Dhuni
Encyclopedia
Yoni
Yoni is the Sanskrit word for the vagina. Its counterpart is the lingam as interpreted by some, the phallus.It is also the divine passage, womb or sacred temple...
or female vulva and generative organ. A dhuni therefore represents a site of worship dedicated to Shakti
Shakti
Shakti from Sanskrit shak - "to be able," meaning sacred force or empowerment, is the primordial cosmic energy and represents the dynamic forces that are thought to move through the entire universe in Hinduism. Shakti is the concept, or personification, of divine feminine creative power, sometimes...
. The etymology of the word Dhuni is connected with the Sanskrit root dhvan, to dun or to din. Sayana
Sayana
' was an important commentator on the Vedas. He flourished under King Bukka I and his successor Harihara II, in the Vijayanagar Empire of South India...
explains it by bending or shaking, and Theodor Benfey
Theodor Benfey
This is about the philologist. For the Theodor Benfey who developed a spiral periodic table of the elements in 1964 -- Otto Theodor Benfey -- see Alternative periodic tables....
, too, translates it by to shatter.
A dhuni is worshipped by spiritual intention and the kindling of a flame inside it. Suitable materials are offered to the dhuni and consumed by the heat or flame. This represents the eternal process of change and transformation on all levels of existence.
"Like a river, a dhuni is always changing. Each dhuni also has its own personality that is as much subject to moods as a person. The glow of the dhuni is both a receiver and a transmitter, and like a screen on which Rorschach-like images are projected, it delivers a code".
As the yoni is the nexus from which all manifest beings come into this world, the worship of the dhuni represents a sacred nexus for the path of return from the physical to spiritual level. This is an intentional process of inversion or return to our spiritual source. The dhuni is a sacred site and focal point for this form of spiritual exertion or sadhana
Sadhana
Sādhanā literally "a means of accomplishing something" is ego-transcending spiritual practice. It includes a variety of disciplines in Hindu, Sikh , Buddhist and Muslim traditions that are followed in order to achieve various spiritual or ritual objectives.The historian N...
.
Aside from the offering of sacred fuel to a dhuni, mantra
Mantra
A mantra is a sound, syllable, word, or group of words that is considered capable of "creating transformation"...
s are also offered, as well as the sounds of diverse musical instruments and ecstatic dance and gesture.
Although several cultures retain traditions of fire worship
Fire worship
Worship or deification of fire is known from various religions. Fire has been an important part of human culture since the Lower Paleolithic...
(out of which the zorastrianism is perhaps the most famous), a unique feature of the dhuni tradition is that it is the dhuni, the actual site itself which is considered sacred, not exclusively the fire kindled within it.
Shirdi Sai Baba is certainly the most influencial modern Supersoul to tend the Dhuni which he kept lit at that place until 15/10/18 when he moved on. It is said that the same fire has been kept burning by Hindu devotees who were familiar with the notion of Agnihotri or Worship by offering fire. Much of the popularity of Joss sticks from India is due to this ancient tradition and this may have roots in the ceremonies referred to in the Mahabharata and also in the Ramayana. Many useful details can be found in the Shri Sai Satcharita which has been most beautifully translated into English language by Shri Nagesh Vasudev Gunaji ,B.A.,LL.B and which can be downloaded from various Shirdi Sai Baba web sites. A flame still burns at the Samadhi- Mandir although this may not be at the original site. It may be interesting to note that this Mandir is almost certainly the focal point for the largest new growth of Worship on the planet Earth.