is
Yama
The essence of the legend of Savithri that has percolated down is of course, Pathivrtha. But I wanted to capture that moment when she looks at death in the eye, unflinching, before starting to have a conversation with him.
As for Yama, he was born to Surya and yet also credited as the first Human to have died and became a God, by making it to the netherworld, so he can lead the subsequent Humans. He was more than just a gate-keeper of hell, in vedic times. He was Dharmaraja, the dispenser of Justice, too. He was the divine father Yudhishthir, and we know what character he is known for. But of course, as with other Vedic gods, he role becomes limited after the puranic age. Yama was also taken up other religions that interacted with ancient Hinduism, like Buddhism for example, which led to his spread into china and Japan. He also exists as Yima, along with Mithra and Varuna, in the Zend Avesta, the religious book of Parsis, which scholars believe influenced Vedic Hinduism on its way to India. In fact his representation in the Tibetan Thanks is far too ominous and vibrant, which was an inspiration to my Yama. His equivalent s in other mythologies could be Hades of Greek, Anubis of Egypt, Saint Peter at pearly Gates!?
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