Wikipedia Trail: From Dharma to Yama

Wikipedia Trail: From Dharma to Yama

(Yama in Hinduism)

Dharma
I started with Dharma because this is a character that I am using in my storybook, and I am still a little unclear on the distinction between Yama and Dharma. I want to know more about the connection between Yama and Dharma and when they are interchangeable. The article says that "the god Yama" is "referred to as Dharma in this text [the Mahabharata]." So it seems like the dog is the god Yama, who is also Dharma.

Yama

The Dharma article included a link to Yama, but this particular article provided an overview of Yama in a few different Asian traditions. The Hinduism section mentioned that Yama is the lokapala of the south. This was a unfamiliar to me, so I clicked the link at the top of the page for a different article on Yama.

Yama (disambiguation)
That brought me to the disambiguation article on Yama. I wasn't sure what disambiguation meant so I thought it might be useful. This page was essentially a list of every time Yama is brought up, including in religious traditions, but also cities, last names, etc.

Yama (Hinduism)
There was a link to Yama in Hinduism, so I thought this might be the most relevant. This article says that Yama (or Yamaraja) "is the lord of death and of justice, being responsible for the dispensation of law and punishment of sinners." It says in the Mahabharata, Yama is Yudhishthira's father. It also mentions Chapter 10, verse 29 of the Bhagavad Gita that says, "Of departed ancestors I am Aryama and among the dispensers of law I am Yama, lord of death."