Yantra (yantra) - happiness and protection in a maze of shapes

 Yantra (yantra) - happiness and protection in a maze of shapes

Yantra (the word is derived from Sanskrit) is a mystical diagram found mainly in the Tantric religion of India. Yantras, for there are many of them, are used to worship deities in temples or at home, as a talisman or to aid in meditation. In classical Sanskrit, Yantra means "instrument, ingenuity, apparatus." And it is precisely an instrument that helps us contact a higher dimension, a given quality of deity or planet that we need for the moment.
Inscribed in Yantras are mantras or syllables, essentially "thought forms" that exert their influence on energy through sound vibrations.
Yantras are usually associated with a particular deity and are used in meditations, as protection from harmful influences, to develop special abilities, to attract wealth and success, etc. They are often used in daily ritual practices, worn as a talisman or used as an aid in meditation.
Each Yantra represents the deity that is the subject of the particular meditation. These Yantras emanate from a central point, called a bindu. The Yantra usually has several geometric shapes radiating concentrically from the center, including triangles, circles, hexagons, octagons and symbolic lotus petals. The outside is often an off-camber square representing the four sides of the world, with a door to each.
Yantras can be flat or three-dimensional. They can be painted on paper, stamped in metal or in any flat surface. They appear smaller and less colorful than mandalas.
Yantras are used as good luck talismans. They ward off evil, assist in preventive medicine, and use their power in exorcisms. When a Yantra is used as a talisman, it is seen as a deity that can be invoked at the will of the wearer. According to tradition, they are consecrated and invigorated by a priest using mantras that are closely associated with a particular deity and Yantra. Practitioners believe that those meditation tools that are not energized with mantras are dead.

Elements and symbolism

Yantras are a combination of geometric shapes and images and inscribed mantras in Sanskrit. There are triangles, hexagrams, circles and lotuses from 4 to 1,000 petals on them. Shiva and Shakta Yantras often contain triangles. The patterns of modern Yantras did not differ from those given in ancient texts. The sound of the mantra is as important as the form of the Yantra , because its sound is a condensation of matter.

Color

The use of colors is entirely symbolic. Each is used to signify inner states of consciousness. White/red/black is one of the most significant color combinations. White stands for purity, red for activation, power, black represents the quality of inertia. The different colors also signify certain aspects of the particular goddess to which a particular Yantra is assigned. Aesthetics and artistry are meaningless in Yantras if they are not based on the symbolism of colors and geometric shapes.

Bindu

The focal point of traditional Yantras is the bindu or point, which is the centerpiece of the deity associated with the Yantra. The deity's retinue is often depicted in geometric parts around the center. The bindu in a Yantra can be a dot or a small circle, or it can remain invisible.It represents the point from which all creation emanates.

Triangle

Most Hindu Yantras are triangles. Downward triangles indicate the representation of the feminine aspect of God or Shakti. Upward triangles, on the other hand, represent the masculine aspect and the god Shiva.

Hexagrams

Hexagrams are two equilateral triangles, intertwined together, representing the union of the male and female aspects of divinity or Shiva and Shakti.