“Life and death are one thread, the same line viewed from different sides.”

          ­- Said “Laozi”, An ancient Chinese philosopher and a writer.             

Today you are reading my views about the mythological character, Yama.

One of the unique beliefs in Hindu mythology is, that death is not the end of life but as part of a larger life cycle in which the journey is extended beyond death. Here is the exact moment where the role of Yama comes into play.

When we go through the Hindu mythology, very few characters have no negative attributes. Yama is one of them. As a matter of fact, I couldn’t find any such attributes in Yama. That is why this blog is about the God, Yama.

About Yama:

Yama, in Hindu mythology, the god of the dead.

He is the guardian of the resting place of the dead a.k.a “Hell”, which is located under the earth.

Yama is depicted as the sovereign of the infernal; the lord of dead and dispenser of justice; and a governor of eternal law that ensures rejuvenation of life and a sense of balance between the old and new in all existence; he is the embodiment of righteousness, the dharma. So, in later mythology he became, known as the justice king (Dharmaraja) who weighs the good and evil deeds of the dead and determines retribution. 

He decides if the person should be punished or should go to heaven.

He is described as majestic in appearance, green or black, with red eyes and red garments. He carries a noose and a mace, which may be ornamented with a skull, and rides a water buffalo.

It is said that he is one of the wisest of the devas (gods). Yudhishtra, the eldest of the Pandavas was also known as Dharmaraja, he was blessed by no other than Yamadeva.

Connecting

Very interestingly such “Yama’s” are mentioned in other mythologies around the world… Norse, Egyptian, Greek & Rome where he occupies a similar role as the guardian of the abode of the dead.

Hades, god of the underworld, in Greek mythology.

Similarly, Pluto rules the underworld in Roman mythology.

Hel is the goddess of death in Norse mythology whereas Osiris in Egyptian.

List of similarities

For example, Sharvara is the dog belonging to Yama.

It is one of the two dogs that guard the netherworld, it can be compared with Cerberus, the Greek mythological dog often called the “hound of Hades” is a three-headed dog that guards the gates of the underworld.

Conclusion

It is very interesting and fascinating to find out the fact that there are striking similarities among various mythologies, cultures and habits of mankind even though we are separated by geographies, race, colour, time and the way we approach belief.

“That’s all folks

I’ll be back with more interesting blogs

          Stay tuned…

Bye!”

 ~Sarayu