Dr. Vikash Chandra (Assistant Professor)
I.K.S.V Khairagarh
Mrs. Juhi Latwal Mehra
Research Scholar,
Indira Kala Sangeet Vishwavidyalaya Khairagarh
Yantras are geometric, archetypal forms such asthe circle, the triangle, the rectangle etc. They are seen as tantric Hindu objects which are mostly related to rituals and religion. They are mostly referred to as tantric symbols because they originated from tantric texts and teachings. We can find different kinds of yantras which are related to particular deities with their seed syllabi. Each archaic form used in Yantra has both philosophical and psychological depth. Five elements play an important role in existence of Yantra. People hardly comprehend the vastness of Yantra which hasled to a misunderstanding and further lemmatize its features. The geometric shapes play an important role in Yantra as they are responsible for the whole formation, for example- the bindu or point denotes the center (that can be of an object, living being, cosmos etc.), the triangle represent evolution of the Universe which in psychological language is called Consciousness and on the spiritual levelasSupreme Consciousness (Shiva Shakti).A line in Yantra denotes movement of energy; a triangle represents concerted pattern of three-fold energy lines .
Conventionallyany geometric form- circles, triangles,etc. can be either a Yantra or Yantric symbols. Such symbols have been coded since pre- historic time in different countries and religions. The red or black handprints which have been found all over the world are part of Yantra. Which are explanations of rituals, sacred rites and intentional ceremony .Symbols such as theswastika,triangle, and sacred circleare found painted in many cave sites across the world and are taken as the elements of Yantra.Chalothic painting from “Lakhajoar” depicts “a soul transportation scene” might have been a part of Yantric practice. Such sites are common all over the world. We get 595 such motifs from pre-historic caves of Kerala, that are divided into 15 groups such as- triangles, crosses, trishul, V-shapes etc. .In ancient India, Yantras were also used in “Vastu Shastra” – here it was also symbolized as the Human body (Vastu purusha).Vastu – Purusa Mandala is the guiding motif of architectural design, the human body itself is the vehicle of expression in sculpture .Universe macrocosm are integrally related there are fundamental affinities between the Cosmic scheme, the subtle (or psychic) body and the Yantra .
Many ancientcities in India were based on the concept of Yantra, such as Mumbai, Almora, Assam and many more. The idea was to build a place with a spiritual field therefore the outline of many cities is seen as triangular or rectangular. To bind these cities with spiritual aura temples were built in every corner and to guard the entire area Bhairava temples were constructed outside the cities. This formation is similar to the Mandala formation which was derived from Yantra. Even yantra were placed beneath the ground of temple and most houses for the project. One of the best examples of this is,a temple where in 12th century the Yogini Yantra was installed in “Caurasi” in Orissa .This proves that Yantra has always been an inseparable part of our collective consciousness. Another interesting fact of Yantra which evolves from tantra is yoga. We all aware of yoga its basic and advance level too but hardly anyone knowns that art of snake charming which is performed on street by snake charmer is a kind of tantric yoga (all yoga evolves from tantra) where charmer body plays a role of Yantra. It is part of lost practice from “Visvasara Tantra”and this fact is mentioned in book Yoga and Yantra byDr. Pott.
“Yad ihasti tad anyatra, yan nehasti na tat kvacit”
Yantra holds a central place in Hinduism and is considered as a Universal map. Presently many areaware of Chakras and Yoga, but lesser known is their connection with Yantra. If we go through the ancient literature, we will see that the human body itself was seen to be a Yantra. They (chakra,yoga, ritual etc.) are only modes which justify our goal. Even mechanical objects such as thevimana, compass (Matsya Yantra) etc. are called Yantra. The Durga Saptashati religious text itself is also seen as a Yantra. Thus, we can say that the archaic forms, machines, books, human body, buildings, along with ritual objects (which contain archaic forms), and paintings are all Yantra. A Sanskrit text of 11 century AD”Samrangansutradhara” on science of architecture give vivid description on making and operating such Yantra .For an effective understanding of Yantra it can be divided into two main parts -Bhoga and Moksha. Bhoga Yantras, as the name suggests, are used for materialistic pleasure alone such as -occult objects, house decoration art (Mandana, Aipan, Warli etc.), machines (Pushpak Vimana). Yantra features and elements can be traced in Pahari painting as the subject of interest which influenced artists of each era. Even contemporary artists like G.R. Santosh, Virendra De were lost in its charm. Moksha Yantra focuses on inner pleasure and is achieved by meditating on the body Chakra which helps us in activating our energy point which is evolution of Yantra in our body and when we reach the last stage ofmeditation and finally get connected with Supreme Consciousness (Shiva Shakti) that is involution of Yantra. This process however remained the subject of painting in both Indian and Buddhist painting.
There are many good literary sources which give us essential details about Yantra. Madhu Khanna’s book, Yantra – The Tantric Symbol of Cosmic Unity contains details about Yantras which are practices in Vedic as well as in the Occult – it contains some details regarding Vastu antra. Overall, this book breaks the some of the old literary barriers on Yantra, but still revolves around primarily around the spiritual aspects of Yantra. This book is used as a structure for this topic. Dr. P.H Pott’sbook Yoga and Yantra deals primarily with Chakra as a Yantra. This interesting book explains different features of Yoga and lost techniques of Yoga from Tantrabut is still centered around a spiritual perspective. Both of these books are research theses which were later republished as books.Along with these books I have gone through many others books and journals which detail the spiritual and religious aspects of Yantra. The present paper incorporates spiritual philosophy along with the psychological background, while particularly highlighting the artistic features of Yantra since the ancient period up to modern times – a topic much in need of further research.
Result
The seals discovered in the excavation of Indus Valley civilization contain the motifs such as: Swastik, trishul, square, circle etc. which are identified with symbols used in Yantra. Not only this, but the measurements and depiction of symbols represented in Yantra can be physically traced and are even geographically proven. Yantras are geometrical measurements – each symbol is mathematically calculated. So, when it is said that Yantras are a Universal map it aligns with the concept that our cosmos is a mathematic structure. ManyHindusreligious textshave coded calculations about planets and their distance which at one time were regarded with skepticism. Presently, many studies are conducted on the subject and scientists like Max Tegmark have claimed the same in his book, “Our Mathematical Universe”.
On the other hand, we find that Yantra is not only coined for Hindu religious objects but also mechanical devices, maps, architecturalplans or outlines (for building cities), acupuncture points in our body, cosmos, paintings, and folk art. Thus, this proves that Yantra is an inseparable part of our existence as claimed in many traditional texts. In this paper we will aim to provide the reader witha broader perspective of Yantra especially in terms of art.
Conclusion
Yantra has played an important role in paintings, in forms of symbols, as well as subjects. Heinrich Robert Zimmer in his famous book “Myth and Symbols in Indian Art”has shown us the inner world of symbols and myth in art, where most symbols are identified as occult. But the evolution and relation of these symbols has not been explained apart from the religious background. We all come across geometric shapes (Yantra) in our daily life and are aware of the mathematical background but rarely can identify them as art forms and decode the hidden meaning within them.
References: –
1- Wallis. Christopher, Tantra Illuminated- The Philosophy History and Practice of A Timeless Tradition, Published by Mattamayura Press, first edition 2012, ISBN-978-0-9897613-1-4.
2- Hand Stencil, Pre-Historic Rock Art: Oldest painted handprints (www.visual.arts.cork.com).
3- Neumayer Erwin-Prehistoric Indian Rock Paintings, Oxford University Press ,1983.
4- Mathpal Yashodhara, Pre-Historic Rock Painting of Bhimbetka (an old and rare book), Abhinav Publication ,1984.
5- Vatsyayan Kapila, The Square and The Circle of the Indian Arts, published by Roli books International ,1983.
6- Khanna Madhu, Yantra-The Tantric Symbol of Cosmic Unity, Thames and Hudson ltd London 1st edition 1981, ISBN-0-500-27234-4.
7- Ibid -4.
8- Pott. P.H. Dr., Yoga and Yantra- Their interrelation and their significance for Indian Archaeology, first edition 1966, published under a grant from the Netherland Ministry of Education and Science ISBN 978-94-017-5626-6.
9- Ibid -3.
