The Sri Yantra, is made up of the intersection of nine, isosceles triangles, arranged in such a way that they produce 43 subsidiary triangles, at the centre of the smallest of which there is a big dot (known as the bindu). These smaller triangles are supposed to form the abodes of different gods, whose names are sometimes entered in their respective places. In common with many depictions of the ‘Sri Yantra’, the one shown here has outer rings consisting of an eight-petalled lotus, enclosed by a sixteen petaled lotus, girdled in turn by three circles, all enclosed in a square with four door, one on each side. The square represents the boundaries within which the deities reside, protected from the chaos and disorder of the outside world.

The Sri Yantra is very eye-catching and powerful. Four of these triangles are pointing upward and five downward. The four upward pointing triangles are Shiva triangles, the primordial male essence of static wisdom and the five downward pointing triangles are Shakti triangles, the primordial female essence of dynamic energy. A combination of these, nine triangles makes Sri Yantra the most dynamic of all yantras. If we construct a similar figure by intersecting eight triangles-four pointing upward and four pointing downward – it becomes balanced and static. The imbalance created by the addition of one more triangle, is what makes the yantra dynamic and powerful. Sri Yantra is the only asymmetrical diagram in Hindu mythology, and the beauty of it is that when you look at it, it appears symmetrical.

The five downward-pointing triangles are the seat of five Shaktis: Parma, Raudri, Javeshtha, Ambika & Parashakti. The four upward-pointing triangles are symbolic of the male principle, Shiva, and of Ichcha, Kripa, Gyan and Shanti. In Kamkalavilas, it is said that a Sri Yantra is constructed on the same principles on which the human body is constructed. Just as the body has nine charkas (psychic centers), so does a Sri Yantra.

For the purpose of worship, a Sri Yantra is engraved either on Copper, Sliver or Gold plates as a flat line drawing, or sculpted from stone and precious gems (quartz, crystals etc.). This form of the Sri Yantra looks like a pyramid. The Yantra is worshipped to achieve all sorts of desired objectives.

The triangles symbolize the Yonis. The bindu, the eight petaled lotus, the sixteen-petaled lotus, and the bhupur are symbolic of Shiva. Thus the yantra is a combination of Shiva and Shakti elements, which together are the cosmos. The two rings of lotus petals are believed to be Som Mandala, a mandala of the moon. Meditation on each of the nine chakras with chanting of the Sanskrit language in proper order brings all kinds of powers and achievements. The Sri Yantra ( a great object ) belongs to a class of devices used in meditation, mainly by those belonging to the Hindu tantric tradition.

There is, however, a curious fact about all the connectedly constructed Sri Yantra, whether enclosed in circles or in squares. In all such cases the base angle of the largest triangles is about 510. The monument that comes in mind when this angle is mentioned is the Great Pyramid at Giza in Egypt. The slope of the face to the base (or the angle of inclination) of the Great Pyramid is 51050’35. The largest isosceles triangle of the Sri Yantra design is one of the face triangles of the Great pyramid in miniature, showing almost exactly the same relationship between pi and phi as in its larger counterpart. Besides the pyramids there are similarities with the Star of David and the Star of Bethlehem, which also have triangles.

Fascinating, the Sri Yantra.