YAMA

 Yama means the “controller” or “manager” and philosophically refers to the principle of death by which everything is controlled, managed and conditioned.

This disquieting fact of life, of which most of us are in denial, is beautifully expressed in the following verses.

sarve kṣayānta nicayāḥ patanāntāḥ samucchreyāḥ |

saṃyoga viprayogāntā maraṇānta ca jīvitam ||

tasmāt putreṣu dāresu mitreṣu ca dhaneṣu ca |

nāti-prasaṅgaḥ kartavyo viprayogo hi tair-dhruvam ||

All compounds end in dissolution, everything raised will fall, all unions end in disunion, and all life ends in death. Therefore, do not be excessively attached to sons, spouses, friends and wealth because you will (eventually) be separated from them all. (Ramayana UK 52 11-12)

jātasya niyato mṛtyuḥ patanañca tathonnateḥ |

viprayogāvasānaśca saṃyogaḥ sañcayāt kṣayaḥ ||

Death is the end of everything born, fall the end of exaltation, union terminates in separation, and growth tends but to decay. (V.P. 5: 38:87)

Death is also philosophically linked to the principle of Karma - the economy of action. Our mode of death is determined by karma as is our post-mortem future rebirth.

Ancient Indians had a penchant for personifying psychological and physical principles, so Yama is personified through iconography and the twin ideas of death/rebirth and Karma are graphically illustrated.

He is coloured as a greyish-blue which indicates the quality of Tamas or disintegration. On his forehead he wears the mark of Shiva and is thus a devotee and servant of Lord Shiva the Lord of Time and transformation.

He rides on a buffalo which is symbolic of the slow, pondering and inexorable progress of growth, decay and death.

His mace (gadā) represents the principle of justice administered through Karma.

The noose represents those attachments which bind us to material existence and cause us sorrow and grief.

The trident represents several factors - suffering which comes three sources - physical, mental and environmental and it is also a teaching to us to always exercise control over body, speech and mind - the instruments through which Karma is generated.

According to Mythology we all have a next interview with Lord Yama and a panel consisting of Chitragupta who is the personification of the Akashik records or imprints on the ether of all our actions, and Varuna who is a personification of the cosmic mind and therefore the celestial “surveillance” chief of Intelligence.

At this panel we are debriefed and future career options are proposed and discussed in order to facilitate our spiritual evolution and to achieve our ultimate return to Godhead.

The icons are thus our GUI’s - so please learn to understand and integrate these three fields of study.

1. Philosophy and Metaphysics.
2. Mythology
3. Iconography.