A Few Words About Lord Yamaraja

Lord Yamaraja

Yamaraja’s capital city is commonly called Saṃyaminī in the Puranas. This is also where Naraka-mandala, the hells, are located:

14-17. There are twenty-two hells in the realm of Yama.

(Brahma Purana ch105)

Saṃyaminī has four gates, according to the Puranas. Some of the gates are beautifully decorated with gold and jewels, and pious souls enter the city through these gates. Some of the gates are frightening and sinful souls enter through them. Yamaraja also appears differently to different souls depending on whether they are pious or sinful:

44. Yama welcomes with pleasure and due honour, all those who had performed auspicious rites in this world. He offers them seat, pādya and Arghya.
(Shiva Purana Uma Samhita ch7).

48. Men who have been virtuous are treated as friends by Yama. They see Yama with a gentle face.

49-53. Men who have been guilty of cruelties see him in a terrible form. His face is terrible with curved fangs. His eyes are cruel with knit eyebrows.

(Shiva Purana Uma Samhita ch7)

The Puranas explain that Yamaraja, with the assistance and consultation of learned sages, then either sentences the sinful to terms in various hells, or grants the pious a duration of time in one of the heavenly realms. A celestial airplane then comes and carries the pious to Swarga, and the yamadutas drag the impious off to the first hell they will be tormented in.

In addition to this, some pious souls get to reside in Saṃyaminī with Yamaraja and enjoy heavenly opulence there:

He who performs good deeds enjoys happiness and delight even in the abode of Yama.

(Brahma Purana ch 105 vs 29-33)

Chapters 194-210 of the Varaha Purana describe the sage Naciketa’s visit to Yamaloka / Saṃyaminī, his guided tour of the region by the yamadutas (servants of Yamaraja) and his conversations with Yamaraja and Chitragupta, Yamaraja’s chief assistant. Many of the details I have mentioned here are described in these chapters, and many other Puranas also describe this region.

The Bhagavatam gives the location of this region of the universe:

The great sage Śukadeva Gosvāmī answered: All the hellish planets are situated in the intermediate space between the three worlds and the Garbhodaka Ocean. They lie on the southern side of the universe, beneath Bhū-maṇḍala, and slightly above the water of the Garbhodaka Ocean. 

Pitṛloka is also located in this region between the Garbhodaka Ocean and the lower planetary systems. All the residents of Pitṛloka, headed by Agniṣvāttā, meditate in great samādhi on the Supreme Personality of Godhead and always wish their families well. 

The King of the pitās is Yamarāja, the very powerful son of the sun-god. He resides in Pitṛloka with his personal assistants and, while abiding by the rules and regulations set down by the Supreme Lord, has his agents, the Yamadūtas, bring all the sinful men to him immediately upon their death.

(Bhagavatam 5.26.5-6)

Hence, Muni, the man who thinks of Viṣṇu, day and night, goes not to Naraka after death, for all his sins are atoned for.

(Vishnu Purana canto 2 chapter 6)

Those who have passed several years in the dreadful hell and have no descendants (to offer gifts) in their favor became messengers of Yama. 

(Garuda Purana Dharma Khanda ch18 vs34)

A non-deliberate sin is called suska (shushka), and a deliberate one ardra. The hells are of two kinds depending upon the two varieties, ardra and suska.

(Padma Purana Uttarakhanda ch114 vs2-24)

The sun, fire, sky, air, demigods, moon, evening, day, night, directions, water, land and Supersoul Himself all witness the activities of the living entity.

(Bhagavatam 6.1.42)

[PADA: Yes, SD Dasi I agree that shastra -- which says false gurus go to the most obnoxious regions after death -- is correct. Many, many, many devotees told me that ISKCON has turned into a place of hellish torture for them after 1978. In other words, the leaders converted the former ISKCON Vaikuntha into a terrible hell for many victims. OK thousands of victims.

Vaishnavas -- who were essentially innocent souls trying to serve God -- were summarily banned, beaten, molested, exploited, sued and maybe killed. Some had to kill themselves to escape their hell. 

Therefore, whoever creates such hellish conditions for others has to go to hell himself. And when the victims are Vaishnavas -- and / or persons trying to reach God by some religion process, the hellish punishments will be increased manifold times. Yes, I agree this is correct. 

Anyone who blocks other persons from attaining God will be punished severely by the agents of God, never mind blocking millions of people from coming to Krishna by making ISKCON into a criminal operation with their horrific publicity project.

For example, Srila Prabhupada told us anyone who glares at a Vaishnava has to take future birth as a vulture. And the GBC trains their people to glare at the Vaishnavas -- so we can just imagine their future fate. It is like Jesus says, "Lord have mercy on them, they know not what they do." 

Yes, I believe that these hells exist and i believe many of our contemporaries are going there, or they already are there, just look at Satsvarupa's art.

ys pd] 

angel108b@yahoo.com 

Yamaraja is in charge of Krishna's 

police force.