Yantras
- “In sudden scintillations of the Unknown,
- Inexpressive sounds became veridical,
- Ideas that seemed unmeaning flashed out truth;
- Voices that came from unseen waiting worlds
- Uttered the syllables of the Unmanifest
- To clothe the body of the mystic Word,
- And wizard diagrams of the occult Law
- Sealed some precise unreadable harmony,
- Or used hue and figure to reconstitute
- The herald blazon of Time’s secret things.”[1]
(Amrit:) “In 1974, just after the Mother's passing, Navajata of the Sri Aurobindo Society requested Panditji to install a special ‘yantra’ or geometric pedestal of power for the well-being and prosperity of Auroville. Accordingly, on his last trip to the Pondicherry Ashram in July 1974, Panditji visited Auroville, and on arriving at the Matrimandir construction site, pronounced that it was exactly at the Matrimandir that the yantra should be placed. However, heeding the objections of some officials of the SAS, Navajata declined Panditji's suggestion, requesting personal possession of the yantra – an offer refused by Panditji who was fully aware of possibilities of misuse.
It was then that my first physical contact with Panditji occurred. In attending his Puja, I could feel him distancing himself with even some sense of disgust, and indeed, from this point, he ceased his visits to Pondicherry, returning to Rameshwaram with the yantra. After the trip to Auroville, Panditji referenced the ‘polluted’ nature of its atmosphere. He had also predicted to one of his Auroville devotees that one day the residents would revolt and throw out the SAS.
After 1977, during my later association with him, I inquired about the yantra and its use. Panditji explained its significance as ‘Harmony that brings Prosperity’, to avert the calamities of the impending conflict which he saw coming – its refusal having its consequences.”[2]
(Amrit:) “In June 1977, John Walker, Diane's caretaker, handed me a small metal replica of the Sri Chakra, meaning the Circle or Wheel of Force. Also called Sri Yantra or ‘The Instrument’, this specific Sri Chakra was in its three-dimensional Ardha-Meru or partially raised form, consisting of squares with portals enclosing circles and intersecting triangles – a geometrical configuration typically representative of this highly important aspect of Tantric philosophy and practice.
John's interest in the Sri Chakra was derived from his and Diane's erstwhile association with the Tantric guru Shri Nilakantha Mahadeva Joshi (Panditji). … Guido, Diane's former partner and father of Aurolouis, was in fact a devoted disciple of Panditji, leaving Auroville to pursue his yogic tantric discipline.
Contemplating this Sri Chakra, I experienced wondrous waves of ananda or ecstasy emanating from it. To satisfy curiosity aroused and to investigate its signal significance became my one-pointed quest. Whatever books came to hand were devoured to comprehend the source of this bliss. Particularly helpful was the book Sri Chakra by Sri S. Shakaranarayanan. Considered the Queen of all the Tantric chakras, the Sri Chakra is the symbolic representation and pedestal of the Adi Shakti or Supreme Mother, termed ‘Aditi’ in the ancient Vedas. ...
Its presiding deity Rajarajeshwari or Queen of Queens, She is also known as Lalita Tripurasundari or ‘Beauty Playing in the Triangle’...”[3]
See also