Sharvara (Sanskrit: शार्वर, romanized: Śārvara), also rendered Shabala (Sanskrit: शबल, romanized: Śabala)[1] and Shyama (Sanskrit: श्याम, romanized: Śyāma) are two Hindu mythological watchdogs belonging to Yama.[2]
Sharvara is identified with the constellation Canis Major, and Shyama with Canis Minor; together they guard the gates of the underworld, the domain of Yama.[3][4]
- ^ Dalal, Roshen (2014-04-15). The Vedas: An Introduction to Hinduism's Sacred Texts. Penguin UK. p. 343. ISBN 978-81-8475-763-7.
- ^ Walker, Benjamin (2019-04-09). Hindu World: An Encyclopedic Survey of Hinduism. In Two Volumes. Volume I A-L. Routledge. p. 330. ISBN 978-0-429-62421-6.
- ^ Tilak, Bal Gangadhar (1893). The Orion, or, Researches into the Antiquity of the Vedas. Pune: Mrs. Radhabai Atmaram Sagoon. p. 42.
- ^ Byghan, Yowann (2020-03-12). Sacred and Mythological Animals: A Worldwide Taxonomy (in Bengali). McFarland. p. 21. ISBN 978-1-4766-3887-4.