In Buddhism

Tibetan Buddhism (Vajrayana or tantric Buddhism)

Source: archive.org: The Indian Buddhist Iconography

Yamadūtī (यमदूती) is the Goddess of the South in the sādhana of the sixteen-armed variety of Mahākāla, as mentioned in the 5th-century Sādhanamālā (a collection of sādhana texts that contain detailed instructions for rituals).

Accordingly,

Mahākāla should be surrounded by seven goddesses, three in the three cardinal points, (the fourth being occupied by his own Śakti) and the other four in the four corners. [...] To the South is Yamadūtī, who is of blue complexion and has four arms. She carries in her two right hands the staff of lotus stalk and the kartri. and in her two left the bowl of blood and the fly-whisk. She stands in the ālīḍha attitude on a buffalo and has dishevelled hair. All these deities are terrible in appearance, with protruding teeth and ornaments of serpents. [...]

Surrounded by all these deities [viz., Yamadūtī], Mahākāla should be meditated uponas trampling upon Vajrabhairava in the form of a corpse.

Source: Wisdomlib Libary: Vajrayogini

Yamadūtī (यमदूती) is the presiding deity of the south-western outer corner of the vārāhyabhyudaya-maṇḍala, according to the Vārāhyabhyudayatantra (largerly extracted from the 10th century Abhidhānottaratantra). The central deity of the vārāhyabhyudaya-maṇḍala is the twelve-armed Vajravarāhī, which is modeled upon the twelve-armed Cakrasaṃvara, thus inhibiting many similar iconographical features.

Yamadūtī has a terrible form and the head of an ass and is to be visualised as being dwarfish in shape and squint-eyed. They wield in their left hands a skull bowl and the head of Brahmā, and in their right hands a chopper and ḍamaru.

Source: academia.edu: The Structure and Meanings of the Heruka Maṇḍala

Yamadūtī (यमदूती) refers to the Ḍākinī of the south-western corner in the Guṇacakra, according to the 10th century Ḍākārṇava chapter 15. Accordingly, the guṇacakra refers to one of the four divisions of the sahaja-puṭa (‘innate layer’), situated within the padma (lotus) in the middle of the Herukamaṇḍala. Two colors are evenly assigned to the four corner Ḍākinīs [viz., Yamadūtī] in order in accordance with the direction which they face..

Source: OSU Press: Cakrasamvara Samadhi

Yamadūtī (यमदूती) is the South-Western Ḍākinī representing one of the four “guardians of the quarters” of the Cakrasaṃvara-maṇḍala or Saṃvaramaṇḍala of Abhayākaragupta’s Niṣpannayogāvalī, p. 45 and n. 145; (Cf. Cakrasaṃvaratantra, Gray, David B., 2007).—The Cakrasaṃvara mandala has a total of sixty-two deities. [...] Eight outer Ḍākinīs who make up the guardians of the directional gates and quarters of the cardinal directions.

Yamadūtī is associated with the color “red/yellow” and the “increase of virtues that have arisen”.

context information

Tibetan Buddhism includes schools such as Nyingma, Kadampa, Kagyu and Gelug. Their primary canon of literature is divided in two broad categories: The Kangyur, which consists of Buddha’s words, and the Tengyur, which includes commentaries from various sources. Esotericism and tantra techniques (vajrayāna) are collected indepently.

In Jainism

General definition (in Jainism)

Source: archive.org: The Jaina Iconography

Yamadūtī (यमदूती) is the name of a Yoginī mentioned in various Jaina manuscripts, often being part of a list of sixty-four such deities. How the cult of the Tantrik Yoginīs originated among the vegetarian Jainas is unknown. The Yoginīs (viz., Yamadūtī) are known as attendants on Śiva or Pārvatī. But in the case of Jainism, we may suppose, as seen before that they are subordinates to Kṣetrapāla, the chief of the Bhairavas.

context information

Jainism is an Indian religion of Dharma whose doctrine revolves around harmlessness (ahimsa) towards every living being. The two major branches (Digambara and Svetambara) of Jainism stimulate self-control (or, shramana, ‘self-reliance’) and spiritual development through a path of peace for the soul to progess to the ultimate goal.

Languages of India and abroad

Sanskrit dictionary

Source: Cologne Digital Sanskrit Dictionaries: Edgerton Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit Dictionary

Yamadūtī (यमदूती).—name of a rākṣasī: Mahā-Māyūrī 243.25.

Source: Cologne Digital Sanskrit Dictionaries: Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary

Yamadūtī (यमदूती):—[=yama-dūtī] [from yama-dūta > yama > yam] f. Name of one of the 9 Samidhs, [Gṛhyāsaṃgraha]

context information

Sanskrit, also spelled संस्कृतम् (saṃskṛtam), is an ancient language of India commonly seen as the grandmother of the Indo-European language family (even English!). Closely allied with Prakrit and Pali, Sanskrit is more exhaustive in both grammar and terms and has the most extensive collection of literature in the world, greatly surpassing its sister-languages Greek and Latin.

See also (Relevant definitions)

Partial matches: Duti, Yama.

Starts with: Yamadutika.

Full-text: Pita, Vajrabandha, Purvadi, Krishna, Rakta, Shyama, Vajrodbava, Mahakala.

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