Yoni

Definition

Yoni is the animal-type assigned to each of the 27 nakshatras, used in marriage-compatibility matching (porutham, or koota). Each nakshatra is given one of about fourteen creatures — horse, elephant, goat, snake, dog, cat, rat, camel, buffalo, tiger, deer, monkey, cow and others. You compare the yoni of the two prospective partners' nakshatras to judge how well their natures agree, especially their conjugal and sexual harmony. Krishnamurti stresses that the animal comparison is symbolic, not a claim about literal behaviour.

In Tradition

Across these sources, the yoni is read by comparison: partners whose nakshatra animals are the same or of a similar type are favourable for conjugal harmony, while pairs whose animals are naturally hostile — rat and cat, for instance — are unfavourable and tend to deny conjugal satisfaction.

In Practice

A jyotishi (Vedic astrologer) compares the yoni of each partner's nakshatra when assessing a marriage. Krishnamurti holds that a same-yoni couple has an excellent agreement that promises peace and prosperity, while hostile yonis — cat and rat, cow and tiger, snake and rat, deer and dog, horse and buffalo, goat and elephant — bring dissatisfaction and a lack of conjugal harmony. He treats the yoni not as literal behaviour but as a device to impress on the astrologer whether a star-pairing promises friendliness or enmity. Because a marriage may be celebrated when more than five of the ten agreements are present, Krishnamurti notes the couple can still proceed even if Yoni Porutham is absent, though they should be advised to adjust. deFouw and Svoboda use the yoni mainly for comparing horoscopes for marriage and sexual compatibility — similar creatures are more compatible than radically dissimilar or naturally hostile ones — and say it is always weighed alongside other factors.

Historical Origin

The factor is presented here through modern works of the Krishnamurti Padhdhati (KP) school: Krishnamurti's Advanced Stellar Astrology (Vol. II) and his Marriage, Married Life and Children (KP Reader No. IV). It is also described in deFouw and Svoboda's Light on Life, where the yoni appears within the nakshatras' "Sexual type" classification. These are copyrighted modern paraphrases; the bundle supplies no classical-text citation or dating.

Further Reading

• Krishnamurti, Krishnamurti Padhdhati — Advanced Stellar Astrology (Vol. II)
• Krishnamurti, Marriage, Married Life and Children (Krishnamurti Padhdhati — Reader No. IV)
• deFouw & Svoboda, Light on Life