IS THERE ANY MYSTERY BEHIND SHRI YANTRA ?SRI VIDHYA SADHANA-04

MYSTERY BEHIND SHRI YANTRA;-

Here is no "mystery" - we just don't understand it and to truly understand requires a very open mind and "shraddha" (faith ). How much "power" you ascribe to a symbol depends upon how much you value you have for what the symbol stands for.

20 FACTS;-- 1-Sri yantra is a symbol. It also symbolizes a journey from our mundane world to attaining the Goddess who resides in the middle of that symbol, going through many steps in a methodical fashion. 2-Several chapters of Lalitha Sahasranamam, Trishathi, etc are dedicated to descriptions of the Sri yantra and regulations about its worship. Here is a high-level overview, that can be learnt mostly from the amazing discourse on Soundarya Lahari by Kanchi Paramacharya. 3-We have to understand Devi upasana through 2 perspectives - a symbolic and mental . During early stages of worship, we use "external" symbols and methods but over time, can evolve to more of a "mental" approach. An analogy is that of a child learning to add using his fingers, but later not needing his fingers to add and able to do it mentally. 4-Sri yantra, at one level, represents the physical abode of Devi (variably called Lalitha, Tripurasundari, Parashakti, Durga, Kameshwari) Lalitha's abode as a city above the Mount Meru - Sripuram , is a kingdom by itself surrounded by concentric walls in the center of which Lalitha rules.

4-1-Each wall/circle represents some special thing in creation - what is notable is that the walls progress from the grossest to the subtlest. So, the outermost circles are made of gross metals like iron, copper, lead. The walls then start getting subtler.. plants, trees, then to subtler things like words, music, then to emotions like bravery and love and finally culminate in her house -

4-2-"Chintamani grham" which indicates the highest thought which is of God or Self. (chinta meaning "thought") Inside the "chintamani grham", you see Lalitha Tripurasundari seated in a throne held by other gods (including Sadashiva, Brahma, Vishnu and Rudra), indicating that she is the shakti behind creation and even the creator/protector/dissolver can do nothing without her. 5-Devotees of Lalitha use a Sri yantra or Sri chakra as a representation of that Sripuram. You can see flat 2D versions or 3D versions also called Meru being used. (pictures at end) As a method of worship, they proceed through each wall through specific prayers until they reach the Chintamani grham and attain the feet of Lalitha. The methods are very specific and thought to bring many siddhis (powers). They are also tied to Kundalini yoga.

5-1-This is the part that creates the "mystic"/"esoteric" viewpoint - it is believed to give ill effects if not followed properly under the guidance of a proper teacher, just as a wrongly-done hatha yoga pose can cause physical problems. Common people are discouraged from Srividya upasana because most don't have the mental strength and commitment to carry them through. 6-Now, let's delve into the "mental" perspective. The journey up the Meru, into Sripuram, crossing each wall and finally merging into Her is also a spiritual journey. One slowly loses grip on the world and takes steps towards Her. One discards attachment one-by-one to material possessions, then one's skills, reputation, then one's family and finally even one's ego and thought to finally to hold that one thought of Her. 7- The 2-D representation of the Sri yantra - intentionally picked one with the Hindu swastika to claim it back as a symbol of goodness. It is one of the most complex geometries on earth and the most ancient also , perfectly aligned in the golden ratio.It is nearly impossible to construct an 100% accurate Sriyantra by scale and pencil. 8-A natural sriyantra , in August 1990 appeared overnight, precisely , in the dry bed lake of Oregon, USA. It is 13.3 miles long, 10 inches wide, 3 inches deep in soft mud as measured. 9-The amazing geometry , has more importance in context of a " Vortex from the singularity" type rather than just being a symbol for goddess Dhan Lakshmi. 10-Shree-yantra has many forms but the most common one is the conch that is blowed and it has a golden-mean precision. When anyone is at extreme peace by meditation or is at a level of no thinking, if hears the blowing of a conch shell, will feel a strange kind of high and it will be an indication to that person to perceive higher dimensions. 11-“THERE IS NO GOD BUT GOD and GOD IS SHREE-YANTRA”. considered one of the most powerful instruments of meditation and worship. It represents the Divine Mother. The Tripura Rahasya talks about Sri Yantra's significance: "I am abstract intelligence, wherefrom the cosmos originates, whereon it flourishes, and wherein it dissolves, like images in a mirror." 12-Sri Yantra or Sri Chakra is a complex, holographic matrix, symbolising the womb of the microcosm of the living and the macrocosm of the universe. Interpenetrating nine triangles, hexagons, petals and lines constitute its unique geometry, encompassing causal, vital and physical forces, and spiritual as well as scientific dimensions. 13-Sri means wealth and Yantra means instrument; Sri Chakra meditation is expected to resolve worldly problems, ward off obstacles, and help attain material and spiritual advancement. In the eighth century, Adi Sankara installed the Sri Yantra in the Sringeri Sharada temple in Karnataka, followed by many other temples. 14-It evolved over the years as the Wheel of Life, indicating ceaseless cycles of creation, preservation and dissolution of the living and the universe, represented by Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva. It is the abode of Shakti and Shiva and is the symbol of their union, depicting dynamic and static energy fields. 15-Sri Yantra is engineered into three types: the simple plain one, the one raised on a tortoise back, and the third is the three-dimensional one constructed on the Sumeru Mountain. Also known as Mount Meru, the sacred mountain finds mention in Hindu, Buddhist and Jain mythologies. Iranians believe that the Aryans came from Mount Hara, which is another name of Shiva. Some scholars associate mythical Mount Meru with Kailasha, near Lake Manasarovar in Tibet. 16-Sri Vidya is the embodiment of the beauty of the three worlds. Her matrix is designed with nine interpenetrating triangles — four upward facing Shiva triangles, representing the male principle and five downward facing Shakti triangles, the female principle. They form 44 triangles including the central point or bindu, where Tripurasundari resides. 17-The central point denotes the flower of life. It is the result of the union of a red flower, Shakti, with a white flower, Shiva. Shiva symbolises cosmic consciousness and Shakti, cosmic energy, accompanied by Iccha Shakti or will power, Gyan Shakti, or power of knowledge and Kriya Shakti or power of action . 18-The Quantum Theory explains how after the Big Bang, quantum multiplied from one to two, and two to four in geometric proportion. Similarly, Sri Yantra indicates how cells too multiply in the same way in the womb. Sri Vidya portrays the source of life analogous to the zero point energy fields in quantum mechanics, indicative of space, time, gravity, strong and weak electromagnetic forces, with cosmic energy flow. Its structure contains the solar system, galaxy, Milky Way, atoms, molecules, inorganic and organic matter, and the five elements of water, air, fire, ether and earth. It is not only a geometric abstraction of the cosmos, but also represents skin, blood, flesh, fat, bone (Shakti) and semen, bone marrow, breath, and soul (Shiva). 19-The matrix is also a graphic presentation of the three phases of cosmic process — creation, preservation and dissolution; the triad of time past, present and future; three gunas or attributes — satva, rajas, tamas; the three stages of sleep, wakefulness, and dream. Meditation with mantra, tantra and yantra is considered as a dominant methodology for invoking of the Divine Mother Goddess.

20-Maha Sri Tripurasundari. She is the ruling deity of Sri Yantra; the epitome of Shakti, Lakshmi and Saraswati, the goddesses of power, wealth, and knowledge. Their consorts are responsible for the cycles of life of the living and the cosmos unite in the masculine principle depicted by Shiva.

...SHIVOHAM.....