Why Lord Yama Lost His Handsome Looks?

We all know about Yamraaj, the God of death in Hindu Mythology. He is also known as Yama God of death. Since childhood, we have heard stories about Yamraaj’s Yamlok and his assistant Chitragupt. No matter how different the story was, there was one thing that remained constant. These were the scary looks of Yamraaj that were told to us in those stories. Lord Yamraaj has been explained as a black-skinned, scary God. He tends to have a buffalo as his vehicle. Moreover, a signature marking of Lord Yamraaj is their big scary eyes and a huge black moustache on their face. However, let us tell you that this was not always the case.

According to mythological stories, it is believed that Lord Yama used to be one of the most handsome God in Hinduism. You might be wondering now, if he was one of the most handsome Gods, then why is he portrayed as scary now? Well, there is a whole story behind it.  Well, for starters, let us tell you that it was given as a punishment to Lord Yama. Now, let us uncover the secret behind Lord Yama losing his beauty. 

Lord Yamraj – God of Death

Who is Yamraj? Whenever someone talks of Lord Yamaraj, we immediately imagine a huge man with sharp features and a terrifying moustache riding a buffalo. But it wasn’t always like this. His depiction is of a scary god in the Puranas, but the Vedas show him as a deity of incomparable beauty. So, what happened that led to Yama taking up these scary manners? Let’s find out.

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The Beginning of Yama-raaj’s Story

Yama was one of the most handsome deities with beautiful looks. Such was his glamour that even apsaras would want his attention. These weren’t just facts about Yamraj, but real truth. He was so lost in appreciating his looks every day that the attractive God slowly started forgetting the duties of Earth.  When the people on Earth found out about this, they rejoiced in the knowledge of living forever. This, however, caused a huge burden on the resources and exhausted Mother Earth, asking for the help of the God of Destruction, Shiva. That’s when Lord Shiva decided to teach Yama a lesson in humility.

How Lord Shiva taught Yamraj a lesson?

He called the arrogant God over to Kailasha and asked him to fetch water from a nearby pond as Shiva felt thirsty. On reaching the pond, it was shocking to see his reflection in the still water. He bent down to stare back at the dark-skinned man with a huge moustache and fiery eyes, too stunned to move.  Finally, Yama regained his senses and ran back to Shiva, pleading for mercy. The Lord looked at the now-defaced God and merely shook his head and went back to his meditation.

What happened to Lord Yamraj?

Yama ran from one God to the next, but no one could seem to fix his problem. In desperation, he decided to pray to Lord Vishnu. After praying for many years, Lord Vishnu finally answered the troubled God’s call. He asked, ‘What is your wish, Yama?’ To which Yama replied, ‘Please bless me back, my handsome form.’  Lord Vishnu shook his head and replied, ‘I can only do you one favour. Your horns will shift to another creature that shall be your vehicle, but the rest of the looks you will have to endure. This shall remind you to never be unproductive at your job.’ Hence, Lord Yama, God of death, was given the buffalo as his vehicle while retaining the scary physical form that we know today.

Conclusion

So, this was the mythology associated with Lord Yama losing his beauty. This story provides us with a great lesson in learning. It tends to tell us that each and every individual must do and fulfil their duties sincerely. Moreover, there is nothing above doing one’s duty in the world. Moreover, another lesson that this story teaches us is that people should not get too obsessed with materialistic or worldly things. These things are termed to break, vanish or change form. One must pay attention to things that are more important. This includes their duty, responsibility, and also their behaviours. If one is able to get over the greed of materialistic pleasing things, then that individual is able to attain peace and is also able to live a much happier and content life.

We all know that each and every Hindu mythological story tends to teach us something. Thus, these are the teachings that we must learn and take into consideration in our daily lives. If you liked this blog and want to read more such blogs, then check InstaAstro’s website or download the app for the same. There, you can find many more interesting and informative blogs that will help you extinguish your curiosity. Moreover, you can also talk to some of India’s best astrologers, who will provide you with solutions and answers to all your questions. 

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