Shri Yantra

Skt., sriyantra

Most important of all Tantric yantra, the sri yantra is a complex diagram symbolizing the playful and creative sexual activity of the universe and the resulting continuous creation. The small dot in the middle is the cosmic seed, or bindu, the undifferentiated potential energy that gives rise to the nine so-called navachakras (Skt., nine discs), five female and four male triangles.

By weaving in and out of one another, these nine triangles intersect in a way as to create twenty-seven small, downward pointing (female) triangles - and twenty-six small, upward pointing (male) triangles, the interplay of which represents the root of all creation and unfoldment.

By its nature, the sri yantra has numerous associations with numbers, and various ideas float through literature as to the exact number of triangles that constitute this diagram. Some simply count the nine constituing ones, others only the small ones showing up in the final design, which are fifty-three. If we count all, the sum total of triangles is sixty-two.

The sri yantra is also known as sri chakra and tripura chakra. It is a symbol of the goddess' energy in general (more female triangles than male ones), but is especially associated with Taleju and her embodiment; Nepal's so-called Living Goddess.