A Yantra is an instrument, or a talisman or a mystical diagram usually in silver or copper. It is also drawn or illustrated sometimes on a special paper using various colors and symbols pertaining to the method of the Yantra to be made. It is a technique or path, considered the simplest and shortest, through' which one can attain one's desires, and fulfill one's wishes. It is said that the 'Devas' (Gods) or Deities (Goddess) reside in the Yantras and by performing 'Puja' or worship of Yantras, one can appease the Deities, remove the malefic effects of planets, and increase the flow of positive influences.

Just as each planet has a mantra, a special sound energy, each planet also possesses a yantra or special energy pattern. The Yantra is a special geometric design, which is the visible form, the energy body, of the mantra, and the planet to which it corresponds. Yantras sometimes supplement the power of mantras and are as strong as the mantras themselves. If a mantra is the invisible driving force, the yantra is the visible means to gain power and wealth, ward off evil and illnesses, nullify the ill effects of planets, bring you luck in love & life, enhance your capabilities - and bless you with almost any material comfort or spiritual benefit you desire.

Yantras are more powerful than even Gem Therapy in negating the malefic effect of planets. For example, if there is a strong malefic planet in the natal chart, we cannot use Gem Therapy to neutralize the influence of that malefic planet. In Gem Therapy we have to take recourse to indirect methods like strengthening its Lord in the chart or strengthening the Lord of the star sign in which that malefic planet is located provided that planet is not malefic itself. Yantras provide a much more direct method inexpensively and effectively.

Yantras are most powerful when they are personalized with individual mantras for each individual based on their birth charts and for the planets that need to be energized for a particular time frame. This is further energized and empowered by the person by a simple ritual performed before wearing them.

The elements of Yantra:

According to Vedic philosophy, the natural elements produce different effects in the Yantra when it is energized through worship and meditation.

The five elements in this universe are:

• Earth: This gives stability, patience, inspiration, mental quietness, physical comforts and success in worship.

• Water: This gives respect, love, satisfaction, knowledge and alertness (activity).

• Fire: This gives excitement, a hungry nature, obstacles, destructive tendencies and mental problems.

• Air: If it suits the nature of the aspirant, it helps to achieve desired goals; otherwise it makes the person impractical, vacillating, ignorant and nervous.

• Akash or Ether: This increases spiritual elements, love of knowledge, and spirituality. It opens the mind to receive knowledge and increase intuition.

The best element for Yantra and Mantra worship is Earth followed by Water and Ether. We do not recommend the Fire element at all for this. We recommend the best place for you to energize your Yantra, would be to sit on the ground in an open space, and if open space is not possible at least choose a place where you can have a clear vision of the sky.

The Geometry of the Yantra:

Generally a Yantra is composed of a square on the outside with four projections forming a T-shape structure, circles, a row of Lotus petals, and triangular forms inside the Lotus petals. Sometimes there are two triangles overlapping each other, making a six pointed star; sometimes many triangles are superimposed on each other in a pyramid form; and inside all these Geometrical forms is a point or a sound. What these geometrical shapes represent in Yantra worship is explained below in brief.

The Point (Bindu):

A point, called Bindu in Tantra, holds a very significant position in the Yantra and is the center of the geometrical structure. The point signifies unity, the origin, and the principle of manifestation and release of the supreme consciousness. The point has great metaphysical significance and is the point of the union between the aspirant and divine. It gives to invisible form a substance, and manifests the invisible. It gives ability to the aspirant to be able to connect to the divine.

The Circle:

A circle is the expansion of a point. The point is the most condensed form of energy, and a circle is its extension. With the radius of desire, this point draws a circumference around itself and it expands. This expansion is growth in dimension, which broadens the scope of a point, yet it also imprisons the point as an individual unit, making an individual consciousness out of cosmic consciousness. Thus, you can connect your individual desire to the cosmic consciousness by concentrating on the circle during the energizing worship.

The Triangle:

A triangle, which is composed of three lines, is needed to make a pattern or form.

A horizontal line representing inactivity and stability forms the base of the triangle. The two vertical lines meeting at a point on the box of the horizontal line represents the principle of movement - transition from static to dynamic. A triangle pointing upwards draws the attention up and away from the world; it represents the male energy or the Yang forces. A triangle pointing downwards takes the attention down and represents the female energy or the Yin forces. Equilateral triangles represent balance or harmony between the Yang and Yin forces, so that as our desires take shape or form, we do not loose our balance.

The Square:

A square is made of four lines, two of which are vertical lines representing movement and two are horizontal lines representing stability. Together it creates a balance. Thus the confined space inside the square represents our materialistic need in life, stability, solidity and contentment.

Lotus Petals:

A Lotus represents the 5 natural elements of the universe; Earth, Fire, Water, Air and Ether in its purest form. The lotus petals in a Yantra usually appear in a circle, which itself is inside a square. These lotus petals are known as the lunar mansion or Chandra (Moon) Mandal and the circle outside is known as the Solar Mansion or the Surya (Sun) Mandala.

The Surya Mandal is portrayed by 12 lotus petals. This represents the twelve signs of the zodiac the Sun moves through during the year.

The Lunar mansion is shown with sixteen petals because the Moon has 16 phases or 16 kalas during its cycle from new moon to full moon.

If the petals do not represent either solar or lunar mansions in the Yantra, then it refers to the manifested reality; which is eight fold. This eight fold manifested energy is the phenomenal world consists of fire elements of Universe. Earth, Fire, Water, Air and Ether together with mind, intellect and ego. A Lotus represents these elements in its pure form.

Concentric Circles:

Finally, the concentric circles around or inside a triangle represent the three Gunas. These are the three primal qualities of nature called "SATWA", "RAJAS" and "TAMAS".

"SATWA", is the highest quality and is the nature of light, lightness, clarity, harmony, balance and intelligence. It is the divine quality that brings about the upward movement of the soul. It creates peace, love, and faith and brings the person into the spiritual life.

"RAJAS" is the intermediate quality and is the nature of energy, action, turbulence, distraction, disturbance, violence and passion. It is the demonic quality and keeps the soul in the middle worlds. It creates aggression, competition and drives the person to seek worldly acquisition and achievement as the main goal in life.

"TAMAS" is the lower quality and is the nature of inertia and darkness. It is the animal quality that keeps the soul bound in the lower and unconscious realm.

Each of these three qualities is necessary in nature.

"TAMAS" give stability as in the roles of the Earth and the physical body.

'"RAJAS" give energy, drive and desire as in the atmosphere and the vital body.

"SATWA'" gives light as in the place of heaven and mind.

The insertion of concentric circle in the Yantra creates the right mix of "'SATWA", "RAJAS" and "TAMAS" in a person

YANTRA FAQ

Q:	What is a Yantra?
A:	Literally "Loom" or later, meaning "Instrument" or even "Machine". In actual practice a Yantra is a symbolic representation of aspects of divinity, usually the Mother Goddess. It is an interlocking matrix of geometric figures, typically circles, triangles and floral patterns that form fractal patterns of great elegance and beauty. Though drawn in two dimensions, a Yantra is supposed to represent a three dimensional object. Three-dimensional Yantras are now becoming increasingly common. The Yantra is primarily a meditation tool both for serious spiritual seekers as well as sculptors in the classical tradition. Before creating their artifact in wood, stone or metal, they draw up a Yantra that represents the attributes of the god they wish to sculpt. Intense meditation upon it causes the fully formed image to leap into the mind's eye with an intensity that is remarkable for its imprinting ability, for then they do not need to use a sketch till the completion of the image. Yantras are also used for more mundane purposes, to enhance the quality of life, to attract prosperity and abundance, even love, to heal and relieve health problems, to protect oneself from negative forces and so on. The Yantra is mistakenly thought to be a symbol purely of the manifold aspects of the Mother Goddess. This is an understandable error as most Yantras are indeed connected to the Goddess the most famous one being the Shri Yantra, an abstract representation of the Mother (and Father too!) as Cosmos. This Shri Yantra is commonly misunderstood to represent Laxmi, goddess of fortune, but it is more true to say it includes and transcends every notion of divinity ever conceived by the Indian spiritual imagination. However there are Yantras for Ganesha and Kubera too, male deities, though they share a common Yaksha origin with Laxmi. The Yaksha were the original chthonic deities of India and the Yantra system seems to have been incorporated into the Vedic worldview at a later stage. Within the body of the more complex Yantras are inscribed the monosyllabic mantras, the bija or seed mantras, that are supposed to constitute the spiritual body of the goddess or god. The design always focuses the attention onto the center of the Yantra, usually a dot or bindu, which is the Locus Mundi, the center of all things and represents the Unmanifested Potential of all creation. The other figures usually symbolize the various stages within the unfolding of creation. Thus, every Yantra is a symbolic representation of both the deity as well as the universe, as the mother goddess not only permeates the substance of the universe, she is, literally, the Universe itself. Abstract geometric representations of the universe, which do not represent a diety, are called mandalas, however. Thus every Yantra is a mandala, though not all mandalas are Yantras. In ancient texts, Lord Shiva is supposed to have explained the mystical meaning of the Yantra to his consort, the Goddess Parvati thus, "The Yantra is as essential to a god as oil is to the oil lamp or as a body is to a living human being". Yantras are constructed on the immutable laws of sacred geometry, being symbolic representations of the energy patterns of a deity and are the most powerful 'centering' devices for harnessing the divine energies. The Yantra is actually more powerful than an image of god which, to be energized, needs a Yantra to be affixed at its base or back anyway! A Yantra always has a mantra associated with it. Just as the mind is a part of yet different from the body, so is the mantra from the Yantra. The mantra is the mind consciousness while the Yantra is the form of the deity.
Q:	What are the types of yantras?
A:	There are four basic types of Yantras: Yantras of deities, of which the most prominent are the Shakta Yantras (these are usually forms of the Great Mother or the Mahavidyas- 'Sources of supreme knowledge'); Astrological Yantras (used to harness the energies of the nine major planets); Architectural Yantras (used for the ground plans of temples); and, the Numerical Yantras (comprising select combinations of numbers which serve as talismans). Yantras, besides fulfilling their basic purpose, can help you prosper in your business or career and also help bestow good health, wealth, happiness and success upon you. These Yantras, be it copper/panch-dhatu/crystal, can be placed in your temple, put above a door or kept at your work place where, if worshipped with sincere devotion, they will bring their own rewards.
Q:	What are the benefits of possessing a Yantra or Yantras?
A:	The primary or most important benefit of a Yantra is for spiritual purposes. Purely spiritual Yantras are handed out by gurus to the disciples they believe are at a level of awakened spirituality to deal with the power encased in a Yantra. Such Yantras can only be given by a guru even when they may look similar to an ordinary Yantra. However, Yantras have very great benefits for those who have not yet renounced the world too. Yantras absorb, like spiritual psychic sponges, negative or oppositional energies in the room or house they are placed in. This allows the energies of positive effort to bear fruit. Yantras focus the desires and aspirations and begin transforming the patterns of mind into habits of thought that will bring about the desired results. Since negative and evil desires can never be accomplished by using Yantras, the mental transformations a Yantra initiates always has a spiritual benefit. A Yantra is a colossal focusing mechanism, especially for healing energies rather like crystals, and is thus regularly used to bring about healing and maintaining a state of health and abundance. Health is very often a reflection of the state of your personal relationships and Yantras have a very positive impact on them. Yantras attract prosperity, abundance and most of all good luck. The all-important 'breaks' are more liable to come your way if you have the appropriate Yantras radiating their beneficent energies into your home, than just hoping for the best. Since the easiest understood manifestation of abundance is money, Yantras do indeed help in increasing the inflow of money, but that is only one aspect of abundance. Yantras, because they are active energy systems, are very powerful in deflecting negative energies directed towards you whether they are spells of malice, psychic attacks, or simple jealousy. Yantras help in maintaining an internal harmony, hence one of their unusual uses, the prevention of accidents and thefts. It is a psychological truism that such disasters always happen when one is in a disturbed and unaware state. Some Yantras have been known to subtly alter the energies around you by preventing the further entry of negative energy people into your life. It requires a high level of awareness to see this happening, however.
Q:	Can a Yantra force a 'desirable' event or occurrence to take place?
A:	No. A Yantra is above all a spiritual system of energy and it cannot be either subverted for selfish ends that is not in harmony with the larger universe or tricked into conferring underserved benefits. All Yantras are to be understood as enhancing potential that exists. They cannot force something to happen that is against natural karma. Yantras aid and assist in bringing about a desirable outcome, but they cannot force something to take place. You cannot force somebody to love you, you cannot force good luck and prosperity, but Yantras will speed up the process if it exists as a potential, they help in reducing the time before something good manifests, they help in removing obstacles that may exist. Yantras cannot force something to happen because it is desired; they enable it to be manifest if it is karmically deserved. Yantras must always be handled with the utmost respect and consideration as careless and cavalier treatment will quickly reduce their power.
Q:	How soon can one expect to feel the benefits of wearing or installing the Yantras?
A:	One can expect benefits of Yantras after 45 days. This is a conservative estimate. Some Yantras begin to give results immediately if the karmic potential is ripe. Some Yantras work better over the long term, steadily increasing the levels of abundance they confer. Yantras for prosperity usually fall into this category so some patience is required. The Kuber Yantra, for instance, gives immediate results but its greatest bounties come after three years in many cases. Yantras for health and preventing accidents and mishaps and the like are known to be working if nothing is going wrong! However, despite one's best intentions, the desired results may not always be achieved. This is usually for reasons of karma that have to be worked out and experienced before the organism can achieve its desire.
Q:	Is it necessary to be a Hindu or believe in Hindu deities for Yantras to work?
A:	Not at all. Yantras are symbolic manifestations of universal and divine energy systems, which India happened to be the first to discover and, perhaps inevitably, interpreted through the prism of local cultural sensibilities. The Lines of Force that constitute the body of the Yantra are universal in their power, relevance and application. The healing energy may be called Hermes or Dhanwantari or Reiki but it is the same energy all over the world. The pure and protective feminine power may be called Athena or Durga or the Kwan Kin, but it is again the same power. The Yantra works as a synergistic and transcendental system; the Hindu nomenclature that is used to describe its parts is incidental.
Q:	Why do the energized Yantras from indiayogi sometimes appear 'smudged'?
A:	The Yantras may have what appear to be 'smears' or 'smudges' on them. These are deliberately placed on the appropriate spot as part of the Yantra energizing ritual. They usually consist of vermillion or sandalwood paste and are applied by the priest as the culmination of the energizing process. Washing them off or wiping them away is thus not beneficial.
Q:	Are any rituals/procedures necessary prior to worshipping Yantras?
A:	Yes, usually there are fairly elaborate rituals/procedures to be performed before worshipping these Yantras. However, Yantras obtained from indiayogi are energized in an elaborate ceremony (the details of which are provided) and do not require any preparation to begin worship or manifest their abundance in your home.
Q:	What is the life span of these Yantras?
A:	These Yantras last a lifetime. There is no time limit. However if a Yantra was obtained for a specific accomplishment and has served its purpose, then it may withdraw its energy.
Q:	Is it necessary to possess and chant the mantra associated with each Yantra?
A:	Not at all, though we have received many requests from purchasers of Yantras for the mantras that go along with each Yantra. We do not, as a general policy, give out these mantras for three reasons. The first reason is that mantras work only when pronounced absolutely correctly with no margin for error. Also, the mantras chanted over Yantras are not always the mantras that we should chant for our personal growth and prosperity - which is our second reason. Mantras for personal transformation are dealt with superbly in our Mantras for Healing and Prosperity section. The last reason is that each Yantra we sell has already been correctly energized by the chanting of the appropriate mantra for it a full total of 108 times, accompanied by an offering into the sacred yagna fire for each one of those 108 repetitions. This is done by a priest who is an expert in Yantra worship. Any further chanting of mantras over the Yantra is at best superfluous. The best way to keep your purchased Yantra's energy at peak level is not to chant the Yantra's mantra but your personal spiritual mantra. That is how these things work.
Q:	Are there any prohibitions when wearing the Yantra Pendants - say when socialising/having sexual relationship or visiting a place of death, must they be taken off and re-worn after a bath etc?
A:	We do not suggest strict prohibitions when wearing Yantras Pendants but leave it to the comfort levels of the wearer as the literature on the subject is not authoritative and indeed sometimes seems mutually contradictory. What is of utmost significance is the intention, faith and devotion of the wearer. In general, however, it is always better to remove all sacred objects when having sex. The psychic energies generated during the act frequently interfere with the spiritual energies of the Yantra. It is also a good idea, though not mandatory, to remove them in places of death as there are intense negative and sorrow energies accumulated there. These tend to 'stick' to the Yantra and darken or dull the energies. Normal social interaction does not need Yantras to be taken off. It is preferable to avoid getting the Pendants wet, as this will help increase the life of the plating.
Q:	How does one use the Yantras as talismans?
A:	Yantras for use as talismans are made of thin silver or copper sheet, which can be rolled or folded and placed in a small square or cylindrical container called a 'Taveez'. A thread/chain can be put around this 'Taveez' and can be worn by an individual around the neck, waist, or on the arm.
Q:	Where in a room should one place the Yantra?
A:	The Yantra has to be placed in the North/North-west direction in a room. Except for the Vaastu Yantra, which is supposed to be placed in the South-west corner of the house.