In the Pali commentarial tradition, the scholar Buddhaghosa's commentary to the Majjhima Nikaya describes Yama as a  (), a "being in a mixed state", sometimes enjoying celestial comforts and at other times punished for the fruits of his karma.
Buddhaghosa's commentary in the Pali commentarial tradition describes Yama as a (), a "being in an ambiguous state," alternately enjoying heavenly pleasures or enduring the effects of past karmic actions.