Yantra
Greetings Everyone,
I would like to share an expansive thought on an excerpt from The Occult World of a Tantrik Guru relating to Yantra and the Kleshas.
“Clinging or attachment to life is the fifth evil of the five-fold pentagon of the pain-bearing obstructions. The complete pentacle is as follows:
The five pain-bearing obstructions,
The root cause of sorrow and strife –
Ego, ignorance, attachment,
Aversion and clinging to life.
In Kauladharma they are drawn as a yantra composed of a five-pointed star, sometimes contained within a circle and the circle contained in a square. The five-pointed star of the pentacle can also be used alone, placed on the shrine for worship or used for meditation… Most Tantrik sadhana, while it appears to aim at praise, worship and oneness with the Devi, is also a medium which helps disciples to overcome these five gyves.” ~Shri Gurudev Mahendranath
I enjoy making yantras and shortly after I read “The Occult World of a Tantrik Guru” I created, with cotton embroidered on wool, the Kleshas yantra. Although Mahendranath doesn’t go into more detail about Yantra in this text, I feel it is worth mentioning that before a yantra is empowered the design is simply just that, a pretty object to admire. Constructing a yantra is the beginning of the path to Yantra.
Yantra is a Sanskrit word meaning a machine, to sustain energy, a geometrical design intended to represent a deity or serve as a vehicle for the deity’s energy or Shakti. An empowered Yantra is impregnated with the Shakti needed for it to become alive. Only an individual accomplished in projecting and fixing a special form of energy, called Shakti is capable of properly empowering a Yantra. This takes place when the Sadhaka is absorbed and in resonance with the Divine Shakti in Yoga. The amalgamation of the Shaktis of Will, Knowledge and Action are unified into a single Shakti and projected and fixed into the Yantra. This is a skill that is developed and refined through Shakti Yoga practice and guidance from the Guru.
Once the Yantra is empowered, interacting with it in worship can take on new utility and life. Focusing on the already established spiritual energies of an empowered Yantra can facilitate in helping us go beyond the Kleshas. As Shri Mahendranath often notes, understanding the Kleshas is necessary before real Nath practice can begin. Creating and using a Yantra that has been empowered to assist in overcoming the Kleshas can be beneficial in Nath practice.
May Peace, Freedom and Happiness be yours,