- The Lalita Sahasranama in diagrammatic form, showing how its nine interlocking triangles form a total of 43 smaller triangles.
- Shri Yantra engraved in metal
- The Shri Yantra shown in the three-dimensional projection called Mahāmeru
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The Shri Yantra, Sri Yantra, or Shri Chakra is a form of mystical diagram ( yantra ) used in the Shri Vidya school of Hinduism. It consists of nine interlocking triangles of which 4 are for Shiva and 5 for Raj rajeshwari(parvati ) that surround a central point known as a bindu. These triangles represent the cosmos and the human body. Because of its nine triangles, Shri Yantra is also known as the Navayoni Chakra. [1] When the two-dimensional Shri Yantra is represented in three dimensions, it is called a Mahameru. Mount Meru derives its name from this shape. In addition to Mount Meru, all other yantras derive from the Shri Yantra.[ citation needed ]
In the 2009 issue of Brahmavidya (the journal of the Adyar Library), Subhash Kak argues that the description of Shri Yantra is identical to the yantra described in the Śrī Sūkta in veda. [2]
The Shri Yantra's 9 constituent triangles vary in size and shape and intersect to form 43 smaller triangles, organized in 5 concentric levels. Together they represent the totality of the cosmos and express Advaita or non-duality. In the middle, the power point (bindu) represents the cosmic center. The triangles are circumscribed by two concentric circles composed of 8 and 16 petals, representing the lotus of creation and reproductive vital force. The entire configuration is framed by the broken lines of an earth square, representing a temple with four doors open onto the regions of the universe. [3] [4]
The worship of the Shri Yantra is central to the Shri Vidya system of Hindu worship. It represents the Goddess in the form of Devi Tripura Sundari, the natural beauty of the three worlds: Bhu Loka (Physical Plane, Consciousness of the Physical Plane), Bhuvar Loka (Antariksha or Intermediate Space, Sub-Consciousness of the Prana) and Swar Loka (Svarga or Heaven or Super-Consciousness of the Divine Mind). The Shri Yantra is the symbol of Hinduism, which is based on the Hindu philosophy of the vedas. The Shri Yantra is the object of devotion in Shri Vidya. [5]
The Shri Yantra represents the evolution of the multiverse as a result of the natural Divine Will of the Godhead Aadi Paraa Shakti. The four upward-pointing isosceles triangles represent the Goddess's masculine embodiment Brahm, while the five downward-pointing triangles symbolize the female embodiment Jagat jannani. [5] The 12 and 15 sides of the four upward and five downward triangles also correspondingly symbolise, on the physical plane, the 12 sidereal zodiac signs of the Sun and 15 'nityas' phase-signs of the Moon. [6]
The Shri Yantra is also known as the nav chakra because it can be seen to consist of nine concentric layers that radiate outward from the bindu. ("Nau" or "nava" means "nine" in Sanskrit.) Each level corresponds to a mudra, a yogini and a specific form of the deity Tripura Sundari along with her mantra. The various deities residing in the nine levels of the Shri Yantra are described in the Devi Khadgamala Mantra. These levels, listed from outermost to innermost, are: [1]
Lakshmi, also known as Shri, is one of the principal goddesses in Hinduism. She is the goddess of wealth, fortune, power, beauty and prosperity, and associated with Maya ("Illusion"). Along with Parvati and Saraswati, she forms the Tridevi of Hindu goddesses.
Bhairavi is a Hindu goddess, described as one of the Mahāvidyas, the ten avatars of the Mother Goddess. She is the consort of Bhairava
Sahasrara or the crown chakra is considered the seventh primary chakra in some yoga traditions.
Lalita Sahasranama is a Hindu text from the Brahmanda Purana. The Lalita Sahasranama is the thousand names of the Hindu mother goddess Lalita. It is a sacred text for the Hindu worshippers of the Goddess Lalita Devi, who considered to be a manifestation of the Divine Mother (Shakti), and the text is therefore used in the worship of Durga, Lakshmi, Parvati, Kali, Bhagavati, etc. as well. A principal text of Shakti worshipers, it names the goddess's various attributes in the form of names organized in a hymn. This sahasranama is used in various modes for the worship of the Divine Mother like parayana (recitations), archana, and homa.
Tripura Sundari, also known as Rajarajeshwari, Shodashi, and Lalita, is a Hindu goddess and is an aspect of Mahadevi mainly venerated in Shaktism, the goddess-oriented sect of Hinduism. She is also a prominent Mahavidya. She is glorified in many Shakta texts, with Lalita Sahasranama being the most popular one.
The Kamalamba Navavarana Kritis by Shri Muthuswami Dikshitar (1776-1836) are some of the most famous pieces of music in the Carnatic system of Indian classical music. They are treasures which embody not only the technical brilliance of the composer but also offer a peep into the advaitic school of Hindu philosophy and elements of Tantric rituals.
The Kamakshi Temple is an ancient Hindu Temple dedicated to Kamakshi, the ultimate Goddess Lalita Maha Tripura sundari. It is located in the historic city of Kanchipuram, near Chennai, India. The Meenakshi Temple in Madurai, the Akilandeswari temple in Thiruvanaikaval near Tiruchirappalli and this Kamakshi temple are the important centers of worship of Goddess, in the state of Tamil Nadu. The Temple was most probably built by the Pallava kings, whose capital was Kanchipuram.
Yantra (यन्त्र) is a geometrical diagram, mainly from the Tantric traditions of the Indian religions. Yantras are used for the worship of deities in temples or at home; as an aid in meditation; used for the benefits given by their supposed occult powers based on Hindu astrology and tantric texts. They are also used for adornment of temple floors, due mainly to their aesthetic and symmetric qualities. Specific yantras are traditionally associated with specific deities and/or certain types of energies used for accomplishment of certain tasks, vows, that may be materialistic or spiritual in nature. It becomes a prime tool in certain sadhanas performed by the sadhaka the spiritual seeker. Yantras hold great importance in Hinduism, Jainism, and Buddhism.
Shri Vidya is a Hindu Tantric religious system devoted to the Goddess as Lalitā Tripurasundarī, Bhuvaneshvari, etc. A thousand names for this form of Devī are recited in the Lalitā Sahasranāma, which includes Śrī Vidyā concepts. The sect accepts and aims to provide both material prosperity and self-realisation. It has an extensive literature. Details of belief vary in different texts but the general principles are similar to those found in Kashmir Shaivism. Although Shri Vidya is completely against Adi Shankara's Advaita philosophy, in some parts of India, it is believed to be originated from him.
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Devī is the Sanskrit word for 'goddess'; the masculine form is deva. Devi and deva mean 'heavenly, divine, anything of excellence', and are also gender-specific terms for a deity in Hinduism.
Mahadevi, also referred to as Devi, Shakti, Adi Parashakti and Adi-Shakti, Abhaya Shakti is the primordial Goddess or Divine Mother - The Supreme Energy who possesses all riches, all strength, all fame, all beauty, all knowledge, all renunciation and is the Creatrix of the universe in Hinduism. Shaivas consider her as Durga, while Shaktas consider her as bhuvaneswari and Vaishnavas consider her as Laksmi. Author Helen T Boursier says, "In Hindu philosophy both Lakshmi and Parvati are identified with the great goddess — Mahadevi — and the Shakti or divine power". Parvati is Mahadevi herself, who is the eternal soulmate of Shiva and the progenitor of Goddesses such as Durga, Kali and others
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The Hamsa Upanishad is a Sanskrit text and a minor Upanishad of Hinduism. It is classified as one of the twenty Yoga Upanishads, and attached to the Shukla Yajurveda. The text or parts of the text is a relatively late origin, probably from the 2nd-millennium of the common era, but written before early 17th-century, because Dara Shikoh included it in the Persian translation of the Upanishads as Oupanekhat, spelling it as Hensnad (Hamsa-nada).
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Guru Karunamaya is an Indian spiritual guru, and religious reformer. He was born as Kompella Subba Rao and was given the Deekshanama 'Guru Karunamaya' by his spiritual teacher Sri Amrithananda Natha Saraswathi of Devipuram.
Parasurama Kalpasutra, is a Shakta Agama, Hindu text on Shri Vidya practices as per Kaula tradition and is said to be authored by Parasurama, the fifth avatar of Lord Vishnu and a disciple of Guru Dattatreya. It is a sacred text for the Shri Vidya worshippers of Goddess Lalita Devi, who is considered to be a manifestation of the Divine Mother (Shakti), and the text is therefore used in the worship of Ganesha, Bala Tripurasundari, Raja Shyamala, Varahi as well. This text has its origins in the Dattatreya Samhita and is compiled by Sumedha, a disciple of Guru Dattatreya.