Sri Yantra

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 the Rigveda. The Sri Yantra's nine constituent triangles vary in size and shape and intersect to form 43 smaller triangles, organized in five 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. Gallery ==Symbolism==

In the Shri Vidya school of Hindu tantra, the Sri Yantra ("sacred instrument"), also Sri Chakra is a diagram formed by nine interlocking triangles that surround and radiate out from the central (bindu) point. The Sri Yantra is the object of devotion in Sri Vidya. The worship of the Sri Yantra is central to the Shri Vidya system of Hindu worship. The four upward-pointing isosceles triangles represent the Goddess's masculine embodiment Shiva, while the five downward-pointing triangles symbolize the female embodiment Shakti. This is surrounded by a lotus of eight petals, a lotus of sixteen petals, and an earth square resembling a temple with four doors. ==Shri Vidya==

The Sri Yantra is at the heart of Shri Vidya practice, representing the geometric manifestation of the formless Tripurasundari. Both the Lalita Sahasranama and Tripura Rahasya emphasize that while Tripurasundari is formless in her divine essence, she is worshipped through the Sri Yantra, which symbolizes her cosmic energy, and the Panchadashakshari Mantra (the 15-syllabled mantra), which invokes her presence. Together, the Yantra and Mantra serve as the central tools for connecting with and realizing the supreme goddess in Shri Vidya. ==See also==