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Sivogam Sivogam Sivogam!

Sri Bala Maha Ganapathaye Namaha

Sri Chandramouleeswari Amba Sametha Bathaleswaraya Namaha

Sri Yama Dharma Raja - A report by S.Ramamirtham Gurukkal

Normally in most of the polytheistic religions around the world there are beliefs about the deities which are connected to the death of a Human Being or a living thing. In that mostly the deities are described or believed to control the dead. In other words this deities are controlling the sprits or the peoples after their death rather than controlling their time of death. So these deities preside over after the death of humans.

Lord Yama Dharma Rajan or Yama simply is portrayed as the black colored with fiery eyes. He travels on his he-buffalo (Vahanam). His assistance is Lord Chitra Guptha, who is keeping the complete records of all the human beings in the world. Depending on their Karma that they have done on the earth they will be judged by Yama to have them at heaven (Swargam), or Hell (Naragam) or to have reincarnation or rebirth in accordance with their karma. He is said to wear red cloths and uses Iron thrones. In some places he is portrayed to use golden yellow garments.

| God of Dhrama Rather than God of Death |

Lord Yama is portrayed as the god of Dhrama more than God of Death. That he is so called by the name Yama Dharma Raja. He is the lord of justice more than the lord of death. He is mentioned as kala, which means time. It may be taken as he is one who vanishes or destroys the things in time. More than that Lord Siva is mentioned as Mahakala in some parts of vedas.

Yama is the son of Lord Surya (Solar Deity of Hindu Dharma).

| Saiva and Vaishnava Iconogrophy|

In spite of his power and control over the life of the humans he is always said to be subordinating Lord Siva and Lord Vishnu. In puranas and agamas of Saiva origin he is portrayed as a worshiper of lord Siva and thus he subordinate lord Siva. For example in Markandeya Purana he was portrayed to be subordinating lord siva. In vaishnava related puranas like Garuda purana, he is mentioned as the subordinate of Lord vishnu.

Sri Yama Dharma Raja Dyanam

|| Kruthaantham Mahisharoodam thanda hastham bayanagam

Kalapasa dharam krishnam dyaeth dkshina dik pathim ||

Kruhtaantham - One who ends all, Mahishroodam - One who is having he-buffalo, Thanda hastham - who is having Thandam (A weapon), Bayanagam - fierce full, Kalapasa dharam - One who have Pasa (The rope Weapon). Krishnam - One Who looks black, Dakshina Dik Pathim - Lord of South Direction.

|| Thrinathra peena krishnango babru smasru sirorugaha,

munda gadko keda soolo, maha kalo vahan karaihi ||

In the above dyanam he is said to have Moustache and three eyes.

Having weapons kabalam ( Human head), Sickle, Kedagam (Armour), Soolam (Trident).

Yanluo Wang - China, Yorma - Korea, Emma – Japan

In the Chinese tradition, the death deity worshiped in more or less the same as Yama. They got many in common as the Yama Dharma Rajan. In Buddhist traditions Yama is mentioned to be a Dharmapala which means one who defends Dharma or justice, just he believed to be in hindu religion. In Chinese tradition he is called as Yán Wáng also called Yanluo. In Korean traditions he is called as Yorma and Emma in Japan. In Japan and Korea he has been always said as The Great King Yorma or Emma, which they just as followed Hindus saying Yama Dhrama Raja, Which literally means the Yama the king of justice.

In china he controls the underworld (The World of Dead or even Hell). This underworld is called as Di Yu. This world is more or less similar to the Naraga mentioned in the hindu mythology. In this Di Yu the yahluo wang give judgement orders to the dead. This Di yu has subset of 18 (In some books it is mentioned as 134) hells. In each hell the dead will be given each type of tortures. This depends on the sins they have done on the earth. This can be very myuh compared to the Garuda Puran's explanation of hell and Yama Dharma Raja. This Di Yu is believed to be situated so far in the southern side, just like Sri Yama described as the Lord of South side. Also in china he is believed to be having a Subordinate who is having a brush and a cloth. He is mentioned to be watching every soul and write their sins on the cloth. This will be reported to Yanluo on the death of every soul. Yanluo will judge them according to the report by this minion. This may be very much linked with Chithra Guptha of Hindu Mythology.

Saimyo-ji is a Shingi Shingon Buddhist temple of the Buzan-ha, Tochigi, Japan. Built in 737 and rebuilt in 1492, it is one of the four oldest temples in eastern Japan. It is the only temple where one can see a statue of a laughing Enma. In India also temples are there for Lord Yama, and Chitraguptha.

Yamaanthaga – Tibetian Mythology

In Tibetian cultures he is named as the Yamaanthaga. That is Yama - Anthaga, literally means he is Yama who is anthagan, or can put end to anything. Some stories says that he is incarnation of Manjushri - Mahayana Bhudhism. He is the one who killed Yama who endagered the lives of peoples of Tibet. Since he killed Yama he got the name Yama- Anthaga, One who ends Yama.

In one another mythologies of Budhism he is named as vimanapeta, and as the one who judges the souls after their death.

In all aspects it is clear that he is portrayed as fierce full form just to make the people fear about him. He is described as a just man and with cruel judgements, to make people to feel fear of doing wrongs and sins.

Anubis (Greek Mythology):

 Anubis is the Jackal headed with human body deity associated with the mummification and the afterlife of the Greeks. He is said to guard the dead to the other world. He was portrayed with the Jackal head since its doing scavenging works. Also if any dead body was not mummified properly or funeral was not done properly then he will eat it. This have some similarities over the Garuda Purana stating that anybody whose funeral was done properly may lead to tortures or sentence in the hell by Sri Yama Dharma Raja. Interesting factor is that Anubis is said to be son of the Nephthys and Osiris. In some texts it is said that he is the son of the Solar God " Ra". It can be very much linked with the Sri Yama Dharma Rajan being the Son the Sri Surya, also called as "Ragu" or “Ravi”.

Osiris (Greek Mythology):

Osiris is said to be the god who ruled Egypt and even as the father of Anubis. He was once killed by his own brother Stu and then he was mummified and became mortal in his afterlife. This Mummification was done by the Anubis. The Mummification was practiced after this. Since the Mummification is done by Anubis, the Mummification of Pharaohs and Priests were done by peoples wearing Anubis mask on their faces.

Ishtar-Deela(Chechen Mythology – Vainakh Mythology)

This is a pre-Islamic Pagan religion followed by Chechens. The Death God of this religion is Ishtar-Deela. He is said to be the Lord of the underworld kingdom called Deeli-Malkhi. This kingdom was build within seven years. When the sun sets in the west its believed that the underworld gets the sunlight. The Lord Ishtar-Deela judges the sins of the souls and punish them accordingly. This is very much similar to Sri Yama Dharma Rajan of Yamalogam.

Saint Michael – Chirstianity Roman Catholic

 

Saint Michael is angel of death in Roman Catholic Christians. He is not a God but an angel of God. He had been mentioned in New Testament. He is the one who bring the souls on judgement day and judges them with the scale. So he is often portrayed with having scales in his hand. The souls were then sent to Hell or Heaven depending on their Sins they have done. Sometimes souls may be sent to Purgatory. The place which is not a hell but some souls were punished there for some smaller sins and were sent to Heaven. This is similar to Pandavas and Karna of Mahabaratham were first sent to Hell for some period for some sins they have done and then they were sent to heaven by Sri Yama Dharma Rajan.

Azrael -Islamic

The Quran never uses this name. Instead It states Malak al-Maut(which translates directly as angel of death). He is one the four Archangels of Islam. He is said to be having one foot on the bridge between hell and paradise. When a person's day of death approaches, a leaf with the person's name on it falls from the tree beneath God's throne. After forty days have passed, Azrael must take the individual's soul from his or her body. The actual process of separating the soul from the body depends on the person's history or record of good or bad deeds. If the human was a bad person in life, the soul is ripped out very painfully. But if the human was a righteous person, then the soul is separated like a 'drop of water dripping from glass'. Garuda purana states that the souls of greedy persons were taken painfully and forcefully from their bodies by Yama Kingaras.

Samael- Judaism (Jew)

Sameal is considered as the angel of death in the Jews. He is the one who takes the soul out when a man Dies. He is the Chief of Fifth heaven and he is one of rulers of the Seventh Heaven. He does not have anything common with Sri Yama at all other than the fierce appearance. It is said that Mosses seen him with fear in the Seventh heaven. He is compared mostly with the Azrael. He is said to have spouses- five Demons which control lust and prostitution.

Thus deities of death are mostly fierce and they are believed to punish the sinful. The belief in this deities and angel make people to think or avoid doing Sins.

- S Ramamirtham

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