Yama: The Hindu God Of Death And Justice Of The Soul

Meet the god Yama. Discover all his legends and powers, learn about his place in Hindu culture and his different facets.

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who is Yama?

Yama, the god of death, who determines the justice that each soul will receive, and its path after death. It is believed that Yama was the first human to die, so he has the task of presiding over where the dead will rest. He is also known as Dharma, which roughly translates to cosmic order, as he is dedicated to maintaining harmony.

According to the Vedas, the ancient Hindu texts, there is a “Book of Destiny” where the records of each person’s actions during his or her lifetime are recorded. The name Yama means twin in Vedic Sanskrit, and in some Hindu myths she has a twin sister named Yami, who is the mother goddess. They are two of the oldest deities, and considered very wise; however, their position is below Lord Shiva and Lord Vishnu, the supreme gods.

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Origin

Although Yama’s exact origin is unclear, he was once mortal, so he is familiar with what it feels like to live and die as a human. Although he is a feared deity, due to his ability to decide whether people go to heaven or hell, he is also known to be empathetic and compassionate when applying justice. He only punishes the wicked and is considered a friend of humanity.

Yama lives in a palace in a place called Kalichi, which is located within Patala, the Hindi underworld, and the regions below the earth. Yama is depicted with green skin. He wears red clothes and a bright crown with a flower on it and rides a buffalo. Sometimes he has two arms, while in other depictions he has four. He is often shown carrying a rope which he uses to catch people. No wonder he was feared.

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Keeping a record of the actions of all mankind is a daunting task, so Yama had several assistants. The most notable is Chitragupta, who keeps the book that records the deeds of mankind. He reads the book about the virtues and sins of the dead man’s soul and the god of death decides his fate. The best people can enter Pitris, which is the Hindu paradise.

Bad souls end up in one of the many hells, and the moderate ones are sent back to earth to work on getting another chance in Pitris, where if they are lucky they will be reunited with their ancestors. No matter what their fate, most Hindus are not very interested in the idea of dying and have devised numerous ways to avoid Yama.

Chants

It was said that to avoid being summoned by the god of death, one could chant the names of the triad of supreme gods, Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva. This was not very effective since it is not possible to spend one’s whole life chanting names, so Hindus die. However, there were occasions when it was said to have worked.

Markandeya, a very spiritual man, and a devotee of the god of Shiva, was always praying and staying close to the linga. A linga is a phallic symbol that is the representation of the idol of the genitals of the god Shiva, also known as Shiva Linga. Despite his devotion, his days were numbered as he aged and it was already determined in the book of fate that he had only a few years left to live.

Yama came to summon him, but faced a terrible dilemma, as the guy was always praying at Shiva Linga. Finally, Yama pulled out his lasso to bind Markandeya, but the guy wouldn’t let go of the linga, so he was dragging the man and the statues together back to Kalichi. The supreme deity Shiva saw what was going on and was furious. He actually kicked Yama to death, and his spiritual devotee was saved.

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Final

That may sound like a neat ending, but what happened next was a big problem. Now that Yama was dead, everyone else was immortal. No one was dying on earth anymore, so everywhere was overcrowded. Also, since no one was afraid of death, everyone did what they wanted and the concept of sin no longer existed.

As you can imagine, the situation was quite chaotic. The gods held a meeting, and Lord Shiva agreed to bring Yama back to life so that he could resume his position. Once again, the people had to once again whisper the names of the triad to protect themselves from the god of death and try to behave in a virtuous manner to seal a better fate for themselves by the time he reached them.

Family of Yama

Yama’s father is Vivasvant, the god of the rising sun, and his mother is Saranyu, the goddess of clouds. Yami is his twin sister, and in some stories also his wife. As Yama was the first man to die, for which he volunteered according to legend, his devoted twin was left heartbroken and suffering so much that the gods came to help her, but found her inconsolable.

To cure her of misery, they created the night. For all eternity henceforth, night would follow day and time would help heal the pain. The precise derivation of the expression “time heals all wounds” is uncertain, but the lesson follows the story of Yama and Yami.

Historical Influence

In the ancient Vedic texts of Hinduism, people were judged by Yama according to their deeds and duties during their lifetime. The concept of karma is tantamount to predicting a person’s fate and destined existence in their next life when they reincarnate, which is another fundamental Hindu belief. Both karma and reincarnation are directly linked to the judgment of Yama and form the origins of the original caste system.

During the time between lives, souls who were judged as virtuous spent their time in heaven, and when they were born, it was to a higher class. Souls who did not perform on earth were punished in various levels of hell and were reborn in the lower classes. A person’s caste is determined by his birth and there is no way to alter it during the present life.

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Untouchables

Although this system has evolved over the centuries, and the concept of untouchables, the lowest class, was banned in the 1950s, the system still has an influence on modern society in India today. The updated version appears to be sorted by socio-economic distinction and family pressure for marriage within the parameters of similar financial and educational background.

Although there is now upward social mobility in India, a person’s surname remains a caste identifier. Even those who change their names are required to keep their original name for certain legal transactions or school transcripts, so there is still no permanent erasure of birthright, even among the most educated members of the lower classes.

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