The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Hinduism (2 Vol Set)

itive outcome—reinforcing people’s incli-
nation to abstain from evil—and one of the
names for Yama is Dharmaraja, the “Lord
of Righteous Action.” Hindu mythology
also has tales of people who somehow
manage to outsmart Yama, of whom the
best known is Savitri, who manages to gain
back the life of her husband, Satyavan.

Yama

(2) In the ashtanga(“eight-part”) yogafirst
codified by Patanjali(1st c. C.E.?), yama
(“restraint”) is the first and most basic of
the eight constituent elements of yoga
practice. Patanjali lists these as five:
abstaining from harm to other living
things (ahimsa), abstaining from theft,
truthfulness, celibacy(brahmacharya),
and abstaining from avarice. These can all
be characterized as “restraints” because
their intent is negative—they do not call
for positive actions as much as they entail
refraining from certain thoughts or actions
deemed especially injurious.

Yamunacharya

(10th c.) According to tradition, a devotee
(bhakta) of the god Vishnu, who is
claimed to be the grandson of Nathamuni,
and the teacher of Ramanuja. Nathamuni
was the compiler of the Nalayira
Divyaprabandham, the collected hymns

of the Alvars, a group of poet-saints who

lived in southern India between the sev-

enth and the tenth centuries. All the Alvars

were devotees of Vishnu, and they

expressed this devotion in passionate

hymns sung in the Tamil language; among

southern Indian Vaishnavas(devotees of

Vishnu), these hymns are so holy that they

are referred to as the “Tamil Veda.”

Ramanuja, on the other hand, was a

philosopher who organized and system-

atized this devotional outpouring into a

coherent philosophical position and thus

is considered the founder of the

Shrivaishnavareligious community.

It is generally believed that Yamuna-

charya was Nathamuni’s grandson, and

thus he was heir to the religious tradi-

tion his grandfather had helped create.

There is much more doubt about the

claim that he was Ramanuja’s religious

preceptor (guru) because it seems more

likely that Yamuna’s influence on

Ramanuja was transmitted by Yamuna’s

disciples. Still, what is indisputable is

that these three are the three main fig-

ures in the development of the Shri-

vaishnava tradition, and thus that

Yamunacharya occupies a pivotal spot.

Yamuna River

Northern Indian river rising at Yamu-

notriin the Himalayas, and flowing

Yamuna River

Low fog hovers over the Yamuna River with the Taj Mahal in the distance.