Bhagavad Gita · Mahabharata Codex

Yama

यम · yama

Lord of death and judge of the dead

The first mortal to die became king of all who followed.

Yama is a son of Vivasvan, the sun. In the Veda he is the first being to die and so the one who found the path the dead follow; he rules their realm and weighs their deeds. Because he rewards and punishes impartially he is also called Dharmaraja, king of justice, and tradition often identifies him with Dharma, the father of Yudhishthira.