Sri Yantra Painting

Yantra literally means loom, instrument or machine. In actual practice, a yantra is a symbol which represents aspects of the divine, such as the Mother Goddess or Durga. It is made of interlocking geometric figures, circles, triangles and floral shapes that form a pattern. Though drawn in two dimensions, a yantra can represent a three dimensional sacred object. The yantra is primarily a meditation tool. Yantras function as revelatory symbols of cosmic truths. The Shri Yantra or Sri Chakra of Tripura Sundari is a yantra or mandala formed by nine interlocking triangles surrounding a dot in the cetner called a bindu. Four of these triangles are orientated upright representing Shiva or the Masculine. Five of these triangles are inverted triangles represent Shakti or the Feminine. Because it is composed of nine triangles, it is also known as the navayoni chakra. Together the nine triangles are interlaced in such a way as to form 43 smaller triangles in a web symbolic of the entire cosmos or a womb symbolic of creation. Together they express Advaita-ism or non-duality. This is surrounded by a lotus of eight petals, a lotus of sixteen petals, and an earthsquare resembling a temple with four doors.