Ascetic Deity

The bearded figure’s elaborately arranged dreadlocks and the strap that holds his legs in their crossed position identify him as an ascetic and a master of yoga: one who has gained spiritual power through the practice of intense physical and mental discipline. It is possible that the four-armed figure is a divinized guru—a teacher of religious knowledge; alternatively, he may be Agni, god of fire, who is instrumental in transmitting ritual offerings to the gods.With his two front hands he holds his own oversized phallus, its erect state signaling the yogic power generated by the retention of seed. With his upper right hand he holds a square-topped sacrificial ladle, used to pour offerings into ritual fires. The object in his ...