When Dharma Fails Its King - Tapa blanda

Tens of thousands of years ago, the deity Yama founded Heaven. Regardless of actions while living, he welcomed all the deceased into a peaceful realm where the dead could drink and laugh with the gods. As the populations of Humanity and the gods swelled, some beings advocated a region of punishment for those who were wicked while alive. Being the lord of the dead, Yama took charge of Hell. He spent more and more time in the realm of torture until he eventually lost his heavenly realm, almost lost his mind, and earned the fear of Humanity. In When Dharma Fails Its King, Yama explains to Citragupta, the Scribe of Hell, how he slipped from Heaven through the trickery and jealousy of the gods as well as his own self-doubt and weakness. Yama tells his story in order to explain the present and hopefully to purge his mistakes so that he might become a companion of Humanity once again. This novel incorporates tales from Sanskrit sources such as the Rig Veda, Ramayana, Mahabharata, and the Puranas, as well as modern views of Yama, to trace the history of this ancient deity. Though feared and ridiculed in the modern age, he was once a friend of humanity, and his story illustrates how human views of the afterlife and deities have changed through the millennia.

Spencer T. Johnson studied Hinduism and South Asian Languages at the Universities of Missouri and Texas. He lived in Jaipur, India for several months and has long been interested in Indian religion and mythology. He has published several articles and stories around Hindu mythological characters.