Unraveling Sri Yantra’s Meaning & Ancient Symbols
It’s everywhere in the West—on t-shirts, jewelry, coffee cups, and wall decals. The ancient Sri Yantra, also known as Shri Yantra, Shree Yantra, or Sri Chakra, has become a trendy design. However, most don’t realize the complexity, meaning, and symbology of the nine interlocking triangles and double rings of lotus petals. It has been used in India for centuries and is considered a powerful Hindu symbol—so much so that Russian scientists used EEG technology to prove that the Sri Yantra geometry quickly brought viewers to a meditative state in 1987.
What is Sri Yantra?
The Sri Yantra is a sacred and complex geometric pattern or mystical diagram that has deep spiritual significance in Hinduism and other Indian spiritual traditions, including Buddhism, particularly within Tantric traditions. It consists of nine interlocking triangles that radiate out from a central point, surrounded by two concentric circles of lotus petals. The Sri Yantra represents the unity of the divine masculine and feminine energies, as well as the structure of the entire cosmos. It is used for meditation and is believed to bring about spiritual, mental, and physical well-being when properly understood and revered.
In Sanskrit, “Sri” (also spelled as “Shri” or “श्री” in Devanagari script) is a term often used as a respectful prefix before the names of deities, individuals, and even in the context of various sacred or auspicious objects. It is a symbol of reverence, prosperity, and grace, and it’s commonly used to show respect or invoke blessings. In a broader sense, “Sri” can be associated with qualities such as beauty, wealth, radiance, and divine grace.
In Sanskrit, the word “yantra” comes from the root word “yam,” which means “instrument” or “support,” and “tra,” derived from “trana,” meaning “release from bondage.” A yantra is an instrument or tool for meditation and contemplation and supports spiritual liberation. There are hundreds of yantra designs related to deities, principles, and planets. Used in ceremonies and rituals, yantra designs can be found on paper or bark or created from flower petals, ash, and rice.
For meditation practices, or “Vastu,” the Vedic version of Feng shui, a yantra is embossed on a square copper plate electroplated with gold. The plates are then ritually “charged” by priests—meaning that the physical object is “tuned” to a specific vibration or energy. Once charged, the yantra is viewed as a sacred object.
Sri Vidya
Sri Vidya is a profound spiritual tradition that centers on the worship of the Divine Mother, particularly in the form of the goddess Tripura Sundari. As mentioned, the term “Sri” signifies prosperity and auspiciousness, but “vidya” translates to knowledge or wisdom in Sanskrit. This tradition emphasizes the importance of understanding the feminine divine and the principles of creation. The Sri Yantra is not just a geometric symbol; it serves as the primary object of devotion in Sri Vidya, embodying the essence of this specific energy or life force.
The Queen of Yantras: The Shri Yantra
The Sri Yantra, called the “queen of yantras” (rajayantra), is a mandala and the symbol of the great Divine Mother principle, the source of all energy, power, and creativity. Vedic traditions, specifically the Sri Vidya school of tantra, regard the design as the representation of the universe as well as the body of the goddess related to the feminine principle of shakti, or energy. Every line, triangle, and lotus petal symbolizes a specific type of shakti.
Outer Square
The outer square represents the earth element. In Vedic sacred geometry, the square corresponds to the earth. The outside square represents mundane emotions, such as anger, fear, and worldly desires. The yogi meditates on the outer square to defeat these disturbing energies. The T-shape structures in the square are considered the gates of the four directions and the entry points of the yantra.
Outer Circle of 16 Lotus Petals
Next are three circles representing the past, present, and future. Within is the first ring of sixteen lotus petals that represents the complete fulfillment of all hopes and desires. Specifically, the petals represent the ten organs of perception and action (tongue, nose, mouth, skin, eyes, ears, feet, hands, arms, and reproductive organs) and the five elements: earth, water, fire, air, and space. The sixteenth petal represents the mind, which gathers and interprets information from the perceptions of the interactivity of the elements.
Inner Circle of 8 Lotus Petals
Next is an eight-petal lotus. Each petal governs a specific activity: speech, grasping, motion, excretion, enjoyment, revulsion, attraction, and equanimity. Within the inner lotus is the first set of interlocked triangles. The upward triangles represent the masculine (Shiva), and the downward-pointing triangles represent the feminine (Shakti) energies.
Starting at the lowermost outer triangle and moving in a counterclockwise circle, they are agitation, pursuit, attraction, delight, delusion, immobility, release, control, pleasure, intoxication, an accomplishment of desire, luxury, mantra, and the destruction of duality.
Inner Sequences of Triangles
The next circle has the same sequence and direction, starting from the lowest triangle and moving counterclockwise. The first triangle is the giver of all accomplishments. Next is the giver of wealth. The third is the energy of activities that please all. Fourth is the bringer of all blessings. The fifth is the granter of all desires. Next is the remover of all suffering. The seventh is considered the appeaser of death. Eighth is the overcomer of all obstacles. Ninth is the bringer of beauty, and the tenth is the giver of all good fortune.
The ten smaller triangles in the third circle, beginning at the same lowermost triangle and moving counterclockwise2, represent omniscience, omnipotence, sovereignty, knowledge, destruction of all disease, unconditional support, vanquishment of all evils, protection, and the attainment of all desires. The fourth circle of triangles, again starting at the same point and moving counterclockwise, represents sustaining, creating, dissolution, pleasure, pain, cold, heat, and the ability to choose action.
Inner Space
In the final inner space, the yogi or yogini visualizes five arrows representing the world of the senses, a bow representing the mind, a noose representing attachment, and a stick representing aversion. The central triangle is the giver of all perfection. In the middle of the central triangle is a Bindu, representing pure consciousness and the original state of being.
How to Use a Sri Yantra
You can use a Sri Yantra made of various materials, such as metal, crystal, wood, or a paper illustration. Just make sure it is authentic and accurately designed.
Made of Metal
If you are using a Sri Yantra in a home or office, the Vedics recommend that it face East. They also suggest occasionally bathing the yantra, if it is a copper and gold plate, in milk or rose water. If you want to go all out, place dots of sandalwood paste on the four corners of the yantra. Keep your yantra from accumulating dust or dirt. If the metal changes color from the milk/rosewater bath, it’s okay because the yantra is fine.
Drawn or Printed
Sri Yantra geometry is trickier than it looks—for centuries, mathematicians were required to create accurate Sri Yantras, free of mistakes. It was assumed that no matter how carefully it was created, there would be tiny inaccuracies that could not be seen with the naked eye. Bear in mind—the thicker the lines and the cruder the rendering of a Sri Yantra, the higher the odds that it is an inaccurate depiction. The Sri Yantra Research offers drawing instructions and software that renders mathematically accurate yantras.
Meditation Practice
Gazing meditation is a straightforward way to connect with Sri Yantra’s geometry. This technique, commonly used with sacred symbols, allows you to bring its powerful imagery into your consciousness.
What You’ll Need:
- A blank, white wall, board, or piece of paper
- An accurate Sri Yantra image (preferably a simple black-and-white version)
- Ensure all three points of the largest triangles touch the outer circle.
- The uppermost point of each triangle should touch the horizontal baseline of the next or lower triangle.
- A timer
Steps to Practice:
- Prepare Your Space: Find a comfortable sitting position that keeps you alert. Have your Sri Yantra image and your blank white surface ready. If you’re using a wall, ensure you have a clear view.
- Set Your Timer: Adjust the timer for five minutes.
- Begin Gazing: Start by gazing softly at the Sri Yantra image. Let your eyes relax and allow the image to gently enter your visual awareness.
- Maintain Focus: Stay present with the image. If your mind begins to wander, gently guide your focus back without any judgment or frustration.
- Transition to the Afterimage: When the timer goes off, shift your gaze to the blank white surface. Allow the afterimage to form, noticing how colors reverse (for instance, black turns to white). Continue gazing at the afterimage for as long as you can see it.
- Close Your Eyes: Once the afterimage fades, close your eyes and let any remaining afterimage emerge. Focus on it until it completely disappears.
Feel free to repeat this meditation as often as you like. For a deeper experience, try doing the practice for 30 days!
Remember that the Sri Yantra is a powerful and sacred symbol, and using it in your spiritual practice should be done with sincerity, reverence, and a deep understanding of its significance. It can be a tool for meditation, spiritual growth, and manifesting positive energies.
Want to learn how to bring Sri Yantra further into your spiritual journey? Start with this sound healing meditation that incorporates the Sri Yantra visual. We also recommend exploring other resources on sacred geometry.
About the Author
Soham: Wisdom You Can Access
I first learned to meditate over 40 years ago. Friends of mine learned Transcendental Meditation in high school, but I couldn’t afford the fee. I had friends in college who also learned the TM method, but again, I was unable to pay and no one was parting with any information about the process. Stubbornly, I took it upon myself to research meditation techniques in the library and learned as much as I could. This was my introduction to mantras. I chose a mantra and one beautiful day, sitting under a tree, I gave it a whirl. It changed my life.
Your first mediation is never forgotten.
Eventually, I learned the TM method from a certified teacher. Although the basic idea was the same, I was given my mantra and in my first experience, felt a great opening of consciousness that I hadn’t experienced before. It was different. With this in mind, I began experimenting with mantras. One day, I meditated with the Soham mantra, not knowing what to expect. I found it to be peaceful, relaxing and connective in a way that’s hard to explain.
One With the Universe
Soham is Sanskrit and essentially means, “He whom I am.” It could be translated as, “I am He,” implying, “I am one with everything,” The “He” in this case is the Universe and the singularity of the divine. Soham is an ancient mantra and one that has been used in different ways, by numerous groups and societies. Some believe that it can connect us to what are known as, “The Ascended Masters.”
A Human Tendency to Expand and Interpret
The term “Ascended Masters” was coined in the 1930s and used to define spiritual adepts whom, after their time on Earth, ascend to a place where they help guide humanity and commune, or merge, with those who seek their wisdom. This movement gained great popularity and had a vast following, one that still exists today. This wasn’t the first time such an idea had been put forth. Theosophy, through Madame Blavatsky, had “The Great White Brotherhood.”
Many have accused Blavatsky’s work as being discriminatory, or outright racist. Some have pointed to her writings as being instrumental in helping to design theories for the Nazi party. It’s hard to know the actual truth behind all of this, but I genuinely don’t believe that Blavatsky had any such thoughts about singling out one race, or type of people, as being “less” than others. I’m certainly not an expert on Theosophical philosophy, but I’ve read some of her works and can see both sides of the argument. The complexity of her writing style is open to a myriad of different interpretations, as is often the case with any spiritually based text.
This brings me to a point. One of the things that human beings tend to do, is take a basic thought and then expand upon it, often to fulfill our own philosophical ideals and agendas. A quick look at history should convince us of the power of this process.
Through rhetoric and dogma, it’s often possible to reinterpret the underlying purpose of a text, in order to rationalize our unique point of view.
This has been done again and again in religion and is also a powerful tool in politics, where interpretations of founding documents are hotly contested and reviewed. Perhaps this is one of the dangers of proclaiming a text to be sacred. They may, in fact, be sacred, but the interpretation of these texts and ideas are usually man-made. Some seek to overcome this ambiguity through an individual, a human channeling a specific source, one pure and spiritually unquestionable. Enter the Ascended Masters, or so say those who believe in the doctrine.
I’m wary of most spiritual systems. It’s not my desire to demean, nor cast doubt upon, any religion or philosophy. I’m a metaphysician and have been a seeker for most of my life, so I’m used to being left out, considered odd, deemed ignorant, thought simpleminded, or daft. I’ve experienced way too much not to believe, but I’ve also seen enough to realize that there has to be a standard of feasibility that allows us not to be deluded, or worse.
This amorphous, subjective realm exists somewhere between hard fact and faith.
It’s for this reason that I’ll discuss the Ascended Master concept a bit differently than some might. I’ve known individuals who consulted with an Ascended Master, through a channel, and received advice, only to have another channel of the exact same Master contradict the advice earlier given. It always amazes me that the seeker is able to rationalize the discrepancy, through some excuse or the other. It speaks to the unreliability of the process at the very least, and to much bigger problems, at worst.
Ascended Masters: A Conceptual Offering
I believe that anything can be mined for its positive, beneficial value and doesn’t have to be presented in a specific form to be of use. This doesn’t imply that the Ascended Master belief isn’t valid, or is unworthy of study. I’ve known many who have been followers of its doctrine and received value in their lives, some through personal work and others through relying on a Master being channeled. It simply isn’t my way of doing things.
To be direct, it seems overly religious and even though the Masters are purported to be from various cultures and eras, it strikes me as being a form of Saint worship. As I said, there’s nothing wrong with that; it just isn’t my thing, but it still has value. With that in mind, let’s look at what it can offer you.
We Are Never Alone
A common thread throughout spiritual cultures is a belief in a place to where our consciousness can ascend to and there share information and commune with fellow members, past, present and future. These locations have different names, appearances and purposes, but they all share one goal, to help those in need, or who seek truth. By this doctrine, we are never alone.
I do believe that there is an intelligence that seeks to guide us, one that is powerful and ancient.
I consider this intelligence to be the accumulated knowledge and wisdom of all humanity, from the beginning to the present. I don’t see a need to identify specific members of our species in this, as that quickly turns into a form of worship and defeats the purpose. This could be considered a form of ancestral guidance, since it depends upon people who have passed, their only agenda to better their progeny, namely us. Incidentally, I consider our time on this planet to be just as important and to have the same goal.
If we’re not doing something to better the human experience, then we’re missing the point of being human.
How then can we find this place and connect? The ability to receive this information, this wealth of humanity, is not only possible, but within your grasp. It takes concentration, determination, sincerity and the ability to listen to truth without fear, or prejudice. I believe that this has been one of the motives behind much of the ritual that we have been obsessed with over the millennia. Luckily, connecting is much simpler than it sounds and one method of doing so is the use of mantras, one of them being Soham.
I mentioned earlier that I’ve used different mantras over the years and can attest to the fact that each mantra has a definitive and unique energy. Some of these mantras have had influences that I was able to discern, while others are still a mystery to me. Each sound in Sanskrit has a specific energy and combining different sounds can be like putting together commands on a computer, accessing more information than seems possible.
The Soham Mantra: The Oneness of All
The Soham mantra, by the very nature of its meaning, “I am He whom I am,” indicates an association with the divine monad, the oneness of all.
As one meditates upon this word, it becomes a personal appeal, from us to the Universe, to unite with everything. By extension, we are then connected to the wisdom of all and can gain an inner understanding of ourselves, perhaps otherwise inaccessible to the conscious mind. This is something that you can do and benefit from.
Practice: Soham Meditation
As with anything, there are different opinions as to how the Soham mantra should be used. I find it to be aligned with natural breathing. When I inhale, I think, “So.” When I exhale, I think, “Ham.” There are masters who contradict this, insisting that Ham is the inhale and So the exhale. There are just as many masters who disagree with them. Many practitioners vocalize their mantras aloud. I prefer silent mantra repetition and personally feel silence to be more powerful, but in truth, it’s completely up to you.
A simple way of using the Soham meditation is to sit in a relaxed way that connects you to your process. For me, it’s a comfortable chair; for others it may be a yoga position. Do what you feel connects you to your source. Close your eyes, or leave them open if you prefer, and begin reciting the mantra, either out loud or to yourself, and forget about a goal. Breathe in, “So.” Breathe out, “Ham.” Let the words resonate in your mind, but don’t overthink it. Be in the moment and allow yourself to be devoid of motive or purpose of thought, other than to be.
Your mind will race, but never scold it. Instead, smile and return to the mantra.
I never ask for information or wisdom directly, but you may do so if you choose. I open my mind to whatever may come. Sometimes it takes a few minutes, other times information is there quickly. I have meditations where nothing comes through at all, except a deep and profound sense of calm and the conviction that something much more powerful than me is present. That’s good enough for me. Once again, determination, patience and sincerity will eventually deliver results, often spectacularly.
The information is out there and is designed to be accessed by every one of us, not just channels who speak for Ascended Masters. There is nothing supernatural about any of this. In fact, I believe that this is an important part of Humanity. It seeks to guide us in the way that will make us better than we are and can help to pave the way for the future. It reasserts our ethics and redefines our values in an ever-changing world.
I consider it to be a link in the chain of the spiritual evolution of our species and I pray that we will always listen. Tap into the source and listen to the voice. Everyone will benefit. Never forget, it begins with us.
I wish you all peace and love.
