A Concise Encyclopedia of Hinduism Klaus K Klostermaie

Yogaväsi•flha Rämäyaæa 214
4, The Eightfold Practice of Yoga:
A•fläöga Yoga.) The most important
exercise is samyama (effort), consisting
of a repeated application of the triad
concentration– contemplation–trance to
the various dimensions of reality until
kaivalya is reached, a point of no return.
Yogaväsi•flha Rämäyaæa
See VÄŸIÆfiHA.
yogi
In a general sense every serious practitioner
of a spiritual path; more specifically
the practitioners of Yoga in one of
its forms.
yoni (‘womb’)
This is both physiological and
metaphorical. Stylized images of the
yoni, representing ŸAKTI, are found in
conjunction with the LI¢GA (3) in Ÿiva
temples; without the liöga they serve in
DEVÏ temples as objects of worship.
Metaphorically BRAHMAN is called ‘the
yoni of the universe’ in the Brahmasütras.
Yudhi-•flhira (‘firm in battle’)
The oldest of the five PÄŒ¥AVAS, the son
of YAMA, a model of calmness, prudence
and justice. He was brought up at
the court of the KAURAVAS, and the
blind king Dhøtarä•flra chose him rather
than his own son Duryodhana as his
successor, thereby causing the mortal
feud between the Kauravas and
Päæõavas. Yudhi•flhira with his four
brothers had to go into exile to
Väraæävata (Väräæasï?). After the
MAHÄBHÄRATA war he was formally
crowned emperor of Hastinäpura and
reigned righteously for many years. At
the end he departed together with his
remaining family for the Himälayas,
and finally was enthroned in INDRALOKA
(Indra’s heaven).