Further reading: Madhu Khanna, Yantra, the Tantric
Symbol of Cosmic Unity (Rochester, Vt.: Inner Tradi-
tions, 2003); P. H. Pott, Yoga and Yantra: Their Inter-
relation and Their Significance for Indian Archaeology.
Translated from the Dutch by Rodney Needham (The
Hague: M. Nijhoff, 1966); S. K. Ramachandra Rao,
Sri-Chakra: Its Yantra, Mantra, and Tantra (Bangalore:
Kalpatharu Research Academy, 1982).
Yantra, Sri
The Sri YANTRA, or Sri Chakra, is an important
cult object for the SRI VIDYA tradition of TANTRISM.
It is understood as being the subtle form of the
goddess Sri Lalita.
The yantra’s geometric design combines five
downward-pointing triangles representing the
Goddess, or SHAKTI, with four upward-pointing
triangles representing SHIVA. In the “nine circuits,”
all the parts of the design are worshipped in turn:
the junctures of the triangles, the central BINDU,
certain outlying features such as circles of lotus
petals, and the outer border that looks like a set of
four entrances to a temple. The process can either
begin with the bindu and work out to the edge, or
follow the opposite path.
A new Sri Chakra is always carefully drawn
whenever a PUJA to Sri Yantra is performed. The
pujas that are done in this tradition are always per-
formed privately, except for pujas done to the few
large Sri Yantras found in select temples. An exam-
ple is the KANCHIPURAM temple to Kamakshi, who is
sometimes identified with Sri Lalita. In this temple
there is a very large Sri Yantra that is worshipped
by a designated priest in a secret way. This ritual is
never witnessed by anyone, except the priest.Further reading: Madhu Khanna, Yantra, the Tantric
Symbol of Cosmic Unity (Rochester, Vt.: Inner Tradi-
tions, 2003); S. K. Ramachandra Rao, Sri-Chakra: Its
Yantra, Mantra, and Tantra (Bangalore: Kalpatharu
Research Academy, 1982); S. Shankaranarayanan, Sri
Chakra (Pondicherry: Dipti, 1970).Yashoda
Yashoda is the cowherd woman, wife of Nanda,
who became the foster mother of KRISHNA. The
evil king Kamsa had determined to kill the first
male child of Krishna’s mother, DEVAKI, wife of
his minister VASUDEVA, to avoid a prophecy that
he would die at the hand of a son of Devaki. By
divine intervention, when Krishna was born, all of
the king’s guards who kept watch over the couple
fell asleep and he was delivered to Yashoda, who
raised him. Yashoda has a special place in Krishna
worship; poems and songs to her and of her can
be found in every part of India.Further reading: Cornelia Dimmitt and J. A. B. van
Buitenen, Classical Hindu Mythology: A Reader in the
Sanskrit Puranas (Philadelphia: Temple University
Press, 1978); John Dowson, A Classical Dictionary
of Hindu Mythology and Religion, Geography, History,
and Literature, 12th ed. (Ludhiana: Lyall Book Depot,
1974); John S. Hawley, At Play with Krishna: Pilgrim-K 510 Yantra, Sri
Sri Yantra, symbol of the Goddess and ritual design for
meditation