Yoni
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Dharma · Artha |
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Vedas · Upanishads |
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Hinduism by country |
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Yoni (Sanskrit: योनि yoni) is a Sanskrit word that means “womb, vulva, vagina, place of birth, source, origin.”[1] The word also has a wider meaning in both profane and spiritual contexts, including "spring, fountain, place of rest, repository, receptacle, seat, abode, home, lair, nest, stable" (Monier-Williams). It is also etymologically derived from the root yuj—like yoga and yogini—meaning, “to join, unite, fasten, or harness.” [1]
The yoni is also considered to be symbolic of Shakti or Devi in Hindu Tantra.
The worship of the yoni in Shaktism has the fullest elaboration at the Ambuvaci festival in Assam, India, which is held late each June. During Ambuvaci, the Goddess Kamakhya is worshipped in her temple outside of Guwahati, Assam.
In classical texts such as Kama Sutra, yoni refers to the vulva.[citation needed]
In South Asian cosmology, the yoni is a "representation of the female sexual organ and thereby the symbol of the goddess Sakti, consort of Siva. The yoni is often associated with the linga, the representation of the phallus and symbol of the god Siva". [2] As a representation of the feminine principle, the yoni is often found in union iconographically with the lingam, or masculine principle.
Possible lingam-yonis have been recovered from the archeological sites at Harappa and Mohenjo-daro, part of the Indus Valley Civilization. There is strong evidence to support cultural continuation from the Indus Valley Civilization (Harappan; Indus-Sarasvati) to Vedic and modern Hindu practices. [3]
[edit] See also
[edit] Notes and References
- ^ a b Frédérique Apffel-Marglin 1987. “Yoni.” The Encyclopedia of Religion. Mircea Eliade, ed. Volume 15. P. 530. New York: Macmillam Publishing Company
- ^ "Yoni." 2006. Encyclopaedia Britannica online. http://search.eb.com/eb/article-9078006
- ^ Lal, B.B. (2002). The Sarasvati Flows On: The Continuity of Indian Culture. Aryan Books International. ISBN 8173052026.
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