Yantras and their role in meditation

 Hari Aum.

I thought I would write an article on my understanding of yantras and their role in meditation (including with mantras). I am no scholar on this subject (which is related to the spiritual path of Tantra) but I have a basic understanding which may be helpful to anyone completely unfamiliar with the subject.

A simple translation of the Sanskrit word 'yantra' is 'instrument'. However, the actual meaning of yantras used in worship is far greater than that.

A yantra is a specific geometrical pattern. It is said to represent the body of a deity, a manifestation of God (just as a mantra is the deity in the form of sound audible to the ear, the yantra is the deity in a form visible to the eye). 

Like a mantra, therefore, it is a means of connecting to the deity. Just as there are various mantras for different forms of God, so also there are various yantras for these different forms (and just as one cannot make up a mantra, similarly one cannot make up a yantra). These are fixed, specific geometrical patterns unique for the various personal forms of God, both masculine and feminine (as mantras are said to have been revealed to seers in meditation, so also with yantras).

One can meditate on a yantra just like one can meditate on a mantra. Yantra meditation may involve visualisation of the geometrical pattern with the recognition that this is the body of the deity in a particular form. Or it may involve gazing at a physical representation of the yantra e.g. engraved on copper, or a constructed from various materials such as bronze, crystal and so on. 

One would cultivate the same devotion and reverence when gazing upon a yantra as one would when looking at an idol representing the deity or when reciting a mantra (cultivation of devotion is the key for success in working with yantras as with any other form of worship of the Divine). 

One can perform worship (e.g. puja) to a specific form of God using His/Her yantra. Here, the yantra can be used to invoke the presence of God (instead of an idol). One can offer lights, incense, sweets, flowers and so on. Appropriate mantras can be chanted while doing so. Or, for a simple worship, one may simply chant a single mantra of the deity while making these offerings.

Many years ago, while visiting my father in Delhi, I asked a priest to perform a Sudarshana homam (sacred fire ritual to an aspect of Narayana). Afterwards, I obtained a small Sudarshana yantra from a local shop and have had it at home with me ever since (kept within my mini wooden home-temple). 

More recently, I was reflecting upon the various methods of worship of the personal form of God, and thought it would be interesting to include some regular yantra meditation and worship. I therefore obtained a Vishnu yantra engraved on a small square piece of copper. I have framed this and kept it on my bedside table. I hold it in front of me and gaze upon the pattern sometimes (as a substitute for manasik puja) as I do my daily ashtakshara mantra japa. This adds some variety to my practice and is particularly helpful if the mind is wandering a bit too much for inner/manasik puja.

I also thought it would be nice to obtain a yantra for the Divine Mother. I initially thought of getting a Lakshmi yantra (as I have been doing a small daily worship of Her in recent months) but could not easily find this for sale online. I then found that many people worship Her via the famous Sri Yantra (which is an important aspect of the Sri Vidya spiritual path). 

As even those who are not Sri Vidya practitioners can worship the Mother via this yantra, I recently purchased a Sri Yantra online. It is small (palm-sized), made of bronze and three-dimensional, in the shape of a pyramid (rather than engraved on to metal like my other two yantras).

The Sri Yantra is an extraordinary yantra and much has been written about it online by people who are far more expert in the subject than I am. I will therefore just write a few lines about this here. The Sri Yantra is said to be the body of the Divine Mother. It is an elaborate pattern comprising various intersecting triangles, and also circles and squares. In the very centre, is a dot (or 'bindu'). The dot represents the Mother in Her full, universal, all-powerful aspect. The surrounding patterns represent numerous different aspects and energies related to Her. 

The entire structure represents the whole universe and also ourselves (as a microcosm of the macrocosm). There are various ways of worshipping the Mother via the Sri Yantra. The Sri Vidya method mentioned earlier is a particularly wonderful and elaborate method which involves worshipping the Mother in many forms (in a specific sequence leading up to Her worship as Lalita Tripura Sundari). 

My Guru, Sivananda, says this method of worship must be learned from a Sri Vidya Guru (and should not be taken up on one's own as it is complex and the mantras involved may awaken the Kundalini rapidly which may be difficult to handle on one's own. A Guru is an absolute must right from the outset on this particular spiritual path).

However, other equally effective and popular mantras for the Divine Mother can be recited while worshipping Her with the help of yantras. Examples include the navarna mantra and mantras for Lakshmi, Durga and Sarasvati. 

I performed a small worship of the Mother with the Sri Yantra recently and felt very contented afterwards. It was strangely like the feeling one has after eating a particularly satisfying meal. My worship involved creating a small altar with idols of the Mother and Krishna along with a picture of Sivananda. I lit a lamp and some incense and placed some fruit before Them.

I then worshipped my little Sri Yantra by making offerings of water, milk and honey, and also turmeric, sandalwood powder and kumkum (a special red form of turmeric that the Mother is said to be fond of). I recited the navarna mantra many times as I did so. 

The direction in which one makes the offerings to Sri Yantra is said to be important. If one goes from the outside to the inside (from the squares and circles to the dot in the middle), this is said to give spiritual benefits (one is going inwards as it were). On the other hand, if one goes from the inside (the bindu) towards the outer structures when making the offerings, this is said to yield material results.

I was performing the Sri Yantra worship for both spiritual and material benefits and so I performed the worship in both directions (the main material benefit was for the maintenance and improvement of my health which was very troublesome in the past year or so). I prayed for  myself, my family and also the world at large. 

Spiritual benefits were obviously for more devotion/bhakti and also for spiritual progress and attainment of the spiritual goal for both myself and for all. In addition, a request for world peace, cessation of war, and for vanquishing those forces opposed to Her/the Divine (both within and without). 

At the end, I made the well-known prayers of apology for any errors inadvertently made in the worship with a request to Her to make these good (from the Devi Bhagavatam, the book of the glories of the Goddess). 

"Mantra hinam, kriya hinam, bhakti hinam, Sureshvari,

Yat pujitam mayaa Devi, paripurnam tad astu mey"

Which broadly means, 

"Whatever omissions have been made in the recitation of mantra, performance of actions of worship and devotion, these please correct/make good, O Goddess".

Finally, as is recommended by the Gurus (in order to recognise that all worship is ultimately conducted by the grace of the Divine alone and thus create a sense of humility), I offered the sense of doership to the Divine with the prayer "Om Sarvam Shri Durgarpanamastu, Om Sarvam Shri Krishnarpanamastu, Om Sarvam Shri Sivanandarpanamastu". (Meaning I offer all to Durga, to Krishna, to Sivananda).

I would highly recommend exploring yantras for anyone interested in the subject. This is a useful way of expanding one's bhakti yoga practice and complements mantra japa very nicely. I am planning to perform Sri Yantra puja more often after this recent yantra puja as it was a very enjoyable and positive experience.

Om Aim Hrim Klim Chamundayai Vicche.

Om Namo Narayanaya.

Om Namo Bhagavate Sivanandaya.

Hari Aum Tat Sat.