The Yama reference article from the English Wikipedia on 24-Apr-2004 (provided by Fixed Reference: snapshots of Wikipedia from wikipedia.org)

Yama

Yama is one of the most ancient mythological beings, and in one form or another has been found all over Eurasia. He is known as Yima by Zoroastrians, Jimmu in Japanese legend, and Ymir in Norse legend.

In Hinduism, Yama 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 buffalo. He holds a loop of rope in his left hand with which he pulls the soul from the corpse.

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.

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