The Sri Yantra symbol is a Vedic sacred symbol that has become a well-known geometric design. It symbolizes the Godhead Aadi Paraa Shakti's will as well as the evolution of the multiverse. The shape is made of nine triangles that intersect, forming a total of 43 triangles.
The Sri Yantra is called the queen of all yantras because the other yantras are its derivatives. When loosely translated from Sanskrit, sri means wealth and prosperity, and yantra means an instrument. Together it can be called an instrument bringing good fortune.
Meaning of Sri Yantra
Yantra comes from the Sanskrit word yam, meaning instrument or support, and tra (derived from trana), meaning liberation from any bondage.
Together a yantra means a tool or an instrument that helps in spiritual liberation.
On the other hand, sri symbolizes good fortune, wealth (lakshmi), and goodness. So, Sri Yantra is a sacred geometry that looks to bring well-being, good health, and good fortune.
Sri Yantra Design
The design of the Yantra is one of the most powerful ones, as it is representative of material and spiritual wealth. It is also believed to keep away negative influences from fortune.
Interlocking Triangles
The most important thing to notice in this sacred geometry is the interlocking triangles and the structure it makes. Five inverted and four upward triangles interlock with each other at some points.
The inverted triangles represent the female power or prakriti, and the upward triangles symbolize the male power or purush. The interlocking suggests their communion and balance of life. So, the Sri Yantra is also known as the Navayoni Chakra Yantra.
Other Design Elements
Besides that, the lotuses and the outer squares are also representatives of sanctity, sanity, meditativeness, and other qualities that govern the human body.
The middle or the tip (meru) of the Yantra (in 3D) is called the bindu, representing the totality of creation. When represented three-dimensionally, the yantra/sacred geometry is called Mahameru.
History of Sri Yantra
The Sri Yantra is believed to have been in use for over a thousand years now. The oldest picture of the Sri Chakra was seen at a religious institution, Spigari Majha, founded in the 8th century by renowned philosopher Sankara.
Many Hindu scholars claim that the Sri Yantra has existed since the days of the Upanishads.
Symbolism in the Queen of All Yantras – Sri Yantra Mandala
Rajayatra, the Queen of all Yantra, is the other name attributed to Sri Yantra. It’s one of the greatest symbols of the divine mother power in nature, which is the source of all sorts of work, power, energy, and creativity.
The Shri Vidya School of Tantra refers to the design of the Sri Yantra as the embodiment of the goddess universe herself. It is also the manifestation of feminine energy or the principle of shakti, where each line, triangle, or petal, represents various types of Shakti.
The Outer Square
According to Vedic traditions and geometry, the earth was linked with the figure square. The square surrounding the sets of lotuses and triangles is thus the element of the earth. The squares on the outer part signify human or worldly desires like mundane emotions, fear, and anger.
Anyone who wants to reach the bindu must mediate and remove these obstacles to reach the center. The Yantra has entry gates or points represented through T-shaped structures.
The Circles
The circles are important parts of Sri Yantra, representing the past, present, and future through their thrice presence. The first triangle contains the sixteen-petaled lotus that symbolizes hopes, desires, and fulfillment. Each petal has a separate signifier attached to it.
The Lotuses
Ten of the sixteen lotus flower petals represent the nose, tongue, skin, mouth, ears, eyes, hands, feet, reproductive organs, and arms.
The next five are symbols of the five elements of nature – earth, water, fire, air, and space. The sixteenth petal is the symbol of the mind which is the receptor to all the activities of the other petals.
The second set of lotus petals symbolizes activities like motion, speech, excretion, grasping, aversion, enjoyment, tranquility, and attraction. They are eight in number, and the inner lotuses have the first batch of interlocked triangles.
The Triangles
As mentioned before, the downward-pointing triangles represent feminine power, and the upward triangle represents masculine power.
The first set of triangles represents earthly qualities like agitation, attraction, delusion, delight, pursuit, immobility, intoxication, pleasure, control, the accomplishment of desire, release, luxury, and the destruction of duality.
The next set of triangles in the next circle represents various blessings. The first is the giver of accomplishments, and the second is the giver of wealth. The third is the signifier of the energy behind all work, and the fourth is the precursor of blessings.
The fifth here is the giver of all desires, and the next eliminates all forms of suffering. The seventh appeases death, and the eighth symbolizes the overcomer from all hurdles. The ninth and the tenth are the bringers of beauty and givers of good fortune, respectively.
There are yet several other smaller triangles in the next realm.
They signify:
- Omnipotence
- Knowledge
- Omniscience
- Destruction of all disease
- Protection
- Unconditional support
- Vanquishment of all evils
- Attainment of all desires
- Sustaining
- Dissolution
- Creating
- Pleasure
- Heat
- Cold
- Pain
- The capability to choose action
The Inner Space
Finally, in the inner space, the Yogini or Yogi spots five arrows, symbols of the world’s senses, a bow that signifies the mind, a noose portraying attachment, and a stick that represents aversion.
The triangle at the central point is the perfect one where the “Bindu” is present. It is the original state of being or the ultimate consciousness.
Sri Yantra’s sacred geometry is embedded with symbol after symbol. It’s easy to see why it’s called the queen of all yantras.
Whether it’s the representation of the earth or the lotus emerging from the earth (mud) and blooming, a symbol of enlightenment, the Sri Yantra symbol is filled with mysteries and magic. It’s also a representation of the cyclic life of nature, along with the hint of procreation.
If you’ve found this article helpful, check out our post on the chaos symbol.