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. Known as Kala, Mrityu, Antaka, Vaivasvata, Sarvapranahara (taker of everyone’s life), Yama is a name that causes shudders, intrigue, and reverence in the hearts of humans.
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, 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. A popular episode related to them is the story of why Bhai Dooja is celebrated.
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 the Vedic period, Yama is often evoked with Agni and Pitra (ancestors) and the ruler of the realm of the dead. The Katha Upanishad is popular among many as the book that contains a discussion between Yama and Nachiketa, which throws light on many aspects of human life. Yama is also revered as a Lokapala and Dikpala, a guardian of land and directions.
In the Mahabharata, Yama is cursed by a sage to become Vidura or a shudra. Yama is also worshipped as a member of the Ashtadikpalakas (eight guardians of the directions. In Vastushastra, Yama’s icon is prescribed to be installed in the construction plan of a new home and Yama is evoked as the guardian of the doorway.
The God of Death, paradoxically but naturally, is also worshipped by many for a long life. The Naradiya Samhita, a text of the Pancharatra tradition of Vaishnavism, prescribes devotees to worship Yama for the boon of longevity.
The Sukta of Yama is found in the Rig Veda (10.14). It contains 16 riks or mantras of Yama, who is the rishi presiding over the Sukta, worshiped alongside the pitra and Sarameyas (two dogs of Yama). During the recitation and conducting of the sacrifice, if for some reason, the Yajamana dies, the priest recites 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.
Some of the mantras of the Yama-Sukta are used in or rites performed after the death of a person in Hindu traditions.
Inspired by the Bhagavad Gita, several other “Gitas” were written in Indian literature. One of these is the Yamagita, verses devoted to Yama, found in Agnipurana, Vishnupurana, and 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
☸ Is always equal for friends and enemies
☸ Never harms anyone
☸ Is pure in mind and meditates upon Vishnu
☸ Is free from passions of the mind like greed, jealousy, and lust
☸ Is peaceful and calm inwardly and outwardly
☸ Never sins
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.
A Blue-Skinned Yama with Danda and Noose on Buffalo (Source: Wikimedia Commons)
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.
According to traditions, the image of Yama should always be made with his companions, Chitrgupta and Kala. Chitraguta is often referred to as the scribe who lives in the land of Yama and keeps a record of everyone’s Karma. Yama is also depicted with his first wife, Dhumorna, who is mentioned to have skin like the blue lotus. She sits in the lap of Yama and is a two-armed goddess.
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.
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