Cambodia Angkor Khmer SE Asia 11th-13th c bronze Yoni and Lingam

Description

Ancient and very rare
Cambodia Angkor Khmer SE Asia 11th-13th c bronze Yoni and Lingam
- Comes with a wooden base
- Measures 1-1/2" wide 2" deep x 2" tall
Yoni
—Sacred Source
The word
yoni
means “holder,” “vagina,” “source,” or “womb.” According to
Tantra Yoga
, the
yoni
is the origin of life, the source of the Universe. It is associated with
prakriti
(the Universal Substance). In Hinduism, the
yoni
is a symbol of
Shakti
(the creative force that moves the Universe). The graphic symbol of the
yoni
is an inverted triangle—the three sides of which represent the
gunas
(the basic modalities of Nature).
The adoration of the
yoni
is part of left-hand Tantric
sadhana
(spiritual practice). For example, the
Kaula
text
Yoni Tantra
(3) associates different parts of the
yoni
with the
Dasha Maha Vidya
(Ten Great Wisdoms). The sense of adoration inspired by the
yoni
as a symbol of the feminine brings Tantric practitioners a profound reverence for women, ‘‘Women are divinity, women are life, women are truly jewels.’’ (
Yoni Tantra
, 7)
Yoni & Lingam
—Creation and Regeneration
The masculine counterpart of the
yoni
is the
lingam
(phallus).
L
ingam
and
yoni
are often represented together, symbolizing the eternal process of creation and regeneration as well as the indivisibility of masculine and feminine,
Shiva
and
Shakti
, Consciousness and action, immanence and transcendence. In
Tantra Yoga
and
Hatha Yoga
,
yoni sthana
(the perineal place) represents the pericarp of
muladhara
chakra
, the womb in which
kundalini shakti
slumbers, entwined around a inward-facing
lingam
of light.