Dear Miss

Thank you for this immense Knowlege of Yantra

Is seldom that we see all this in one place

Aum NamaSivaya Sivaya Nama Aum

DharmaDev
-----Original Message-----
From: Syzenith <syzenith@...> <syzenith@...>
To: rudrakshabeadsocietiesclub (AT) yahoogroups (DOT) com
<rudrakshabeadsocietiesclub (AT) yahoogroups (DOT) com>
Date: Saturday, December 28, 2002 11:47 AM
Subject: [Rudraksha Bead Societies Club] More on Yantras


Namaste Friends,

Also from the same source:
http://www.mysticindia.com/yantra/types.htm

Concept of Yantra
===================

The Sanskrit word 'Yantra' derives from the root 'yam' meaning
to sustain, hold or support the energy inherent in a particular
element, object or concept. In its first meaning, 'yantra' may refer
to any kind of mechanical contrivance which is harnessed to aid an
enterprise.

A yantra in this sense, therefore, is any sort of machine or
instrument such as is used in architecture, astronomy, alchemy,
chemistry, warfare or recreation. A Sanskrit text of the eleventh
century AD, Samaranganasutradhara on the science of architecture,
gives vivid descriptions of the making and operating of such
mechanical yantras as a wooden flying bird, wooden aeroplanes meant
to fly with hot mercury as fuel, male and female robot figures, etc.
The vast observatories built in Delhi and laipur under the patronage
of Jai Singh (1686-1734) are called Jantar-Mantar, as their massive
structures are astronomical 'instruments' (yantras) for recording
heavenly phenomena.

The meaning of the term yantra has been expanded to refer to
religious enterprises, and has acquired a special theological
significance. Mystic yantras are aids to and the chief instruments of
meditative discipline. Basically a yantra used in this context and
for this purpose is an abstract geometrical design intended as
a 'tool' for meditation and increased awareness.

---------------------------------

Principles of Yantra
=====================

Mystic yantras are an amalgam of three principles:
1. The form principle (Akriti-rupa),
2. The function-principle (Kriya-rupa), and
3. The power-principle (Sakti-rupa).

They are, first of all, believed to reveal the inner basis of
the forms and shapes abounding in the universe. just as, whatever the
outer structure, all matter is made of an intrinsic basic unity, the
atom, so each aspect of the world can be seen in its structural form
as a yantra. As the scientist sees the final picture of the world in
the orderly, simple, atomic structures in which certain primal shapes
appear as a harmonized 'whole', so the Indian shilpi-yogins (makers
of ritual art) seek to identify the innermost structure of the
universe by concentrating the variegated picture of world-appearances
through intense yogic vision into simple form-equations. A yantra,
then, can be considered an ultimate form-equation of a specific
energy manifesting in the world. These simple form-equations are held
to epitomize the real nature of the cosmos as abstracted from the
concrete.

In its widest application, Akriti-rupa refers to the inner or
hidden form of structures, so that any structure, from an atom to a
star, has its Akriti-rupa yantra. Thus a flower or a leaf has an
outer structure which is immediately perceptible, but it also has an
inner form, which generally consists of a skeletal framework in which
all its linear forms intersect with a central axis or nucleus: all
forms have a gross structure and a 'subtle' inner structure, with a
basic causal pattern (the inner form) for the external form.

Yantras function as revelatory symbols of cosmic truths and as
instructional charts of the spiritual aspect of human experience. All
the primal shapes of a yantra are psychological symbols corresponding
to inner states of human consciousness, through which control and
expansion of psychic forces are possible. It is for this reason that
a yantra is said to embody a 'function-principle' (Kriya-rupa).

By constant reinforcement in ritual worship the apparently inert
yantra-forms shake off their dormancy and act together as emblems of
psychic power. In this case, the yantra is said to move beyond 'form'
and 'function' and emerges as a 'power diagram' (Sakti-rupa) endowed
with a self-generating propensity to transform a mundane experience
into a psychic one. It is at this point that the yantra is said to
be 'revealed'. Although its outward meaning may be relatively easy to
understand, the inner meaning that gives it its efficacy is difficult
to grasp because its archetypal forms are basically concerned with
the inner facts of psychic experience, gained through intuitive
vision.

----------------------------------

Varities and Types of Yantra
==============================

Yantras that represent any form of the Divine Mother are called
Shakta Yantras.

Vaishnava Yantras

Vaishnava yantras are related to Vishnu and do not belong to the
Mother-worshiping Shakta tradition. They include Ram Yantra, Vishnu
Yantra, Shri Gopal Yantra, and Hunuman Yantra. In most cases their
forms are identical to some of the Shakta Yantras, but the colors
differ. This is also true of the Shaiva Yantras.

Shaiva Yantras

Shaiva Yantras are related to Shiva and the Shaiva tradition:
Bhairav Yantra, Maha Mrityunjaya Yantra, and Mritsanjivni Yantra

Architectural Yantras

Architectural yantras are used for the ground plans of temples.
They also include Mandala Yantras and Chatra Yantras. Mandala Yantras
are to be engraved on the roof and Chatra Yantra on the top of the
seat of the goddess.

Astrological Yantras

Astrological yantras are used in working with the energy of the
nine planets: Sun, Moon, Mars, Mercury, Jupiter, Venus, Saturn, Rahu
(the north node of the moon, known as Dragon's Head), and Ketu (the
south node of the moon, known as Dragon's Tall).

Numerical Yantras

Numerical yantras are composed not of basic geometrical forms
but of numbers. Some of them are composed as magic squares and are
used as talismans. The yantras composed by numbers are most popular
and are used by Tantrics for all kinds of purposes.

The yantras composed of geometrical forms are divided into two
categories:

Bij Mantra Yukta: Those yantras in which the bij sound is engraved or
written in the center.

Mantra Varna Yukta: Those yantras in which the Sanskrit letters are
put in an order to create the mantra. In this type of yantra the
alphabet can be arranged in bhupur (square form) or in the circular
petals form; in the center is the Bij Mantra.

Then there are numerical yantras classed according to their forms:

Bhu-Prashtha Yantras: Engraved or drawn on a flat surface.

Meru-PrashthaYantras: Three-dimensional form composed of metal or
stone or gemstones and shaped like a pyramid, having a broad base and
narrowing gradually toward the top like a mountain (meru).

Patal Yantra: Deeply engraved-exactly the reverse of the pyramid
yantra.

Meru-Prastar Yantra: Composed of pieces that are glued or welded to
each other instead of being one solid piece
---------------------------

From Url: http://www.mysticindia.com/yantra/types.htm


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