen his messengers and did they benefit from these sights and made positive changes in their lives.
If the person answers in negative, they are taken to various hells by the helpers of Yama. Buddhaghosa, the famed philosopher describes Yama as he who guards the four gates of Naraka. He calls him “Vemanikapetaraja” who enjoys the luxury of heaven at some points and at others, experiences the results of his actions. The Jatakas mention Naraya (hell) as the home of Yama and the world as the land of Yama, which is subject to his laws.
Yamantaka with Chamundi (Source: Wikimedia Commons)
Vajrayana or Tantric Buddhism has a popular followership in many areas of Tibet. Here, devotees worship Yama as Kalarupa (the embodiment of Kala or death), as a wrathful, protector god linked to Subhishana (the Southern Shmashan or creation ground), mentioned in the Vajravarahi Sadhana. In the images and icons of Yama in Tibetan Buddhism, he is depicted with a head of buffalo, with a dark blue skin color, placed in a flaming aura, wearing ornaments of skulls, embracing his consort or Shakti, called Chamundi.
Yamantaka Thangka (Source: Wikimedia Commons)
Another powerful deity, known as “Yamantaka” (annihilator of Yama) is also worshiped in Tibetan Buddhism. He is also called Vajrabhairva (Bhairava is another name of Shiva, who is evoked as Kalantaka or the ender of death).
Taranath, a Tibetan scholar describes Yamantaka as a wrathful aspect of Bodhisattva Manjushir, while other sources associated him with Vajrapani and Amitabha. He is one of the 3 main meditational deities of Gelug school, a popular sect in Tibet, in addition to Chakrasamvara and Guhyasamja.
It takes a truly ancient and unique culture like India to not only give a form to death as a deity but worship him and please him before auspicious things. It is not uncommon to find hymns, mantras, and rituals dedicated to Yama in sacred texts of India, asking him to bless a new endeavor, protect the people going on long journeys, and be the guardian of the entrances of homes and temples.
Yama is not seen as a negative, violent being, but as an integral part of the Kaala-Chakra (the cycle of life), where death is as important as life, a stage which every soul must reach. In this cosmic scheme, Yama plays a crucial and unavoidable role in maintaining the order of life.
Hence, ancient Indian temples have images and sculptures of Yama, showing him as a divine being, surrounded by his Dutas and carrying expressions of benevolence. The worshippers bow down to him and ask him to never visit them unexpectedly, during a calamity, or in a tragic manner.
Included within the sacred rituals and culture of worship, the God of Death in India becomes a familiar presence, guiding the people to live a good life so that when Yama comes knocking on their door, and come he will, one has fulfilled all their duties to self, family, and society and can move on to the next phase, with nothing but contentment and acceptance.
A: Yamaraj, also called Yama, is the Hindu God of Death and Justice. He rules the afterlife and ensures souls face the consequences of their karma.
A: He represents the inevitability of death, justice, and balance in the cosmic cycle.
A: He appears with a buffalo, noose, staff, and often with Chitragupta and his wife Dhumorna.
A: It teaches that devotion to Vishnu protects souls from Yama’s messengers, offering liberation.
A: People invoke him during festivals, house building, and rituals for long life and protection.
A: In Buddhism, Yama judges the dead and governs Naraka (hell). He symbolizes the cycle of birth, old age, illness, and death.
A: It honors the bond between Yama and his sister Yamuna; brothers visit sisters for blessings of longevity.
A: Yama is shown as a dark-complexioned deity riding a buffalo, with fangs, a noose, and a staff, often accompanied by Chitragupta.
A: Despite being the God of Death, Yamaraj is worshipped for a long, righteous life and as a protector of cosmic order.
A: Yama represents moral order, the inevitability of death, and the importance of living righteously to attain peace after death.
🔸Yamaraj is the Hindu God of Death and Justice.
🔸He ensures all beings face karma fairly.
🔸Also revered in Buddhism and Tibetan Buddhism with similar powers.
🔸Believed to be the first mortal to die and rule the afterlife.
🔸Honored during Bhai Dooj, symbolizing sibling protection.
🔸Yamagita teaches freedom from death’s fear through devotion.
🔸Iconography: dark, buffalo-riding, staff and noose in hand.
🔸Represents the balance between life, death, and cosmic order.
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