Vedic Mythology c9.s4.7

c9.s4.7

In their dialogue in the RV. (10, 10⁴) Yama and Yamī call themselves children of Gandharva and the water nymph (*apyā yoṣā*)⁴. Yamī further speaks of Yama (v. ³) as the ‘only mortal’. In another hymn Yama is said to have chosen death and abandoned his body (10, 13⁴)⁵. He passed⁶ to the other world, finding out the path for many, to where the ancient fathers passed away (10, 14¹· ²). He was the first of mortals that died (AV. 18, 3¹³). Here ‘mortals’ can only mean ‘men’, though later even gods are spoken of as mortal⁷. As first and oldest of the dead he would easily be regarded as the chief of the dead that followed him⁸. He is called ‘lord of settlers’ (*viśpati*)⁹, ‘our father’ (10, 135¹). Through Yama men come in later texts to be described as descendants of Vivasvān ādityaḥ¹⁰ (TS. 6, 5, 6² cp. ŚB. 3, 1, 3⁴; RV. 1, 105⁹). Even in the RV. Yama seems to be connected with the sun; for the heavenly courser (the sun) ‘given by Yama’ probably means the solar abode granted by Yama to those who become immortal (1, 163² cp. 83⁵).