God of Death and
Personification of Death.
Yama is one of the eight Guardians of the Directions, and he
is connected with the south, which is why it is considered an unlucky
direction.
Yama is mentioned for the first time in the Vedas, the
earliest Hindu sacred books, where he is referred to as the first mortal.
He was regarded as ruling over the World of the Fathers,
where the good dead feasted and enjoyed themselves, since he was the first
person to die (much as they had on earth).
Yama's image altered as the tradition progressed, until he
was seen as the judge of the dead, reigning mostly over the areas of
punishment, chiefly hells, where individuals suffered until they were reborn.
Yama is often shown with a noose, which he uses to drag out
a person's spirit upon death and lead it bound to judgment.
Yama is shown in modern poster art as the ruler of the dead,
sitting on a throne that is magnificent and black in hue; on his left is the
scribe Chitragupta, who maintains a ledger book documenting human acts.
Yama is dreaded in Hindu society because of his function as
the judge of the dead.
Yama is also known as Dharmaraja, the "Lord of
Righteous Action," and one of his names is Dharmaraja, which means
"Lord of Righteous Action" in Sanskrit.
In Hindu mythology, there are also stories of individuals
who outwit Yama, the most famous of whom is Savitri, who manages to resurrect
her spouse, Satyavan.
You may also want to read more about Hinduism here.
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