Shri Yantra Symbol – History And Meaning

The ancient Shri Yantra, a very popular Hindu symbol, is based on the Vedas. It is used as a meditation aid in tantric worship.

The Shri Yantra symbol is often featured in body art, shirts, jewelry, drinking mugs, and a lot of others. Indeed, this symbol has become quite fashionable today. More often than not, however, we are unaware of what this complex design is—and what it’s all about it.

If you want to learn more about the Shri Yantra symbol, read on to find out the meaning, history, and significance of this Hindu symbol.

Shri Yantra Symbol – History And Meaning

The Shri Yantra is also known as Shri Chakra. It is a symbol based on a precise mathematical formula. It is composed of 9 perfectly interlocked triangles and a double ring of lotus petals, surrounding a so-called power point. 

Shri Yantra History

The 8th-century Indian philosopher and theologian, Adi Shankara, described the Shri Yantra in terms of its 4 upward-pointing and 5 downward pointing triangles, creating its 43 triangles. 

The Shri Tantra’s deity is known as Tripura Maha Sundari, also called Lalita, Sodashi, Maharajni, and Rajarajesvari among others. The goddess describes herself as the chief or the highest ranking. She is associated with wealth, prosperity, and fortune. The chief deity in the form of Shakti, the female principle of divine energy, is one of the aspects of Tripura Maha Sundari. 

Dr. Patrick Flanagan, an American physicist, called Shri Yantra “the king of power diagrams,” and estimated the symbol to be more than 12,000 years old. 

In 1987, the members of the Biology Faculty of Higher Nervous Activity at the Lomonosov Moscow State University conducted experiments proving that the Shri Yantra greatly influences the psychology of humans. They used an EEG machine to show the Shri Yantra’s effects on the brainwaves of respondents, bringing them quickly to a meditative state.

These experiments demonstrate that even short-term staring at the Shri Yantra symbol activates the right brain hemisphere which is responsible for intuition, creativity, and relaxation while slowing down the activity of the left brain hemisphere which is responsible for rational thinking. These same states of consciousness are also experienced during mystical rituals and under the influence of psychedelic drugs.

The Shri Yantra Symbol

A highly mystic symbol, Shri Yantra has been revered since ancient times. It is a symbol made up of 9 major triangles surrounding a binding point known as a Bindu. This Bindu represents the junction between the material world and the spiritual world.

Five of the nine triangles pointing downwards are thought to be the symbol for Shakti, the feminine aspect of divinity. The four triangles that point to the sky, on the other hand, are symbolic of Shiva, or the masculine aspect of the Supreme Divine. This denotes the union of the feminine and masculine divine.

The nine major triangles form 43 smaller triangles, which are representative of the cosmos. These triangles are encompassed by 8 lotus petals, with a bigger ring of 16 lotus petals enclosing both. This entire layout is framed by a four-door square, which represents a temple with four doors open to the universe. The triangles in the Shri Yantra also represent the human body.

The Shri Yantra is the main object of worship in at least one significant Indian cult. The Bindu in the center represents the cosmic center—the source of the cosmos—from which all matters emerge.

Another representation of this symbol is the progression of the universe from its mysterious emergence, charting its 5 concentric levels. Together they symbolize the wholeness of the universe and conveying non-duality or Advaita. The triangles are bound by two circles comprised of 8 and 16 lotus petals, symbolizing the lotus of creation and life force.

The Shri Yantra is believed to be a wish-granting tool, without magic involved. This symbol is used in meditation. It declutters the mind and induces focus on one’s life and goals. 

The Shri Yantra symbol is also said to be auspicious, bestowing both material and spiritual wealth, and expelling negativity from you and your environment. It gets rid of life’s hindrances, fulfilling your goals or desires and letting positivity flow around you. 

Another interpretation of the Shri Yantra is that it is the Mother of the Universe herself, the incarnate goddess who transcends time as well as embodies it. As male divinity has held supremacy for ages, the Shri Yantra pattern can be interpreted as a challenge to masculinist and patriarchal religions of the world.

Shri Yantra Symbol Meaning

The word “yantra” is Sanskrit, from the root word “yam,” meaning to “support” or “instrument,” and “tra,” taken from “trana,” which translates to “release from bondage.”  

A yantra, in Indian tradition, is a tool used in meditation and is treated as a holy object. In actual practice, it is a symbol denoting aspects of the divine.

Shri, on the other hand, is a conventional title of respect primarily used when addressing a distinguished Indian. The word denotes prosperity and wealth and is also transliterated as Sri, Sree, or Shree. 

The Shri Yantra, the “queen of yantras,” is the iconic symbol of the most profound Vedic insights. It is the emblem of the essence of the great divine mother, considered the origin of all energy, creativity, and power.