Dandasana
(“staff-posture”) One of the sitting pos-
tures (asana) described in commen-
taries to the Yoga Sutras(aphorisms on
yoga). In this position, the upper body is
erect, the arms are straight with the
hands flat on the ground and pointing
forward, and the legs are outstretched
with the big toes, ankles, and knees
touching one another.
Dandavat (“stick-like”) Pranam
Type of reverential salutation in which
the person lies prostrate on the ground
with the arms extended (hence the com-
parison between the body and a stick).
This shows the highest reverence of all
greetings, since one’s entire body is in
contact with the ground.
Dandi Sanyasi
Among the Dashanami Sanyasis, or the
ascetic devotees (bhakta) of the god
Shiva, the Dandi Sanyasis are the
most prestigious of the three general
ascetic types; the others being the
Paramahamsaand the Naga Sanyasis.
Dandi Sanyasis take their name from the
staff (danda) that they are given at their
ascetic initiationand that they carry for
the rest of their lives as a sign of ascetic
restraint. The danda is always kept off
the ground to maintain its purity. The
Dandi Sanyasis tend to put the highest
stress on the importance of Sanskrit
(sacred language) learning and uphold
the traditional social and cultural values
it propounds. Of the ten Dashanami
divisions, Dandis tend to belong to
those divisions that will only initiate
brahmins—that is, the Saraswati,
Ashrama, and Tirthadivisions, and also
some sections of the Bharati division. In
many cases, Dandi Sanyasis are initiated
as ascetics only after having completed
the other three stages of life (ashra-
mas), fulfilling the idealized pattern in
the dharma literature, the texts on reli-
gious duty. Thus, their ascetic status
does not come only from the strictness
of their ascetic observance, for which
they are rightly famous. It also reflects
the continuing influence of their former
“worldly” status, which was supposedly
left behind upon ascetic initiation, and
their adherence to traditional idealized
cultural patterns. The philosopher
Shankaracharya, traditionally named
as the Dashanami order’s founder, was
himself believed to be a Dandi Sanyasi.
This pattern of leadership still
continues, since even now Dandi
Sanyasis are invariably chosen for the
Shankaracharyas, the religious leaders
who preside over the four monastic cen-
ters (maths). These centers supposedly
were established by the philosopher
Shankaracharya, and in many cases
these present leaders have been lifelong
ascetics, as Shankaracharya is believed
to have been. For further information
see Dana Sawyer, “Monastic Structure of
Banarsi Dandi Sadhus,” in Bradley R.
Hertel and Cynthia Ann Humes (eds.),
Living Banaras, 1993.Dan Lila
One of the types of divine play (lila)
between the god Krishnaand his devo-
tees (bhakta). In this lila, the adolescent
Krishna intercepts the gopis, his cow-
herding female friends, who are on their
way to the city of Mathurato sell their
butter and curds. Krishna refuses to let
them pass until they give him some as a
gift (dana). The story of this lila is often
presented in religiously oriented theatri-
cal presentations, which are themselves
known as lilas (“plays”), since their func-
tion is to reveal the work of the divine.
This lila is but one instance in a long his-
tory of butter thievery. For further infor-
mation see John Stratton Hawley,
Krishna:The Butter Thief, 1983.Dantavaktra
In the Mahabharata, the later of the
two great Hindu epics, Dantavaktra is
an asuraor demonking who is the
rebirth of Vijaya, one of the gatekeep-
ers of the god Vishnu. Vijaya has been
cursed to be reborn three times as anDandasana