Y A M 



like bellv, the variegated being, the vronderful inftiftor of 

 pam^, &c. 



His abode iS" in the infernal city of Yamapur, whither the 

 Hindoos believe that a departed foul immediately repairs ; 

 and receiving a juft fentence, afcends to Swerga, the firft 

 heaven, or defcends to Nareka, the fnaky hell ; or is re- 

 turned to earth, according to its merits or demerits, where 

 it aflumes the form of fome animal, unlefs its offences had 

 been fuch as deferved condemnation to a vegetable or even 

 to a mineral prifon. This extenfive theory of tranfmigra- 

 tion is of a very poetical tendency, affording great fcope 

 for the imagination, which the myftical and enthuCaftic 

 turn of Hindoo metaphyficians or theologians has amply 

 indulged in. 



Mr. Wilford believes Yama to be the fame with Serapis ; 

 deriving the latter from a Sanfkrit term, implying thirft of 

 blood. In the Puranas, Yama is defcribed as attended by 

 two dogs, named Serbura and Syama ; the firft name fig- 

 nifies varied, and it has other appellations mezninsr ^tti/t;ci 

 ox Jfottcd. When we add that it was alfo called Tri-firas, 

 or the three-headed, little doubt can be entertained of its 

 being the fame with the Cerberus of the Greeks. Syama 

 means black. See Sereura, Syama, and Tri-siras. 



As Dherma Raja, or the king of juftice, Yama is de- 

 fcribed in the Puranas as having two countenances. " One, 

 called his divine countenance, is mild and benevolent ; and 

 thofe only fee it v.-ho abound in virtue. In this form, he is 

 called an emanation of Vifhnu. He is attended by a fer- 

 vant named Karmala, who condufts the righteous on felf- 

 moving cars into the prefence of their judge. His other 

 countenance or form is more efpecially named Yama. He 

 is then depifted with large teeth and a monftrous body, 

 and is thus feen only by the wicked. His attendant is 

 ■".amed Kafhmala, who drags the wicked with ropes round 

 their necks over rugged paths ; and at the command of 

 Yama fome are beaten, fome cut to pieces, fome devoured 

 by monfters, and thrown headlong into hell. He is unmer- 

 ciful, hard is his heart, and every one t ambles at his 

 fight." 



Yama is the name of a celebrated legiflator, whofe enaft- 

 ments are ilill venerated by the Hindoos. For his profound 

 knowledge and juilice, he is faid to have been made the 

 judge of departed fpirits. 



In the feeming contradictions of mythologifts, Yama is 

 found to be identified, or nearly fo, with both Si-va and 

 Vifhnu, (fee thofe articles,) as well as with Menu, Kala, 

 and others. This may be reconciled, as in the mythology 

 of Greece, by recollefting that almoft all the deities melt 

 into one. Proferpine or Hecate is given to Pluto as a 

 help-mate, being but another form of Diana. Thus Yama 

 has a form of Parvati afGgned him, under the name and 

 charafter of Pataladevi, or goddefs of the infernal regions. 

 (See Pataladevi.) In heaven Diana is Luna, and Par- 

 vati is Swardevi, or queen of heaven. On earth they are 

 diftinguifhed by the names of Diana and Bhudevi, the 

 latter meaning goddefs of the earth. Thefe Cmilarities or 

 coincidences could be carried to a great extent. 



Some of the ceremonies ftill in ufe as propitiating Yama, 

 or his confort Sakti, (which fee,) have been found by 

 fir W. Jones and others, as ftrikingly refembling thofe of 

 the Eleufinean goddefs ; and there can be no doubt but 

 the inveftigation of the mythological fables of the Hindoos 

 has thrown great hght, and may throw ftill greater, on 

 many obfcure and unintelligible paffages of our ancient 

 poets of Europe. 



We do not find any dire& reprefeniation of Yama, or 



YAM 



any minute defcription of his perfon and attributes, in the 

 mythological works before the public ; nor many particulars 

 of his family. We have already noticed him as the off- 

 fpring of the fun ; this he fhares in common with feveral 

 other of the heroic perfonages of the Hindoos. Yama is 

 indeed one of the many names of Surya, or the fun. The 

 nver Yamuna, or Jumna, or rather perhaps the damfel who 

 was poetically metamorphofed into that intereiting ftream, 

 is fabled as the twin fifter of Yama. She is poetically 

 called the " blue daughter of the fun." Days are efpecially 

 fet apart for certain ceremonies to their honour. On one, 

 Yamuna u faid to have entertained her brother ; and the re- 

 membrance of it is preferved in an exifting ufage of Hindoo 

 young ladies feafting and making their brothers prefents oa 

 its anniyerfary. In the Rig-veda (fee Veda), a dialogue is 

 given, in which Yama endeavours to feduce his beauteous 

 filter : but his bafe offers are rejefted by her with virtuous 

 expoftulation. In fome accounts, a divinity named Swadha 

 IS defcribed as the goddefs of funeral obfequies ; and as 

 fuch we fhould expeA to find her clofely allied to Yama, 

 but know little of the relationfhip. We have noticed her 

 under the article Swadha. Several other of our articles 

 contain fome particulars of Yama. See Kasya, Kri- 

 taxta, Sradhadeva, Tapas, and Vaivaswat. 



YAMAMAK, in Geography. See Jamama. 



YAMANCHALINSKOI, a town of Ruffia, in the 

 government of Caucafus, on the Ural; 20 miles N. of 

 Guriev. 



YAMASCA, a river of Canada, which runs into the 

 St. Laurence, N. lat. 46^ W. long. 72° 45'. 



YAMASCO, a town of Canada, at the conflux of the 

 Yamafca with the St. Laurence. 



YAMBL AK, one of the Aleutian tjlands ; which fee. 



YAMBO. See Jambo. 



YAMBURG, a town of Ruffia, in the government of 

 Peterlburg, on the Luga. The cloth manufactory at this 

 place was inftituted by Catharine II., prefently after her 

 accefllon to the throne : it contains 36 looms, and employs 

 600 perfons. The cloths are fold at St. Peterfburg at a 

 low price ; 20 miles E. of Narva. N. lat. 59° ij'. E. long. 

 28^ 40'. 



YAMEOS, a town of South America, in the audience 

 of Quito, on the river Amazons ; 36 miles W.S.W. of St. 

 Joachim de Omaguai. 



YAMIMKA, a river of Ruffia, which rifes in the go- 

 vernment of Tobolik, and runs into the Irtifch, 14 nules 

 S.S.W. of Kozlovo. 



YAMINA, a town of Africa, in the kingdom of Bam- 

 barra, near the Niger. This town, according to Mr. Park, 

 was large, covering the fame extent of ground as Sanfan- 

 ding ; but having bet-n invaded and plundered a few years 

 fince by the king of Kaarta, it was, when he was there, half 

 in ruins. N. lat. 13° 46'. W. long. 3° 50'. 



YAMON Bay, a bay on the north coaft of the iOand of 

 Lu9on. N. lat. 14° 21'. E. long. 122° 37'. 



YAMSCHEVSKAIA, a fort of Ruffia, in the govern- 

 ment of Kohvan, on the Irtifch. N. lat. 51° 55'. E. long. 



If 50'- 



YAMSKAIA, a gulf of Ruffia, in the Penzinfltoi fea, 

 between Cape Piliatchin and the continent. N. lat. 60° 20'. 

 E. long. 154^ 14'. 



YAMS KOI, a town of Ruffia, near the gulf of Yam- 

 ikaia ; 2500 miles E. of Tobolil<. N. lat. 6o* 1 2'. E. long. 



15?° 34'- 

 YAMUMINTI, in Hindoo Mythology, the name of one 



of 



