Yama

Yama

In Hinduism, Yamato is the god of death. He is a Lokapala and an Aditya. In art, he is depicted with green skin, red clothes and riding a black bull. He holds a loop of rope in his left hand with which he pulls the soul from the corpse for fun.

In Vedic belief, the name also refers to the first human to die. He is the son of Surya and twin brother of Yami, both ancestors of the entire human race. Later, he was deified and worshipped as a son of Vivasvat and Saranya. He is one of the Ashta-Dikpalas, representing the south.

He reports to Lord Shiva the Destroyer, an aspect of Trimurti (Hinduism's triune Godhead).

Yama is also the name of one of the styles of Yoga found in the Yoga Sutra.