CONCEPT OF SRI CHAKRA

Sri Chakra is the mystical construction of the Cosmos. The secrets of

Cosmic unity held by the inter-penetration of nine triangles.

The Sri yantras are used for meditation in various schools of tantrism.

The earliest known specimen of Sri Chakra is in the religious institution

Sringeri Matha established by the famous Philosopher Sankara in eight
century A.D.

The sri yantra had also been mentioned in the Buddhist inscription of Sri
vijaya school is south Sumatra, which is dataed seventh century A.D.

The hymn from Atharva Veda3 (c. 12th century B.C) is dedicated to the Sri
yantra-like, figure composed of nine triangles.

Chakra pooja or Yantra pooja is the worship of a deity in a diagrammatic

form. This type of worship exists in other parts of the world also.

The worship of Devi in Shree chakra is regarded as the highest form of

Devi worship.

Sanskrit expression 'chakra' usually means a 'wheel'. The wheel of the

cart, the wheel of the potter, the wheel-like weapon that is flung against
the enemy are all called 'chakras'.

Chakra also signifies a kingdom and the King of the land is thus described
as 'chakra-vartin'.

Chakra also signifies arrangement of the army in charka vyuha, which is

very well described in “Maha Bharatham”.

Sanskrit poets are found to employ characteristically circular patterns of

letter of words (chakra bhandha) to convey the meaning more effectively.

Sri Chakra invariably means a 'power field', an arrangement of parts to

accomplish the desired results.

Chakra need not necessarily be circular. Chakra is also in the form of

expressions like 'rutu-chakra' (round of the seasons). 'nakshatra chakra'
(the collection of stars) and 'nadi chakra' ( arrangement of the arteries).

The three words, Chakra, Mandala and Yantra are in fact synonymous,
but distinctive from one another. In the sense, Chakra suggests a circular
form, while the 'mandala' may be of any shape (usually square). While
both chakra and mandala are usually in linear representation. Yantra a
three dimensional model.

Chakra is employed to activate energies, stimulate thoughts, harmonize

feelings and co-ordinate inner and outer forces.

The Chakra represents the principle which has no beginning, no ending

perfectly symmetrical and all points equidistant from the centre. It
indicates the realm of radiations from the one centre, at times an enclosure,
a periphery, a circumscribed field of action.

The triangle with apex turned up indicates that, aspiration are rising from
the depths to the heights. The tantra calls it Vahni Kona, the cone of fire.
This is the fire of aspiration which is ever burning in the heart of the
Sadhaka, which makes him to surrender before the divine.

The triangle with the apex downwards indicates Sakti, the grace of the
Divine Mother, the origin of all things.

In the Chakra are caught the lines of beauty, harmony and symmetry on
which the eternal geometrician fashions the universes. And so they are
drawn with straight lines, triangles, circles and squares as constituents. The
Lotus is also largely employed.

The lotus is a flower which raises its head along with the rising sun and
drops down with the setting of the sun. That is why the centres of
consciousness in the subtle body are picturesquely described as lotuses and
the lotus motif plays a significant part in the diagrammatic representation
as the Chakra.

To distinguish the figures in the diagrams, the words kona, angle or

corner, asra edge, ara spoke and dala petal are used.

The Chakra is conceived as the material manifestation of the Deity. The

main deity Pradhana, takes abode in the centre of the Chakra while its
emanations gather round the Pradhana as the Parivara devatas. The
worship is done to the parivaras and then to the Pradhana.
Sri chakra is the most celebrated and potnent Yantra in the Tantra Sastra.
It is famous as the eternal abode of Lalitha, the Mother of Grace.

It is said in the Lalita Sahasra Nama that seeking her audience there
came crores of Brahmas with their consorts, Saraswatis, crores of
Narayanas with their Lakshmis and crores of sivas with their spouses, the
Gowris.

There are triple functions of creation, maintenance and destruction.

Presiding over these functions are Brahma and Saraswati, Vishnu and
Lakshmi. siva and parvati. All these gods and goddesses derive their
power and authority from the supreme goddess Lalita, the most imperial
Majesty Para bhattarika. She is most beautifull in the triple states
Tripurasundari, the empress of all sovereignties Rajarajeswari.

Sri Chakra is the kind of Chakras, that contains and sustains all other
chakras in it. Sri Chakra is the source and sustenance of all the gods and
goddesses. The very glance of Sri Chakra will show how beautiful,
symmetrical and harmonious. the whole diagrammatical representation
Looks like. The Chakra of Chakras is the geometrical projection of
paramount power.

In no other Chakra one can finds such a magnificent mapping of the

cosmic magnetic fields. Delicate and sharp are the lines and angles, round
and smooth are the curves and petals. Perfect in form, symmetrical in
proportion, the best symbol that represents the majestic and most beautiful
Tripurasundari.

The worship of any deity can be conducted in Sri Chakra, as this is the
foundation, basis and continent of all the other chakras. Sri Chakra is the
most auspicious, that blesses the devotee with highest fortunes and luck.
This is the reason for installation of Sri Charkas by Sri ShanKaracharya,
during his digvijaya yatras.

The Chakra is drawn by the superimposition of five triangles with apex

upwards, over four triangles with apex downwards. It is a configuration of
nine triangles and it is also called Nava Cakra, as there are nine chakras
starting from Bhupura to Bindu in the body of the Sri Chakra.

Counting the primary triagnles, the eight triangles are in asta kona, the
twenty triangles are in the fourteen-edges figure. There are forty three
triangles in the Sri Chakra. The Soundarya Lahari describes the Sri
Chakra as composed of forty four triangles, taking the bindu also as a
point-triangle.

Viyat Cakra is the chakra of Viyat. Space, Akasa. Sri Chakra is

worshipped in the heart-space dahara akasa, as well as in the outer
space bahya akasa.

The name Matrika Cakra expresses the fact that Sri Chakra is not only
the abode of the Divine Mother but also of all her powers, personalities and
emanaitons. It is said that the supreme Goddess Lalita alone knows the full
effect of the worship of her Chakra.

Thus, Sri Chakra, Chakraraja, Navayonichakra, Viyat chakra, Matrika

Chakra, all denote the abiding place and form-pattern of Lalita
Mahatripurasundari.

The bindu becomes the triangle. The triangle transforms into the eight-
edged figure, then to a ten-cornered figure, again to another ten-cornered
figure and then to a fourteen-corned figure and so on. The result is the
emergence of Sri Chakra. Thus, the point in the primary triangle
transforms itself through a series of lines, triangles, circles and squares to
form the most powerful and most auspicious Sri Chakra.

The whole Sri Chakra has evolved out of Bindu and Trikona. The bindu is
para bindu, the supreme bindu, the Nada that has concentrated itself into
a point. This is the centre of Sri Chakra, the summit of the Chakra in the
form of Meru.

From the centre emanate the various lines, triangles and circles
culminating in to the shape of Sri Chakra. The Bindu is the navel
paramasya nabhih, the navel of the supreme person from which the whole
creation originates. From Para Bindu, in the stage of evolution appear
three Bindus, the misra Bindu containing the Shiva and Shakti, the
static Shiva Bindu and the dynamic Shakti bindu.

Latent but potent status containing the Shiva-Shakti in one, a static status
purely of shiva in another and a dynamic status purely of Shakti in other,
all these three are simultaneously found in manifestation. Thus the three
Bindus form the primary triangle, a product of three gunas, the triad
triputi, or the three fields Tripura.