Mysterious India, like the Middle East and Asian countries, has been attracting the attention of curious people for centuries. Particularly interesting are the deities of these cultures, which are strikingly different from everything that Europeans are accustomed to.
Not only the unusual images, colors and subjects, and the architecture of the temples are attractive, but also the stories associated with various deities, along with their biographies. Discovering this amazing world completely different ancient culture, curious people are often faced with the fact that in different, at first glance, religions and in places located at a considerable distance, the same deities are present. At the same time, the life stories and functions of the gods are similar, although, of course, they have some differences. God Yama belongs precisely to such superbeings.
Description of the image
Yama is depicted in different ways, it all depends on the culture and religion within which it is viewed. Not every country and even region (within the borders of one state) professing Hinduism or Buddhism has the god Yama. India depicts him with four arms and quite gloomy. Tibet is filled with images of the two-armed Yama. He was also depicted with a pair of hands by the inhabitants of Ugarit, Phenicia and Canaan in ancient times. However, these images have one thing in common - the color of Yama’s skin in them is blue, although the shades are different.
Followers of Hinduism often depict the deity accompanied by dogs. But the ideas of Buddhists are more vivid, fantastic and diverse. God Yama is often endowed with a bull's head, three eyes and a halo of flames. However, in Tibetan images Yama’s head is completely human, but the bull still appears in the images one way or another.
Ancient frescoes from Phenicia and other places on the Syrian coast look completely different. They pay great attention to marine themes. This is not surprising, because the essence of the deity in these places in ancient times was significantly different from ideas about him in other regions.
The Chinese, like the Japanese, did not dye Yama's skin blue bright shades, with very rare exceptions. This nuance is probably due to the peculiarities of artistic calligraphy. But nonetheless dark shades were attached to the skin quite often.
The stylistic decision of how the god Yama was depicted depended not only on the type of religion, region, but also on what kind of hypostasis the ancient artists represented in their works. Like many other deities, Yama has several of them. Moreover, the hypostasis does not have a special impact on the functions of God and, accordingly, on people’s perception of him.
In what beliefs is Yama present?
God Yama is present in Hinduism, the beliefs of the ancient Syrians and Phoenicians and, of course, he is represented in Buddhism and Taoism.
In which of the ancient religions and beliefs-related cultures the deity appeared first is impossible to find out. But in every culture Yama has been present since ancient times, that is, he was one of the first gods. Of course, his image evolved and changed over time.
In Canaan and Ugarit
On the Syrian coast of the Mediterranean Sea, in Ugarit, Phenicia and Canaan, Yama was the deity of the seas, lakes, rivers and everything that people associated with them. The sea god Yama combined two opposites. Presumably, the duality of his nature was determined by the seasons at sea. Summer waters, as a rule, were calm and well suited for trade or any other travel. During the winter months, storms raged.
The deity's character was quite complex, contradictory and to some extent absurd, like the sea element itself. One of the ancient myths tells how Yama wished to become the first of the gods. To achieve this status, he decided to build himself a special palace. Other deities did not dare to argue with him, with the exception of Baal. The gods arranged a duel in which Yama lost. Thus, Baal prevented the reign of general chaos and saved the existing order of things. Presumably, the content of this myth is also related to the weather at sea in different seasons. The very word “yam” in the Canaanite language meant “sea.”
In Hinduism
In Sanskrit there is also a hint of the duality of the essence of the deity. “Yama” or “yama” is “twin”. This word denoted second nature, doubles, opposites. Some researchers believe that the essence of the term is close to what Asians called “yin-yang.” What arose first - the word or the consonant name of the deity - is unknown.
Yama is the god of death and justice. He was the first of the superbeings to commit an act of self-sacrifice, rejecting his own immortality. It was this action that made possible the emergence of all things, that is, the world in which people live.
In the primary, most ancient ideas, this is also a deity who personifies the Sun and is the twin of the Moon. The moon was called Yami. The Sun, accordingly, is Yama. There is an interesting section in the Vedas that conveys the dialogue between brother and sister, the Moon and the Sun. In it, the Moon inclines the Sun towards a close relationship, but is refused due to blood relationship. This dialogue of deities became the basis for later rules, traditions and laws governing the institution of marriage and family among Hindus.
Yama as the personification of the Sun is also mentioned in the texts of the Rigveda - a collection of religious chants, odes and hymns. These same texts tell about the origin of the deity. According to them, he is the son of the coming day, the dawn, called Vivasvata, and the passing night - Saranya, who is the daughter of Tvashtar, the creator of all things, the blacksmith of the gods and, in principle, a jack of all trades.
Thus, the god Yama in the form of a daylight, visible Sun symbolized life, and after sunset - death. Of course, over time, primary ideas about deity and his functions changed and developed.
Yama as the personification of death in Hinduism
With the development of people's primary ideas about the structure of the world, the idea of their deities also changed. Of course, Yama was no exception. Over time, the deity began to be seen as wandering among the living and looking after victims.
Yama does not wander alone. Next to him are two dogs, which not only accompany God, but also act as his ambassadors. Dogs carry the victims designated by the deity to the afterlife. However, everything is not as gloomy as it might seem. According to Hindu beliefs, after death people continue to lead their normal lives, just in a different place, outside the world of the living.
Yama, gradually transforming from the personification of the Sun into the first deceased, who opened the doors to the afterlife for all people, is one of the divine guardians of the world in Hinduism. The story of the transformation of God and the opening of opportunity to people afterlife is described in one of the texts of the Rig Veda - in the hymn “14” of mandala X.
In Buddhism
God Yama in Buddhism is in many ways similar to the Egyptian Osiris. Yama is the supreme judge in the kingdom of death, he is also the ruler of the analogues of hell, heaven and purgatory. Images of the deity often contain the following details: a necklace of skulls, specific wands that personify the possession of underground subsoil and treasures, and a lasso intended for catching souls. Of course, Yama often has a sword in his hands. The three eyes of the god convey his mastery of time - past, future and present.
The deity has several incarnations. Yama, called Shinje, is at the center of the underworld, holding a sword and a mirror that displays karma. A mirror is a kind of analogue of scales. The deity also has assistants, there are four of them. The multi-armed god has no assistants.
According to one of the legends, the hypostasis of Shinje was pacified by Manjushri, the closest associate of Buddha Gautama, guardian of the heavenly lands in the East and teacher, guide of bodhisattvas. He is considered the embodiment of wisdom itself, the essence of being.
The pacification of Shinje's hypostasis made possible the appearance of Yama Dharmaraja - the protector. This is a rather complex hypostasis, having separate incarnations or manifestations. The term “defender” itself is quite conditional and should not be taken literally. There is no word in the Russian language that would maximally convey the meaning of the functions of Dharmaraja.
In traditional ideas, Yama Dharmaraja, as an esoteric guardian or protector, manifests himself in the following options:
- external - in images appears with a bull’s head, protects from adversity, troubles and misfortunes that await in external environment;
- internal - resists the weaknesses and vices of the person himself;
- secret is intuition, instincts, it is in them that the essence of the deity as an adviser, a prompter is manifested.
There is one more main variation of the hypostasis of Dharmaraja, which is not usually discussed publicly. This is the so-called final version - Yamaraja, with whom the human essence meets at the moment of death.
In Japanese and Chinese representations
The Chinese slightly changed the sound of the name Yama, characteristic of Sanskrit, but, like the Japanese, they adapted it to their own language. In Chinese the name of God is Yanluo, and in Japanese it is Emma. Various prefixes were added to names to express respect.
In China, Yama is the ruler of all the dead and, of course, their judge. The god was depicted with a brush in one hand and a book of destinies in the other. The judgment of the dead, according to Chinese mythology, was not only about determining the righteousness or sins of people.
Meaning legal proceedings carried out after the end of life, consisted in determining what kind of rebirth a person would receive. Yanluo often appears in Chinese paintings dressed as an official, with a traditional judge's cap on his head.
The Japanese believed that God rules jigoku - this is a place that is in many ways similar to European ideas about hell, but is somewhat broader. Rather, it is an underground world, with a predominance of hellish themes. Jigoku consists of sixteen “hellish circles” - eight fire and the same number of ice. Emma rules over them all, at his disposal is a countless army of the dead, controlled by eighteen generals. In addition, in the retinue of the underground king there are guards, demons and others.
According to Japanese myths, after death no one takes a person's soul. The deceased independently reaches the underworld. His path runs through a desert plain, mountains, or something else, but the road invariably leads to a river, which is nothing more than the gateway to the world of the dead. There are three ways to cross the water - by walking across a bridge, by swimming, or by finding a ford. The deceased has no choice - only the righteous walk across the bridge, and the real villains swim to get there. Those who have committed minor sins wade across the river.
The dead who reach the underworld are greeted by an old woman. She undresses people and takes them to Emma for trial. What is curious enough: men go to Emma, but women go to his sister.
Ancient ideas, legends and myths are reflected in modern Japanese art. For example, the images of Yami anime are known throughout the world. The homeless god in cartoons and comics appears as a kind of “horror story” for naughty children and teenagers, although he has a kind heart.
Who is portrayed in the anime?
Modern Japanese cartoons do not convey myths, legends, or traditional Buddhist beliefs. Rather, the authors of the plots draw inspiration from ancient culture and the images present in it.
Such works inspired by legends include the series and comics of the same name “The Homeless God.” Yama in this work appears in the form of a wandering deity Yato, trying to get people to worship and build a sanctuary.
Yama, or Yamaraja (Sanskrit and Pali Yama, Yamarāja - Ruler Yama; Tib. gshin rje, gshin rje rgyal po, gshin rgyal - lit. "King of the Dead", "Lord of Death", here gshin - dead, death, rje and rgyal - ruler, king) - dharmapala, in Vajrayana Buddhism, a deity of the anuttarayoga tantra class. In the Gelug school, Yamaraja is considered one of the three main patron gods of this school. It is said that, together with Vaishravana and the Six-Armed Mahakala, Yama was the special patron of Lama Tsongkhapa. One of the meanings of the Sanskrit word yama is restraining commandments, limiting the rules of behavior; it can also mean control, verification. Lord Yama is the god who controls the reincarnation of beings. In the Sutra tradition, Yamaraja is known as the ruler of the Yama Heaven. According to Buddhist cosmology, Yama resides in the Heaven of Yama (Skt. yamaloka, Tib. gshin rje"i "jig rten, lit. "World of Yama"). Among the six Heavens of the gods of the World of Passion, his world is above the Heavens of the Four Strong Rulers and the Heavens of the Thirty-Three Gods, but below the other three Heavens. God Yama judges the souls of the dead and makes a decision where the soul should be reincarnated according to its karma accumulated during the past life. For this reason, in Tibet he is called the “King of the Dead.”
During life, beings accumulate karma through actions of body, speech and mind (Sanskrit karma, Pali kamma; Tib. kar ma, phrin las, "phrin las; lit. action, deed, karma). Based on the nature of the actions committed, three types of karma are distinguished: good karma, bad and neutral. The peculiarity of karma is that it tends to persist until the moment of manifestation in the form of a corresponding phenomenon. It is similar to a genetic map, but the map of our karma is written down by particles of light, sanskars (Sanskrit saṃskāra, Tib. "du byed - formed experience, karmic imprints). Bad karma is information about bad deeds, good karma is information about good deeds. The events in which we are involved during life are manifestations of our own karma. This is how what we did in the past comes back to us.
The sutras say that the gods of Yama Heaven read out the karma of the soul of a deceased being, accumulated by him during his past life, using the mirror of karma and stones for counting: white stones for counting white, or good, karma, and black stones for counting black, or bad, karma. Bad deeds are the reason for the punishment of unvirtuous souls in the form of reincarnation in the lower worlds, full of misfortune and suffering. Good deeds- the reason for rebirth into happy worlds. Neutral karma will not bear any good or bad fruit in the future. For good reward after death, it is necessary to perform good deeds during life.
The Gods of Yama Heaven control the rebirth of beings who will be born in the next life in one of the worlds located below their Heaven. And these are the worlds from the Heavens of the Thirty-Three Gods to Hell, our World of People also belongs to these worlds.
One of the epithets of Yama is Dharmaraja (Sanskrit. Dharmarāja, Tib. chos rgyal, chos kyi rgyal po - “King of Dharma”, “King of the Teaching”; Tib. gshin rje chos rgyal, gshin rje chos kyi rgyal po - Yama Dharmaraja).
Researchers, not without reason, believe that Yama from the Tantric tradition is not the same person as Yama Dharmaraja, known to us from the sutras. In the root Bhairava Tantra, Manjushri takes the form of Yamantaka to defeat Yama, who represents death, symbolizing the repeating process of suffering in Samsara.
In the center of the thangka is Yama with his sister Yami, both deities stand on a buffalo and trample on the human body (note: a woman is often depicted as a symbol of passionate affection). Around them is a halo of raging flames. Often companions, the fierce assistants of Yamaraja, are also depicted around.
In iconography, Yama is represented in the following forms: The form in which he was defeated by Yamantaka. The pit is depicted in red. Himself with a buffalo head, he stands on a buffalo with digug and kapala (knife and skull cup). Sometimes he is depicted holding a bow with an arrow on the string in combat readiness. This is the secret Yama of Dharmaraja. A form where a dark blue or black Yamaraja with the head of a buffalo is also depicted on a buffalo, but with a bone staff and lasso (note: the staff is made of a human skull and spine, covered with human skin and elephant skin; with the lasso Yama catches and binds the souls of the dead) . He is depicted accompanied by his wife Chamundi (note: according to another version, this is his sister Yami), who brings a droplet to his lips. This is the outer Yama of Dharmaraja. Supreme Judge in the bardo of existence. Unlike previous forms, he stands not on a buffalo, but on a prostrate man, he has an anthropomorphic appearance, and in his hands is a digug and a drip. He is depicted in dark blue. This is the inner Yama Dharmaraja (Tib. gshin rje chos rgyal nang ba).
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External protector of the teaching (Yamaraja). Center. Tibet district, ser. 17th century Yamaraja is depicted with his companion, the white-haired Chamundi, who also has three eyes and a crown of five skulls, like Yamaraja. She holds a trident in her hands, Yamaraja holds a mace made of bones with a skull and a lasso. At the top is an image of Tsongkhapa, around him are small images of Yamaraja with different symbols in his hands. Yamaraja stands on a green bull, which copulates with the prostrate white body of ignorance. To the right of the bull is the black Inner Protector of the Teaching with the face of a demon, to the left is the red bull-headed Secret Protector of the Teaching. In the lower right corner on mules are Kali Devi and Sri Devi.
Pit (Yamaraja, Choijal, Nomun Khan, Erlik) - in Buddhism, the god of death, the lord of hell and the supreme judge of the afterlife.
In Buddhist iconography, it is depicted as blue (the color of a formidable deity), having a horned bull's head with three eyes, penetrating the past, present and future, in a halo of flames. He is wearing a necklace of skulls, in his hands is a staff topped with a skull, and a lasso for catching souls [ ], sword and precious talisman, indicating his power over underground treasures.
In Chinese mythology, the God of Death is called Yanluo-wan(Chinese: 閻羅王 - Yanluowang), he is the ruler of Hell with his capital in the underground city of Yudu. The name Yanluo is nothing more than an abbreviation of the Sanskrit transcription “Yama Rājā” (閻魔羅社) (King Yama). In early Japanese mythology, the god Yanluo was called "Emma" or Emma-o (Japanese: 閻魔大王 Emma Dai-o:, « Great king Pit").
Yanlo Wang is not only a ruler, but also a judge who determines the fate of all the dead. In his hands he has a brush and a book with the deeds of all souls and the date of death. He has the head of a bull and the face of a horse. The guards of hell bring the dead to him one by one, so that Yanluo Wang can carry out judgment. People with virtues get good rebirths and sometimes return to their previous life again. Those who commit evil deeds are sentenced to hell with various torments, or receive difficult rebirths in other worlds.
Thus, the souls of the dead receive rebirth, depending on their deeds, from heaven (see gods (Buddhism)) to hell (see hell (Buddhism), and after being in heaven or hell they return to their new bodies on Earth.
Yanluo Wang is viewed more as an official in a large government than as a deity. IN fiction Many stories are told of how fairly honest mortals find themselves in the place of Yanluo Wang for a while and administer justice in his place.
Yanluo Wang is depicted wearing a traditional judge's cap. His image is often printed on banknotes of sacrificial money for spirits used in Taoist temples (see Money of the Underworld). The extent of the spread of the image of Yanluo can be judged by the ideology of the Taipings, who identified him with the biblical Satan.
Shinje occupies a central position in the description of life after death in Tibetan mythology. According to legend, he “is located in the center of hell, holding in his hands a sword and a leizhi melong, the ‘mirror of karma’, reflecting the life of the deceased.” Four assistants help him determine further destinies deceased.
In later editions of the legend, Shinje was pacified by Manjushri, or rather by his angry incarnation Shinjeshed (
Yama - God of Death, Master of Death, Yamaraja
The first mention of Yama - the god of death - is found in the Indian Vedas. IN Tibetan Buddhism this is the protector of the dharmapala (a pacified but unenlightened demon), and in all other traditions he is also the judge of the dead, who determines which world to send the deceased creature to, and also controls the hellish worlds.
Yama is very common in its Buddhist form and is known in all countries where Buddhism is practiced, including China and Japan, where it is an integral image in mythology.
Tibetan Vajrayana
In Tibet, Yama is the force that turns the wheel of Samsara and is revered as the protector of spiritual practice. In the Bhavacakra mandala, all spheres of life are depicted between his jaws or in his monstrous hands.
Sometimes Yama is in alliance with Yami or Chamundi. Yama should not be confused with Yamantaka - another Buddhist protector and yidam - who once defeated him.
Veda
Yama belongs to the early section of Vedic mythology. In this tradition, he is considered the first mortal who died and walked along the road to other worlds, and according to the law of primacy, became the ruler of the dead. Yama's name can be interpreted as "twin" and in some myths he is paired with his sister Yami.
In Indian art Pit depicted with green or red skin, wearing red clothing and riding a buffalo. In his left hand, Yama holds a lasso loop, with which he pulls the soul out of dead bodies. He has two dogs - hellhounds with four eyes and wide nostrils, who guard the road to his abode. They are also believed to roam among people as his messengers. Yama reports his actions to Shiva the Destroyer.
Pit decides which of the hells or heavenly worlds to place the soul after death and before the subsequent return to earth, depending on the good and bad deeds committed during life. Opposite actions do not balance each other and thus the soul can go to both hell and heaven.
In Theravada Buddhism
In the Pali Canon, the Buddha says that a person who mistreated his parents, ascetic practitioners, saints and simply old people after death goes to Yama. Yama asks the person whether he has ever considered his actions in the light of birth, aging, illness, worldly retribution and death. In response to questions, the person answers that no, he has never thought about the karmic consequences of his negative actions, and as a result, Yama sends him to hell until the negative karma is exhausted.
In popular folk beliefs, Yama sends old age, illness, punishment and other bad weather to people as warnings to behave well.
In Chinese, Korean and Japanese mythology
He is depicted as a massive man with a bright red face, bulging eyes, and a long beard. He wears traditional clothing and a crown on his head, which often contains the character 王, meaning "king".
Yama - Yanluo - is not only a ruler, but also a judge of the lower world, who judges all the dead. Sometimes he appears with an assistant who holds a brush and a book in which each soul and the date of its future death are recorded. Bull Head and Horse Face, the terrifying guardians of hell, bring the freshly dead one by one to Yanluo for judgment.
Yangluo is considered more of an organization or bureaucratic position than a divine person. Myths describe stories where an honest mortal was appointed to the post of Yanluo and served as a judge and ruler of the lower world.
/based on network materials/
Pit - in Vedic mythology he appears as the god of death; c - the guardian of the world (Lokapala), responsible for the southern side (the land of the dead); - the lord of hell, in the past - the head of the city of Vaishali. Yama - a deity, the ruler of the kingdom of the dead, who is the son of Vivasvat and the brother of Manu (the only survivor of the great flood). His sister and assistant, personifying the creative energy of Yama - Yami. It is generally accepted that they were the first people, while Yama is “the first to die.” According to one of the legends: the god of death decided to explore the world by going to travel and ended up in heaven. After this event, people on earth became mortal.
Good Yama, who later became the leader of the kingdom of the dead, turned into a callous destroyer, as evidenced by his description made by ordinary people. A divine being with green skin, armed with a mace, who collects the souls of mortals along the way, is accompanied by two four-eyed dogs.IN early times It was believed that the soul that left the body swam across the Vaitarani River, ending up in hell, where it had to stand trial in the person of Yama. There, God “read” to the soul all its earthly deeds and, through what he heard, pronounced his verdict (either hell or heaven).
In Buddhist mythology: 8 generals and about eighty thousand “selected” warriors accompanied the described deity to the afterlife, where three times a day molten copper was poured into Yama’s throat. This punishment was carried out until he atoned for the sins he had acquired on earth. Afterwards, he began to lead a powerful, ominous place - hell, sending premature old age and all sorts of sophisticated diseases to mortals. His sister, Yami, led hell for women (Yama's creative energy is shakti). The later hymns of the Rig Veda contain references to the god of death in their texts.
Widespread among them is the one that describes the incest that did not occur between the seducing sister Yami and Yama, who rejects her in anger (moral considerations, upbringing). Late Vedic mythology: having become a king, Yama tries in every possible way to find recognition among the gods, who as a result will say: “he has become the same as us.”
Epic mythology: Yama, seated on the throne in the world of the dead, holding weapons in his hands - a mace and a whip. A mortal who comes to him waits for Yama’s scribe, Chitragupta, to read out all his “cons” and “pros” committed on earth. Afterwards, the deity makes a decision - to send the mortal to heaven (the blissful abode of the ancestors), to hell (the number of hells varies from three to twenty-one), or to earth, where he, a mortal, will be able to reincarnate into... (karma).
Mantra (music):
Yogically interesting:
Some of the incarnations of Yama: Antaka - “bringing the end of life”, Mrityu - “Death”, Kala - “Time”, Dharma.
