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@article{173070,
        author = {Kiruthika S and Dr. Sonu Joseph},
        title = {Trauma and Mortality in Yama: The Glorious Lord of the Other World},
        journal = {International Journal of Innovative Research in Technology},
        year = {2025},
        volume = {11},
        number = {9},
        pages = {1785-1787},
        issn = {2349-6002},
        url = {https://ijirt.org/article?manuscript=173070},
        abstract = {Yama: The Glorious Lord of the Other World is pertinent in Hindu mythos’s examination of death, judgment, the afterlife, and even Yama, the deity of death who is often perceived as the brutal executor of karmic justice but also a protector of dharma. The author explains how ancient scriptures, namely the Rig Veda, Katha Upanishad, Mahabharata, and Garuda Purana, portray mythological versions of Yama and the emotional responses to death, grief, and certifiable anxiety that stem from these pieces of literature.
In Yama: The Glorious Lord of the Other World, the fears surrounding suffering as a punishment towards divine barbarity and the beliefs of life after death is elaborately conveyed. This book confronts the psychological issues that arise from the deeply rooted concept of karma that instills anxiety and guilt. Providing evidence of vivid accounts of Yama’s dominion over Naraka as hell fuels these notions and illustrates the dire consequences that stem from the deep fright of sin and moral transgressions. This book goes a mile further to reveal the concept of intergenerational trauma that stems from such accounts, revealing the impact it has upon cultural means of mourning and the rituals to appease Yama so that the soul can smoothly transfer to the afterlife.
But Yama: The Glorious Lord of the Other World does not only portray Yama as a being to be feared. It also illustrates him as an instructor of unparalleled wisdom. The book explains Yama’s dialogue with Nachiketa in the Katha Upanishad, where he teaches philosophical concepts of self-discovery, transience, and liberation (moksha). With the combination of Yama’s responsibilities as a judge and an erudite, the book describes death as life-sustaining, as opposed to life ending which brings balance to the issue.
Ultimately, Yama: The Glorious Lord of the Other World presents and analyzes mythology and psychological concepts and how these ancient stories construct feelings towards death. These views might cause existential dread but they also provide mechanisms of coping, enabling people to confront death in a positive light while leading a moral and purposeful existence.},
        keywords = {Hindu mythology, death anxiety, afterlife, trauma, eschatology, and existential fear},
        month = {February},
        }