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{{short description|Indic god of death}}
{{About|overall concept of Yama|the Hindu god|Yama (Hinduism)|the Buddhist god|Yama (Buddhism)|other uses|Yama (disambiguation)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2021}}
{{Use Indian English|date=December 2015}}
[[File:Guardians of the eight directions 04.JPG|thumb|Sculpture of the dikpala Yama.]]
'''Yama''' or '''Yamarāja''' is a [[deva (Hinduism)|Hindu]] and [[deva (Buddhism)|Buddhist]] deity of death, [[dharma]], the south direction, and the [[underworld]],<ref>Ancient History Encyclopedia. [https://www.worldhistory.org/Yama/ Yama].</ref> belonging to an early stratum of [[Rigvedic deities|Rigvedic Hindu deities]]. In Sanskrit, his name can be interpreted to mean "twin".<ref>{{cite book|last=Puhvel|first=Jaan|title=Comparative Mythology|year=1989|publisher=Johns Hopkins University Press|location=Baltimore and London|isbn=978-0801839382|pages=285–286}}</ref>
He is also an important deity worshipped by the [[Kalash people|Kalasha]] and formerly by the [[Nuristan]]i peoples, indicating his prominence in [[ancient Hinduism]].<ref name="Bezhan2017">{{cite web|url=https://www.rferl.org/a/28439107.html|title=Pakistan's Forgotten Pagans Get Their Due|last=Bezhan|first=Frud|date=19 April 2017|publisher=[[Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty]]|language=en|access-date=11 July 2017|quote=About half of the Kalash practice a form of ancient Hinduism infused with old pagan and animist beliefs.}}</ref><ref name="BarringtonKendrick2006">{{cite book|last1=Barrington|first1=Nicholas|last2=Kendrick|first2=Joseph T.|last3=Schlagintweit|first3=Reinhard|title=A Passage to Nuristan: Exploring the Mysterious Afghan Hinterland|year=2006|publisher=[[I.B. Tauris]]|language=en |isbn=978-1845111755|page=111|quote=Prominent sites include Hadda, near Jalalabad, but Buddhism never seems to have penetrated the remote valleys of Nuristan, where the people continued to practise an early form of polytheistic Hinduism.}}</ref><ref name="WeissMaurer2012">{{cite book|last1=Weiss|first1=Mitch|last2=Maurer|first2=Kevin|title=No Way Out: A Story of Valor in the Mountains of Afghanistan|date= 2012|publisher=Berkley Caliber|language=en |isbn=978-0425253403|page=299|quote=Up until the late nineteenth century, many Nuristanis practised a primitive form of Hinduism. It was the last area in Afghanistan to convert to Islam—and the conversion was accomplished by the sword}}</ref><ref>http://www.people.fas.harvard.edu/~witzel/KalashaReligion.pdf</ref><ref name="Jamil2019">{{cite web |last1=Jamil |first1=Kashif |title=Uchal — a festival of shepherds and farmers of the Kalash tribe |url=https://dailytimes.com.pk/450469/uchal-a-festival-of-shepherds-and-farmers-of-the-kalash-tribe/ |publisher=[[Daily Times (Pakistan)|Daily Times]] |access-date=23 January 2020 |page=English |date=19 August 2019 |quote=Some of their deities who are worshiped in Kalash tribe are similar to the Hindu god and goddess like Mahadev in Hinduism is called Mahandeo in Kalash tribe. ... All the tribal also visit the Mahandeo for worship and pray. After that they reach to the gree (dancing place).}}</ref><ref name="West2010">{{cite book|last=West|first=Barbara A.|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=pCiNqFj3MQsC&pg=PA357|title=Encyclopedia of the Peoples of Asia and Oceania|year=2010|publisher=[[Infobase Publishing]]|language=en|isbn=978-1438119137|page=357|quote=The Kalasha are a unique people living in just three valleys near Chitral, Pakistan, the capital of North-West Frontier Province, which borders Afghanistan. Unlike their neighbors in the Hindu Kush Mountains on both the Afghani and Pakistani sides of the border the Kalasha have not converted to [[Islam]]. During the mid-20th century a few Kalasha villages in Pakistan were forcibly converted to this dominant religion, but the people fought the conversion and once official pressure was removed the vast majority continued to practice their own religion. Their religion is a form of Hinduism that recognizes many gods and spirits and has been related to the religion of the ancient Greeks... given their Indo-Aryan language, ... the religion of the Kalasha is much more closely aligned to the Hinduism of their Indian neighbors that to the religion of Alexander the Great and his armies.}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.business-standard.com/article-amp/opinion/save-the-kalash-114021700863_1.html|title = Save the Kalash!|newspaper = Business Standard India|date = 17 February 2014|last1 = Ghai|first1 = Rajat}}</ref>

In [[Hinduism]], Yama is the son of sun-god [[Surya]]<ref name="Effectuation of Shani Adoration">[https://books.google.com/books?id=RnzLgxvmOFkC&pg=PA9&dq=shani+karma&cd=2#v=onepage&q=shani%20karma&f=false Effectuation of Shani Adoration] pp. 10–15.</ref> and [[Sanjna|Sanjana]], the daughter of [[Vishvakarma]]. Yama is the brother of [[Sraddhadeva Manu]] and of his older sister Yami, which [[Horace Hayman Wilson]] indicates to mean the [[Yamuna in Hinduism|Yamuna]].<ref>H.H. Wilson: The Vishnu Purana Volume 1, p. 384</ref> According to the [[Vedas]], Yama is said to have been the first mortal who died. By virtue of precedence, he became the ruler of the departed,<ref>{{cite book|title=Vedic Mythology|author=Arthur Anthony Macdonell|year=1995|publisher=Motilal Banarsidass|page=172|isbn=978-8120811133|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=b7Meabtj8mcC&pg=PA172}}</ref> and is called "Lord of the [[Pitrs]]".<ref>Shanti Lal Nagar: Harivamsa Purana Volume 1, p. 85</ref>

Mentioned in the [[Pāli Canon]] of [[Theravada|Theravada Buddhism]], Yama subsequently entered [[Buddhist mythology]] in [[East Asian Buddhism|East Asia]], [[Southeast Asia]] and [[Buddhism in Sri Lanka|Sri Lanka]] as a [[Dharmapala]] under [[Yama (East Asia)|various transliterations]]. He is otherwise also called as "Dharmaraja".

==Hinduism==
{{Main|Yama (Hinduism)}}
[[File:Yama on buffalo.jpg|right|thumb|Yamaraj depicted riding a buffalo and surrounded by attendants.]]
'''Yama''' ([[Sanskrit language|Sanskrit]]: यम:), is the Hindu god of Death and [[Justice]], and is responsible for the dispensation of [[Ṛta|law]] and punishment of sinners in his abode, [[Naraka (Hinduism)|Yamaloka]]. Yama is also one of the oldest deities in the pantheon and some of his earliest appearances are found in the [[Rigveda]]. From there, he has remained a significant deity, appearing in some of the most important texts of Hinduism which include the ''[[Ramayana]]'', the ''[[Mahabharata]]'' and the ''[[Puranas]]''.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Yama: The History of an Ancient God|url=http://citragupta.com/yama-the-history-of-an-ancient-god.html|access-date=2021-03-17|website=Citragupta|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Yama|url=https://www.worldhistory.org/Yama/|access-date=2021-03-17|website=World History Encyclopedia}}</ref>

Yama is also one of the [[Lokapala]]s (guardians of the directions), appointed as the protector of the southern direction. He is often depicted as a dark complexioned man, riding a buffalo and carrying a noose or mace to capture dead souls. Legends describe him as the twin of [[Yamuna in Hinduism|Yamuna]], a river goddess associated with life, and the son of the Sun god [[Surya]] and [[Saranyu]]. Other than Yamuna, he also has many siblings, such as the [[Ashvins]], [[Shani]], [[Shraddhadeva Manu]], [[Revanta]] and [[Tapati]]. Some of his major appearances include in the tales of the [[Pandavas]], [[Savitri and Satyavan|Savitri Satyavan]] and the sage [[Markandeya]]. His assistant is [[Chitragupta]], another deity associated with death.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2017-12-05|title=Lord Chitragupta - Who helps Lord Yamaraj to maintain karmic accounts|url=https://detechter.com/lord-chitragupta-who-helps-lord-yamaraj-to-maintain-karmic-accounts/|access-date=2021-03-17|website=Detechter|language=en-US}}</ref> Currently, Yama has been depicted in various safety campaigns in India.

==Buddhism==
{{multiple image
| width = 190
| image1 = Yamantaka, Fear-Striking Vajra, Lord of Death on a water buffalo, Vajrayana Buddhism.jpg
| caption1 = Yama is revered in Tibet as the Lord of Death and as a guardian of spiritual practice.
| image2 = Daiitoku myoo painting.jpg
| caption2 = Yamantaka, 13th century, Japan.
}}
{{Main|Yama (Buddhism)}}In [[Buddhism]], '''Yama''' ([[Sanskrit]]: यम) is a [[dharmapala]], a wrathful god or the Enlightened Protector of Buddhism that is considered worldly,<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.himalayanart.org/search/set.cfm?setID=2404|title=Buddhist Protectors, Wisdom Deities (Dharmapala).|website=Himalayan Art Resources|access-date=2018-03-08}}</ref> said to judge the dead and preside over the [[Naraka]]s ("[[Hell]]" or "[[Purgatory]]") and the cycle of [[Rebirth (Buddhism)|rebirth]].

The Buddhist Yama has, however, developed different myths and different functions from the [[Hinduism|Hindu]] deity. In Pali Canon Buddhist myths, Yama takes those who have mistreated elders, holy spirits, or their parents when they die. Contrary though, in the [[Majjhima Nikaya]] commentary by [[Buddhaghoṣa|Buddhagosa]], Yama is a vimānapeta – a [[preta]] with occasional suffering.<ref>{{Cite book|title=A Brief History of the Immortals of Non-Hindu Civilizations|last=Guru|first=Shri Bhagavatananda|publisher=Notion Press|year=2015|isbn=978-1329586079}}</ref>

In other parts of Buddhism, Yama's main duty is to watch over purgatorial aspects of [[Hell]] (the [[underworld]]), and has no relation to rebirth. His sole purpose is to maintain the relationships between spirits that pass through the ten courts, similar to Yama's representation in several Chinese religions.<ref name=":0">{{Cite book|title=The Ghost Festival in Medieval China|last=Teiser|first=Stephen F.|publisher=Princeton University Press|year=1996|isbn=0691026777|chapter=The Cosmology of the Festival}}</ref>

He has also spread widely and is known in every country where [[Buddhism]] is practiced, including [[Buddhism in China|China]], [[Buddhism in Korea|Korea]], [[Buddhism in Vietnam|Vietnam]], [[Buddhism in Japan|Japan]], [[Buddhism in Bhutan|Bhutan]], [[Buddhism in Mongolia|Mongolia]], [[Buddhism in Nepal|Nepal]], [[Buddhism in Thailand|Thailand]], [[Buddhism in Sri Lanka|Sri Lanka]], [[Buddhism in Cambodia|Cambodia]], [[Buddhism in Myanmar|Myanmar]] and [[Buddhism in Laos|Laos]].
[[File:五七閻羅大王.jpg|left|thumb|382x382px|14th century Chinese [[Yuan dynasty]] portrait of Yánluó Wáng (''King Yama''). One of a series of paintings of the "Ten Kings of Hell" by Lu Xinzhong.]]

=== China ===
{{main|Yanluo Wang}}

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. 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.<ref name=":0" />

=== Japan ===
Yama can be found in one of the oldest Japanese religious works called [[Nihon Ryōiki|Nipponkoku Genpō Zenaku Ryōiki]], a literary work compiled by the Monk [[Keisai Eisen|Keikai]] in 822. Yama was introduced to Japan through Buddhism, where he was featured as a Buddhist divinity. He holds the same position title as other works depict him – a judge who imposes decisions on the dead who have mistreated others.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Hindu Gods and Goddesses in Japan|last=Chaudhuri|first=Saroj Kumar|publisher=Vedams|year=2003|isbn=8179360091}}</ref>

==Sikhism==

In Sikhism, Yamaraja is referred to as Dharam Rai, Dharam Raj and Dharam Raja (in which, dharma is spelt as dharam instead). In Sikhism, Dharam Rai is considered to be a servant of god instead of a god, who works for god. It is believed that the [[Vahiguru|supreme god, Vaheguru]] had seated Dharam Rai with the task of reading out the being's deeds after the being dies and then assigns them into [[Svarga|heaven]] or [[Naraka|hell]] accordingly. After the being has spent time in [[Svarga|heaven]] or [[Naraka|hell]] accordingly, then they are assigned to re-enter the 8.4 million life-form cycle again in which they will reincarnate through various lifeforms until they re-attain the human life again.

Those souls who merge into god, become god, and attain full enlightenment or salvation (known as [[Moksha]] and [[Nirvana]]) will not be judged by Dharam Rai and will go into another heaven known as Sach Khand.

Also Dharam Rai is referred to as 'The Righteous Judge of Dharma' in the English translation of the Sikh scriptures. Dharam Rai also has [[Yamaduta|assistants]] that assist him.

Mentions of Yamaraja (known as Dharam Rai in Sikhism) in the Sikh scriptures:

"O Nanak, having created the souls, the Lord installed the Righteous Judge of Dharma to read and record their accounts. There, only the Truth is judged true; the sinners are picked out and separated. The false find no place there, and they go to hell with their faces blackened. Those who are imbued with Your Name win, while the cheaters lose. The Lord installed the Righteous Judge of Dharma to read and record the accounts. ||2||"
(Shri Guru Granth Sahib Ji Maharaj, Ang 463)

"The Righteous Judge of Dharma, by the Hukam of God's Command, sits and administers True Justice. Those evil souls, ensnared by the love of duality, are subject to Your Command. The souls on their spiritual journey chant and meditate within their minds on the One Lord, the Treasure of Excellence. The Righteous Judge of Dharma serves them; blessed is the Lord who adorns them. ||2||"
(Shri Guru Granth Sahib Ji Maharaj, Ang 38 and 39)

"The Righteous Judge of Dharma is a creation of the Lord; he does not approach the humble servant of the Lord."
(Shri Guru Granth Sahib Ji Maharaj, Ang 555)

"Remembering the Lord in meditation, you shall not be punished by the Messenger of Death. The couriers of the Righteous Judge of Dharma shall not touch you."
(Shri Guru Granth Sahib Ji Maharaj, Ang 185)

"The Messenger of Death and the Righteous Judge of Dharma do not even approach the beloved servant of my Lord and Master. ||6||"
(Shri Guru Granth Sahib Ji Maharaj, Ang 980)

==Abode==
{{More citations needed|date=November 2019}}

===Naraka (Hindu)===
{{main|Naraka (Hinduism)}}Naraka is the [[Hinduism|Hindu]] equivalent of [[Hell]], where sinners are tormented after death.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Dallapiccola, Anna L. (Anna Libera)|url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/51509850|title=Dictionary of Hindu lore and legend|date=2002|publisher=Thames & Hudson|isbn=0-500-51088-1|location=New York, NY|oclc=51509850}}</ref> In Hindu mythology, Naraka holds many hells,<ref>[http://vedabase.net/sb/5/26/en2 Srimad Bhagavatam] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121113025849/http://vedabase.net/sb/5/26/en2 |date=13 November 2012 }} SB 5.26.3</ref> and Yama directs departed souls to the appropriate one. Even elevated [[Mukti-yogyas]] and [[Nitya-samsarins]] can experience Naraka for [[expiation]] of sins.

Although Yama is the lord of Naraka, he may also direct the soul to a [[Swarga]] (heaven) or return it to [[Earth|Bhoomi]] (earth). As good and bad deeds are not considered to cancel each other out, the same soul may spend time in both a hell and a heaven. The seven Swargas are: Bhuvas, Swas (governed by [[Indra]]), Tharus, Thaarus, Savithaa, Prapithaa, and [[Maha Avatara|Maha]] (governed by [[Brahma]]).

===Naraka (Sikhism)===
[[Image:Yama's Court and Hell.jpg|thumb|Yama's Court and [[Hell]]. The Blue figure is Yama with his twin sister [[Yamuna in Hinduism|Yami]] and [[Chitragupta]].<br /> A 17th-century painting from the Government Museum in Chennai]]

The idea of Naraka in Sikhism is the equivalent of Hell. Naraka or hell in Sikhism is a place where sinners are given various punishments for sins. Each sin has a particular punishment. For a lustful person, there is a door to a fire chamber. There is a doorway for those who had listened to other people's gossip. They are punished by having red hot liquid iron poured into their ears. Liars have their tongues cut off. Thieves have their hands cut off.

<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.sikhroots.com/literature/books/212-autobiography-of-bhai-rama-singh-ji-english/file|title=In search of the true guru by Bhai Rama Singh Ji|website=www.sikhroots.com|language=en|access-date=2021-06-07}}</ref>

===Naraka (Buddhist)===
{{main|Naraka (Buddhism)}}

In the Jātakas the [[Naraka (Buddhism)|Narakas]] are mentioned as Yama's abode (referred to in Pali as Yamakkhaya, Yamanivesana, Yamasādana, etc.). It is also noted that all of [[Samsāra]] is subject to Yama's rule, and escape from samsāra means escape from Yama's influence.

The [[Vaitarna River (mythological)|Vetaranī River]] is said to form the boundary of Yama's kingdom. Elsewhere, it is referred to as consisting of Ussadaniraya (Pali; Sanskrit: Ussadanaraka), the four woeful planes, or the [[preta]] realm.<ref>{{cite web |title=Yama |url=http://www.palikanon.com/english/pali_names/y/yama.htm |website=Buddhist Dictionary of Pali Proper Names |access-date=2019-02-07}}</ref>

[[Naraka (Buddhism)|Naraka]] is usually translated into English as "[[hell]]" or "[[purgatory]]". A Naraka differs from the hells of western religions in two respects. First, beings are not sent to Naraka as the result of a divine judgment and punishment; second, the length of a being's stay in a Naraka is not eternal, though it is usually very long. Instead, a being is born into a Naraka as a direct result of his or her previous [[karma]] (actions of body, speech and mind), and resides there for a finite length of time until his karma has exhausted its cumulate effect.

===East Asian mythology===
{{main|Diyu|l1=Diyu and Jigoku}}
[[Image:Enma.jpg|thumb|right|200px|[[Azuchi–Momoyama period]] wall-scroll depicting Enma]]
[[Mandarin Chinese|Mandarin]] Diyu, [[Japanese language|Japanese]] Jigoku, [[Korean language|Korean]] Jiok, [[Vietnamese language|Vietnamese]] Địa ngục literally "earth prison", is the realm of the dead or "[[hell]]" in [[Chinese mythology]] and [[Japanese mythology]]. It is based upon the Buddhist concept of [[Naraka (Buddhism)|Naraka]] combined with local afterlife beliefs. Incorporating ideas from [[Taoism]] and [[Buddhism]] as well as traditional religion in China, Di Yu is a kind of purgatory place which serves not only to punish but also to renew spirits ready for their next incarnation. This is interchangeable with the concept of [[Naraka]]. In [[Chinese Buddhism]], he is also regarded as one of the ''[[Twenty-Four Protective Deities|Twenty Devas]]'' (二十諸天 Èrshí Zhūtiān) or the ''[[Twenty-Four Protective Deities|Twenty-Four Devas]]'' (二十四諸天 Èrshísì zhūtiān), a group of protective [[dharmapala]]s.<ref name=":1">{{Cite book|url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/275253538|title=A dictionary of Chinese Buddhist terms : with Sanskrit and English equivalents and a Sanskrit-Pali index|date=2004|publisher=RoutledgeCurzon|others=Lewis Hodous, William Edward Soothill|isbn=0-203-64186-8|location=London|oclc=275253538}}</ref>

In Japanese mythology, Enma-O or Enma Dai-O ({{Audio|JP GT Enma Dai-Ō.ogg|listen}}, ''Great King Enma'') judges souls in Meido, the kingdom of the waiting dead. Those deemed too horrible are sent to Jigoku, a land more comparable to the Christian hell. It is a land of eternal toil and punishment. Those of middle note remain in meido for a period awaiting reincarnation. Others, of high note, become honored ancestors, watching over their descendants.

==Related concepts==

===In Iranian mythology===
{{Main|Jamshid}}
In the [[Zend#Zend-Avesta|''Zend-Avesta'']] of [[Zoroastrianism]], a parallel character is called "[[Jamshid|Yima]]".<ref>F. Max Müller (Editor): The Zend-Avesta Part III, p. 232</ref>
The pronunciation "Yima" is peculiar to the [[Avestan]] dialect; in most Iranian dialects, including [[Old Persian]], the name would have been "Yama". In the Avesta, the emphasis is on Yima's character as one of the first mortals and as a great king of men. Over time, *Yamaxšaita was transformed into Jamšēd or [[Jamshid]], celebrated as the greatest of the early [[shah]]s of the world.
Both Yamas in Zoroastrian and Hindu myth guard hell with the help of two four-eyed dogs.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.sacred-texts.com/hin/iml/iml08.htm|title=Indian Myth and Legend: Chapter III. Yama, the First Man, and King of the Dead|work=sacred-texts.com}}</ref><ref name="Sherman2008">{{cite book|author=Sherman, Josepha |title=Storytelling: An Encyclopedia of Mythology and Folklore|date= 2008|publisher=Sharpe Reference|isbn=978-0-7656-8047-1|pages=118–121}}</ref>

It has also been suggested by I. M. Steblin-Kamensky that the cult of Yima was adopted by the Finno-Ugrians. According to this theory, in Finnish Yama became the god cult Jumula and Joma in Komi.{{Dubious |Finno-Ugric thing removed|reason=Is the Finnish word 'jumala' (god) the same as 'the god cult jumula'?|date=October 2017}}<ref>{{cite book|last1=Kuz'Mina|first1=Elena|title=The Origin of the Indo-Iranians|date=2007|publisher=Leiden, The Netherlands; Boston : Brill|isbn=978-9004160545|page=[https://archive.org/details/TheOriginOfTheIndo-iranians/page/n53 35]|url=https://archive.org/details/TheOriginOfTheIndo-iranians|access-date=27 January 2016}}</ref> According to this hypothesis, from this cult, the Hungarians also borrowed the word vara which became vár 'fortress' and város 'town'. (ibid)

{{anchor|Yamadipati}}

===In Javanese culture===

There is a door-god Yamadipati in Javanese culture,<ref name="Johns2011">{{cite journal |last=Johns |first=Anthony H. |title=The Role of Structural Organisation and Myth in Javanese Historiography |journal=The Journal of Asian Studies |volume=24 |issue=1 |year=2011 |pages=91–99 |issn=0021-9118 |doi=10.2307/2050416 |jstor=2050416}}</ref> preserved especially in [[wayang]]. The word ''adipati'' means ''ruler'' or ''commander''. When Hinduism first came to [[Java]], Yama was still the same as Yama in Hindu myth. Later, as [[Islam]] replaced Hinduism as the majority religion of Java, Yama was demystified by [[Walisanga]], who ruled at that time. So, in Javanese, Yama became a new character. He is the son of Sanghyang Ismaya and Dewi Sanggani. In the [[Wayang]] legend, Yamadipati married Dewi Mumpuni. Unfortunately, Dewi Mumpuni fell in love with Nagatatmala, son of Hyang Anantaboga, who rules the earth. Dewi Mumpuni eventually left Yamadipati, however.

===In Buddhist temples===
In [[Chinese Buddhism]], he is also regarded as one of the ''[[Twenty-Four Protective Deities|Twenty Devas]]'' (二十諸天 Èrshí Zhūtiān) or the ''[[Twenty-Four Protective Deities|Twenty-Four Devas]]'' (二十四諸天 Èrshísì zhūtiān), a group of protective [[dharmapala]]s consisting of devas adopted from [[Hinduism]] and [[Taoism]].<ref name=":1" /> His statue is usually enshrined in the [[Mahavira Hall|Mahavira halls]] of Chinese Buddhist temples along with the statues of the other devas.

In the Buddhism of the Far East, Yama is one of the twelve Devas, as guardian deities, who are found in or around Buddhist shrines ([[:ja:十二天|Jūni-ten]], 十二天).<ref>[http://www.emuseum.jp/detail/100031/000/000?mode=detail&d_lang=en Twelve Heavenly Deities (Devas)] Nara National Museum, Japan</ref> In Japan, he has been called "Enma-Ten".<ref name="biswas184" /> He joins these other eleven Devas of Buddhism, found in Japan and other parts of southeast Asia: Indra (Taishaku-ten), Agni (Ka-ten), Yama (Emma-ten), Nirrti (Rasetsu-ten), Vayu (Fu-ten), Ishana (Ishana-ten), Kubera (Tamon-ten), Varuna (Sui-ten) Brahma (Bon-ten), Prithvi (Chi-ten), Surya (Nit-ten), Chandra (Gat-ten).<ref name="biswas184">S Biswas (2000), Art of Japan, Northern, {{ISBN|978-8172112691}}, p. 184</ref><ref>Willem Frederik Stutterheim et al (1995), Rāma-legends and Rāma-reliefs in Indonesia, {{ISBN|978-8170172512}}, pp. xiv–xvi</ref><ref>[[Adrian Snodgrass]] (2007), The Symbolism of the Stupa, Motilal Banarsidass, {{ISBN|978-8120807815}}, pp. 120–124, 298–300</ref>

==See also==
{{columns-list|colwidth=30em|
* [[Death (personification)]], which also discusses the [[Grim Reaper]]
* [[List of death deities]]
* [[Time and fate deities]]
* [[Psychopomp]]
* [[Lord of Light]]
* [[Shinigami]]
* [[Mrtyu]]
* [[Hades]]
* [[Pluto (mythology)|Pluto]]
* [[Thanatos]]
* [[Azrael]]
* [[Norns]], the Fates in Norse mythology
* [[Moirai]], the Fates in Greek mythology
* [[Laima]]
* [[Dalia (mythology)]]
* [[Giltinė]]
* [[Osiris]]
* [[Sharvara]]
}}

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
* {{Commons category-inline|Yama}}

{{Rigveda}}
{{Hindu Deities and Texts}}
{{Hindudharma}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Death gods]]
[[Category:Rigvedic deities]]
[[Category:Hindu gods]]
[[Category:Horned deities]]
[[Category:Dharmapalas]]
[[Category:Lokapala]]
[[Category:Justice gods]]
[[Category:Characters in the Mahabharata]]

Yama - Revision history

Svetlanacnc: improve structure for consistency and fixed typos

2405:201:402D:98E2:B806:F2B1:57D:59F0: robot: Create/update articles in Category:Hindu gods.

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