Yamaraja (also known as Yama, Dharma and Dharmaraja)
Yama broke the right nipple of Brahma and came out in the form of a human being. Three sons were born to him: Sama, Kama and Harsa.
Kama married Rati,
Sama, Prapti and
Harsa, Nanda.
The Bhagavata states that Dharma married the thirteen daughters of Daksa Prajapati named Sraddha, Maitri, Daya, Santi, Pusti, Tusti, Kriya, Unnati, Buddhi, Medha, Titiksa, Hri and Marti.
Besides them he married ten other girls named Bhanu, Lamba, Kukubh, Jami, Visva, Sadhya, Marutvati, Vasu, Muhurta and Sankalpa and also a woman named Sunrta.
According to Mahabharata Dharma married the following daughters of Daksa:
Kirti, Laksmi, Dhrti, Medha, Pusti, Sraddha, Kriya, Buddhi and Lajja.
From each of his wives there originated a family. The son born to each is given below
Sraddha-Subha;
Maitri-Prasada;
Daya-Abhaya;
Santi–Sukha;
Tusti-Moda;
Unnati – Darpa;
Buddhi – Artha;
Medfia-Sukrti;
Titiksa – Sama;
Hri – Prasraya.
Murti gave birth to the virtuous Nara Narayanas.
Sunrta became the mother of the devas, Satyavrata and Satyasena.
Satyasena became famous by slaying many cruel and evil-natured Yaksas, demons and spirits.
Lamba gave birth to Rsabha and Vidyotana.
Rsabha got a son, Indrasena. Vidyotana became the father of Stanayitnu.
Kukubh delivered Sankata and Sankata became the father of Kikata and Durgadeva.
Jami got a son Svarga and of him was born Nandi.
Visva gave birth to Visvadevas and Sadhya to Sadhyas.
These Sadhyas are different from those born of Brahma.
Sadhyas became the father of Arthasiddhi. Marutvati gave birth to Marutvat and Jayanta. Vasu gave birth to eight sons and they were known as Astavasus.
Drona, the first of the Astavasus, married Abhimati: Abhimati is known as Dhara also. It was Drona and Dhara who were born as Nandagopa and Yasoda later.
Prana, second of the Astavasus, married Urjasvati, daughter df Priyavrata.
(Navama Skandha, Bhagavata) .
3 ) Prominent sons.
Four sons of Dharma, Hari, Krsna, Nara and Narayana became prominent. Hari and Krsna were great yogis while Nara and Narayana were great ascetics.
(See under Naranarayana).
4) The daughter named Dharmavrata. Dharmadeva got a daughter named Dharmavrata of his wife Dharmavati.
Dharmavrata was an ascetic and she was married to Marici, son of Brahma. One day Marici came back from the forest after getting darbha and flowers extremely tired and so after food lay down to rest. His wife sitting by his side massaged his legs. The sage fell asleep. Then Brahma came there and Dharmavrata attended on him and worshipped him. Marici, when he woke up, finding Dharmavrata attending on another man cursed her and made her into stone.
Dharmavrata pleaded not guilty and standing inside a fire-pit did penance for ten thousand years. Brahma and other devas appeared before her and consoled her by assuring that though she would be a stone devas would take their abode in it and that she would be worshipped by all. From that day onwards that stone was known as Devasila and even now Brahma and other devas live therein.
(Chapter 114, Agni Purana).
5 ) Dharma was cursed and made Vidura by Animandavya. (See Animandavya).
Other details.
(1) A portion of Dharma took life as Yudhisthira in Kunti. (See Dharmaputra).
( 2 ) Dharma did penance in Dharmatirtha for a very long time. (Sloka 1, Chapter 84, Vana Parva).
( 3) The abode of Dharma was Dharmaprastha. (Sloka 1, Chapter 84, Vana Parva).
(4) Dharma did penance on the banks of the river Vaitarani for a long time. (Sloka 4, Chapter 114, Vana Parva).
( 5) While the Pandavas were in exile in the forest Dharma in the form of a deer came to the hut of a Brahmin and carried away by its horns the Arani stick which the Brahmin owned for making fire by attrition.
(Chapter 311, Vana Parva).
(6) Dharma appeared in the form of a Yaksa and made all the Pandavas swoon except Yudhisthira, on the shores of a pond in the forest and later got them back to normal.
(See under Dharmaputra).
(7) Dharmadeva went to Visvamitra in the guise of Vasistha to test him. (See pare 3 of Galava).
(8 ) Following a directive from Brahma, Dharmadeva once brought before Varuna all the Daityadanavas bound by ropes.
(Chapter 128, Udyoga Parva).
(9) Visnu was born as a son of Dharmadeva.
(See under Naranarayana).
(10) Dharma worshipped a brahmin named Satya taking the form of a deer. (Sloka 17, Chapter 272, Santi Parva) .
(11) Dharma tested Sudarsana taking the form of a brahmin. (Sloka 79, Chapter 2, Anus asana Parva).
(12) Dharma saved a sage named Vatsanabha from a great downpour taking the shape of a buffalo. (Chapter 12, AnuS dsana Parva) .
(13) Dharma disguised as a brahmin, went and imparted advice to Janaka, father of Sita. (Chapter 32, Asvamedha Parva).
(14) To test Jamadagni, Dharma went to his asrama taking the form of Anger. Jamadagni had just milked Kamadhenu and kept the milk in a pot. Dharma as Anger crept into the milk. Jamadagni drank it and yet remained calm. Seeing this Dharma appeared before him in the form of a Brahmin and blessed him assuring Jamadagni that in future he would be obedient to Dharma (Chapter 91, Asvamedha Parva).
(15) When at the fag end of their life the Pandavas started on their Mahaprasthana, Dharma as a dog accompanied them up to the gates of heaven. (Sloka 22, Chapter 5, Svargarohana Parva).
7) Dharma and Kala. There is a misunderstanding found even in some Puranas that Kala, the chief of Kalapuri, and Dharma are one and the same person. But if the stories around each are examined it is easy to deduce that they are two different devas. The father and mother of Dharmadeva is Brahma. The father of Kala is Surya and mother Samjna, daughter of Visvakarma. This itself is a sufficient evidence to show that the two are different persons. Further, Kala or Yama is the sixth descendant of Visnu.
But scholars are misled to think that the two are identical. There is a reason for it.
Dharmarajah Pitrpatih
Samavartti Paretarat
Krtanto Yamunabhrata
Samano Yamarad Yamah //
Kalo Dandadharah Sraddha
Devo Vaivasvatontakah. / (Amara).
The above are the synonyms of Kala. Vyasa has used as synonyms for Dharmadeva in the Mahabharata the words Dharmaraja, Vrsa and Yama. Now among the synonyms for the two there are two words in commonDharmaraja and Yama. This has led to this misunderstanding. Because Kala weighs the evil and good in man he got the name Dharmaraja. Dharmadeva got that name because he is the incarnation of Dharma. The real name of Kala is Yama. Dharmadeva got the name Yama because he possesses #Yama (control of the self for moral conduct).
Kala has no sons; Vidura and Yudhisthira are the sons of Dharmadeva.
Dharma is one of the twelve Mahajana of the universe.
#Yamaraja, #Yama, #Dharma, #Dharmaraja
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