History of Dharmashastra (Ancient and Mediaeval Religious and Civil Law in India) v5.c73.28

v5.c73.28

Although Yama is said to dwell in heaven (*divi*) in Ṛg. X. 64. 3, he is really a god of the middle region, as the Nirukta states.⁷⁶⁷ The Atharvaveda states.⁷⁶⁸ 'let us worship with obeisance the fathers and grandfathers of our father, that enter the wide middle regions, that dwell on the earth and in heaven.' In Ṛg. I. 35. 6⁷⁶⁹ it is said there are three worlds; two of them (Heaven and earth) are in the lap of Savitṛ; one (i. e. the middle region) is in the domain of Yama where departed spirits congregate. 'The great Luminary (the Sun) has risen, a gift of the pitṛs' (Ṛg X. 107. 1). In the Tai Br. I. 3. 10. 5⁷⁷⁰ it is said that the pitṛs dwell in the third world from this. This means that after bhūloka and antarikṣa comes the pitṛloka. In the Bṛ. Up. I. 5.16 three worlds of men, pitṛs and gods are separately mentioned. In Ṛg. X. 135. 1-7, Yama is spoken of in somewhat different language. He is in this hymn mentioned as a god by himself and not as the first mortal who made a path (Ṛg. X. 14. 2) or as the gatherer of men (X 14. 1) or as being in company of the pitṛs In a few other places Yama is no doubt called rājan and praised in the same breath with Varuṇa (Ṛg. X. 14. 7). But such a position is very rarely mentioned. For the further development of Yama and his assistants as the punishers of men for evil deeds, vide pp. 159-160 above and notes 381-386.