16 Facts About Yama

1.

In Hinduism, Yama is the son of sun-god Surya and Sanjana, the daughter of Vishvakarma.

FactSnippet No. 1,510,027
2.

Yama is the brother of Sraddhadeva Manu and of his older sister Yami, which Horace Hayman Wilson indicates to mean the Yamuna.

FactSnippet No. 1,510,028
3.

Yama is one of the oldest deities in the pantheon and some of his earliest appearances are found in the Rigveda.

FactSnippet No. 1,510,029
4.

Yama is one of the Lokapalas, appointed as the protector of the southern direction.

FactSnippet No. 1,510,030
5.

Yama is described as having four arms, protruding fangs, and complexion of storm clouds with a wrathful expression; surrounded by a garland of flames; dressed in red, yellow, or blue garments; riding a water-buffalo and holding a sword, noose and a mace to capture the souls of those who have sinned.

FactSnippet No. 1,510,031
6.

In Buddhism, Yama is a dharmapala, a wrathful god or the Enlightened Protector of Buddhism that is considered worldly, said to judge the dead and preside over the Narakas and the cycle of rebirth.

FactSnippet No. 1,510,032
7.

Buddhist Yama has developed different myths and different functions from the Hindu deity.

FactSnippet No. 1,510,033
8.

In Pali Canon Buddhist myths, Yama takes those who have mistreated elders, holy spirits, or their parents when they die.

FactSnippet No. 1,510,034
9.

Contrary though, in the Majjhima Nikaya commentary by Buddhagosa, Yama is a vimanapeta – a preta with occasional suffering.

FactSnippet No. 1,510,035
10.

In Chinese texts, Yama only holds transitional places in Hell where he oversaw the deceased before he, and the Generals of Five Paths, were assigned a course of rebirth.

FactSnippet No. 1,510,036
11.

Yama was later placed as a King in the Fifth Court when texts led to the fruition of the underworld that marked the beginnings of systemizations.

FactSnippet No. 1,510,037
12.

Yama can be found in one of the oldest Japanese religious works called Nipponkoku Genpo Zenaku Ryoiki, a literary work compiled by the Monk Keikai in 822.

FactSnippet No. 1,510,038
13.

Yama was introduced to Japan through Buddhism, where he was featured as a Buddhist divinity.

FactSnippet No. 1,510,039
14.

The imagery of Yama would have been used in order to explain such a concept to followers of the Sikh Gurus who came from Hindu backgrounds: there is imagery of the Islamic angel of death that was used to help followers from Islamic backgrounds.

FactSnippet No. 1,510,040
15.

Later, as Islam replaced Hinduism as the majority religion of Java, Yama was demystified by Walisanga, who ruled at that time.

FactSnippet No. 1,510,041
16.

Yama'sstatue is usually enshrined in the Mahavira halls of Chinese Buddhist temples along with the statues of the other devas.

FactSnippet No. 1,510,042