Yoni
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The word yoni (Sanskrit योनि yoni) is the Sanskrit word for "Divine Passage" (c/f lila). The Ayurveda, or Science of Life, described yoni as a part of the female anatomy. Here the term was meant as a designation of respect for women who gave birth, thus contributing to the continuation of the community. It is from here that the grave misinterpretation of yoni by some Western historians and phlosophers to mean vulva or vagina in all contexts, arose. The word also has a wider meaning in both profane and spiritual contexts, covering a range of meanings of "place of birth, source, origin, spring, fountain, place of rest, repository, receptacle, seat, abode, home, lair, nest, stable" (Monier-Williams) The yoni is also considered to be symbolic of Shakti or other goddesses of a similar nature.
Because of its polysemy, Yoni is perhaps the most misused and misunderstood Sanskrit word.
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[edit] Historical perspective
Lingam-Yonis have been recovered from the archeological sites at Harappa and Mohenjo-daro which were centers of the Indus Valley Civilization.
The ancient Aryans were a community that, through centuries of development, realized advances in a wide range of fields ranging from astrology to agriculture. The accumulated wisdom of this people, as well as their guidelines for living, was set down in an ancient set of records known as the Vedas. These four Vedas bore the names Rigveda, Yajurveda, Samaveda, and Atharvaveda.
These ancient Vedas contain the word yoni in various contexts. The original meaning of yoni was "Divine Passage". A child was considered to be born from a yoni of stars - constellations that prevailed during the child birth. The Aryans had identified some 50,000 astrological yonis that favour a child's birth.
The term yoni was also used in agricultural references by the Aryans. A fertile yoni meant a good harvest of crops.
[edit] Yonic Symbols
The term yoni is also the basis for the Western-used adjective yonic, which is the counterpart to the term phallic. Examples of yonic symbolism can be seen in Georgia O'Keefe's flower paintings.
