Seven Names of Yama for Tarpaṇa
Yama Sapta Nāma
The seven names of Yama are the names of Dharmarāja said with tarpaṇa (offering of water) on the kṛshṇa caturdaśī of Kārtika, the eve of the Dīpamālikā. Śrī Kṛshṇa teaches them to Yudhishṭhira in the Uttara Parva of the Bhavishya Purāṇa, in the rule of the Dīpamālikotsava.
The setting
Śrī Kṛshṇa tells that Bhagavān Vishṇu, as Vāmana, gave the kingdom to Indra and established King Bali in Pātāla, and agreed to stay always in Bali’s home; on the night of Kārtika amāvāsyā the daityas roam the earth at will. On the kṛshṇa caturdaśī of Kārtika one bathes at dawn to remove the fear of naraka, and moves leaves of apāmārga round over the head with a mantra asking it to take away pāpa and misfortune and purify the body. Then one says the names of Dharmarāja and offers tarpaṇa.
The names
- Yama, the restrainer.
- Dharmarāja, king of dharma.
- Mṛtyu, death.
- Vaivasvata, son of Vivasvān.
- Antaka, the ender.
- Kāla, time.
- Sarvabhūtakshaya, the end of all beings.
The phala
After the pūjā of the devas, dīpas are lit to be saved from naraka, and at pradosha lamps are set in the temples of Śiva, Vishṇu and Brahmā, at the granary, the sabhā, the river bank, the palace, the tank, the garden, the step-well, the road and the stables. The tarpaṇa and the lamps of this night are for freedom from the fear of naraka.
Source: Bhavishya Purāṇa, Uttara Parva, Chapter 140
Sources
- Bhavishya Purāṇa, Uttara Parva, Chapter 140