Sri Yantra
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The Sri Yantra or Sri Chakra is a form of mystical diagram (yantra) used in the Shri Vidya school of Hindu tantra. It consists of nine interlocking triangles that surround a central point known as a bindu. These triangles represent the cosmos and the human body. Because of its nine triangles, Sri Yantra is also known as the Navayoni Chakra.[1] When the two-dimensional Sri Yantra is represented in three dimensions, it is called a Maha Meru. Mount Meru derives its name from this shape. In addition to Mount Meru, all other yantras derive the Sri Yantra.
Appearance
In the 2009 issue of Brahmavidya (the journal of the Adyar Library), Subhash Kak argues that the description of Sri Yantra is identical to the yantra described in the Śvetāśvatara Upanisad.[2]
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The Sri Yantra's 9 constituent triangles vary in size and shape and intersect to form 43 smaller triangles, organized in 5 concentric levels. Together they represent the totality of the cosmos and express Advaita or non-duality. In the middle, the power point (bindu) represents the cosmic center. The triangles are circumscribed by two concentric circles composed of 8 and 16 petals, representing the lotus of creation and reproductive vital force. The entire configuration is framed by the broken lines of an earth square, representing a temple with four doors open onto the regions of the universe.[3]
In religion
The worship of the Sri Yantra is central to the Shri Vidya system of Hindu worship. It represents the goddess in the form of Shri Lalita or Tripura Sundari, the beauty of the three worlds: Bhu Loka (Physical Plane, Consciousness of the Physical Plane), Bhuvar Loka (Antariksha or Intermediate Space Consciousness of the Prana) and Swar Loka (Svarga or Heaven or Consciousness of the Divine Mind). The Sri Yantra is the symbol of Hindu tantra, which is based on the Hindu philosophy of Shaktism. The Sri Yantra is the object of devotion in Sri Vidya.[4]
The Sri Yantra represents the union of Masculine and Feminine Divine. The four upward-pointing isosceles triangles represent the goddess's masculine embodiment Shiva, while the five downward-pointing triangles symbolize the female embodiment Shakti.[4]
The Sri Yantra is also known as the nav chakra because it can be seen to consist of nine concentric layers that radiate outward from the bindu. ("Nau" or "nava" means "nine" in Sanskrit.) Each level corresponds to a mudra, a yogini and a specific form of the deity Tripura Sundari along with her mantra. The various deities residing in the nine levels of the Sri Yantra are described in the Devi Khadgamala Mantra. These levels, listed from outermost to innermost, are:[1]
- Trailokya Mohana , the outermost square, traced in three lines and interrupted by four recessed portals;
- Sarvasaa Paripuraka, the outer lotus, consisting of 16 petals;
- Sarva Samkshobahana, the inner lotus, consisting of 8 petals;
- Sarva Saubhagyadayaka, the outermost ring of small triangles (14 in total);
- Sarvarthasadhaka, the next ring of triangles (10 in total);
- Sarva Rakshakara, a smaller ring of 10 triangles;
- Sarva Rogahara, a ring of 8 small triangles;
- Sarva Siddhiprada, one small triangle containing the bindu at its center;
- Sarva Anandamaya, the bindu.
In temples
- Shri Kalyanika Dol Ashram has the largest Sri Yantra in the world, weighing more than 1600 kilograms. It is located in the Lamgada area of Almora district of Uttarakhand in North India. The Ashram, notably, gives doctorate to many foreign students in Sanskrit as well.
- Aadi shankaracharya sthapita Dharma mahasamsthana Dakshninamnaya Peetham Sringeri Sharadamba Temple
- Muttakulam Devi Temple Kattachira Kayamkulam Alappuzha Kerala
- Maa Pitambara Bagulamukhi Mahakal Temple Guraiya Chindwara Madhya Pradesh India[5]
- Śri Chakra Mahameru Peetham in Koradacheri, Tamil Nadu
- Śhree Kshetra Hedavde Mahalaxmi, optimised Sri Yantra intsalled by Sri Sri Dada Hatey
- Pashupatinath Temple, Nepal, at the roof of Ganga Mai temple (temple is in the shape of a meru shri yantra)
- Śri Chakra Man with 10 claws, Blacktown Temple, Shivashivashivamanium
- Śri Yantra carved on Stone in Mahalaxmi Temple Kolhapur Maharashtra, installed by Adi Shankaracharya (temple is in the shape of a meru shri yantra)
- Adiparashakti (Tripurasundari Rajarajeshwari) Chapel, Anand Ashram Ubud (Bali), where the personification or Vigraha of Śri Yantra is installed and worshiped daily
- Kamakshi temple, Jonnawada, Nellore
- Kamakshi temple, Kanchipuram
- Kalikambal temple, Chennai
- Kamakshi temple, Mangadu, Chennai
- Śri Kali Temple, Outside Sanganeri Gate, MotiDunri Road, Jaipur
- Nimishamba temple, SriRangapatana, Mysore District, Karnataka
- Prasanna Meenakshi Temple, Shivanasamudra, Malavalli Tk, Mandya Dist, Karnataka
- Kollur Mookambike Temple, Udupi dist, Karnataka
- Matrubhuteshwar Temple, Sri Ramanasramam, Tiruvannamalai installed by Bhagavan Ramana Maharshi
- At Kamakhya Temple, Guwahati, Assam (mandir is in the shape of shree yantra)
- Puthenkavil Devi Temple, Cherumukha, Nooranad, Alapphuzha, Kerala
- Śri Tyagarajaswamy udanurai Vadivudai amman temple Thyagaraja Temple, Tiruvottiyur
- Śri Chakra MahaMeru Temple in Thrikkuttissery, near Balussery in Kozhikode District, Kerala, India.
- Sri Maha Meru engraved in rock inside the Arapaleeshwarar Shiva temple, Kolli Hills
- Sri Mah Meru Dhyana Nilayam, Panruti-Kandigai, Near Oragadam (Royal Enfield Factory), 631604 [1]
- Shri Laxminarayan Temple, Orchha, Madhya Pradesh
- Shri Raja Rajeshwari Temple, RR nagar, Mysore Road, Bangalore
- Sri Narasimha Swamy Temple (9 Temple Complex), Aho Bilam, Andhra Pradesh 518553
- Durga Parmeshwari Temple, at Uppundbmnbnmbmnba, Udupi District, Karnataka (golden Sri Chakra is worshipped here, temple was established by Rishi Matang)
- Shri Gopalkrishna temple Sirsi karnataka
- Shri Saint Paul de Vence, Cote D azur, France. Located in a medieval village built by alchemists and has the shape of Sri Yantra in its design. This along with ongoing work of artists resident in the village makes it a Shri Yantra full of vibrant creativeness and spiritual vibes.
- Sankat Mochan Hanuman Temple in Watsonville, California
- Sri Raja Rajeswari Temple, Sri Ramalinga Vilasam, Ramanathapuram in Tamilnadu.
- Adi Shankaracharya Sthapita Kanaka Durgamma, Vijayawada in Andhra Pradesh.
See also
References
- ^ a b Shankaranarayanan, S. (1979). Sri Chakr (3rd ed.). Dipti Publications.
- ^ "Subhash Kak Great Goddess Lalitā and the Śrī Cakra Brahmavidyā" (PDF). The Adyar Library Bulletin. 72–73: 155–172. 2008–2009.
- ^ Kuiper, K (2011). Understanding India: The Culture of India. Britannica Educational Publishing. ISBN 9781615302031.
- ^ a b Khanna, Madhu (2005). "Yantra". In Jones, Lindsay (ed.). Gale's Encyclopedia of Religion (Second ed.). Thomson Gale. pp. 9871–9872. ISBN 0-02-865997-X.
- ^ "Anand Ashram Ubud". www.ubudashram.org. Retrieved 2018-03-24.
External links
Media related to Sri Yantra at Wikimedia Commons- Symbol Sri Yantra and Percussion Instrument
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