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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 Sri Yantra, an abstract representation of the Mother (and Father too!) as Cosmos. This Sri 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.

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.

indiayogi now offers you energized Yantras from its Yogi Shop. 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.

A Yantra has to be brought 'alive' through the specific ritual prescribed for it so that it can radiate its beneficent energies in an optimal manner. An un-energized Yantra can be compared to a very complex music system which has been plugged in but not tuned or turned on, and with no idea as to which knob will activate it. Trial and error over a period of time will cause the system to function with erratic and irregular efficiency until you finally manage to figure it out - if at all. By energizing the Yantra it is immediately 'tuned and turned on' so as to speak. A Yantra will function even if not energized but it will take years, even decades, before it absorbs enough energy (from normal prayers and worship) to function as it should. The ritual of energizing the Yantra avoids all this delay and uncertainty and ensures it functions at peak efficiency from the onset of its purchase. indiayogi's Yantras are exclusively energised through an elaborate ritual at a temple, lasting over 5 hours. The ritual is conducted by pandits (temple priests) who specialise in Yantra pujas, infusing them with the respective deity's energies.

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.

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.

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.

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 Yin, 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.

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 a good idea.

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.

The sandalwood powder in the sachet that is given by indiayogi can be used to make alight paste with the addition of water. This can be used as an offering to the Yantra in the simple puja that you can perform. Using the tip of your third finger touch the paste lightly to the central point of the Yantra and wherever you see points of triangles or alternatively touch the paste to the petals of the lotus formation within the Yantra. Sandalwood is traditionally regarded in India as the purest wood for its ability to be easily converted into a paste (which has healing properties too) as well as for its fragrance.

Yantras being living energy systems, they respond to all sensory stimuli. Traditionally a lighted oil-lamp (a small one!) in front of the Yantra was regarded as the best worship. Burning incense of various sorts is also well regarded as is the auditory stimuli of chanting mantras or playing tapes of sacred chants in the room. Perfume is perceived as a vain affectation and is to be avoided especially as most perfumes have synthetic components. Energy workers - Reiki, Pranic, Hands of Light, and so on - can beam at the Yantra to give thanks or worship and you will be stunned at the positive response you evoke.

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.

Not at all, though indiayogi has received many requests from purchasers of Yantras for the mantras that go along with each Yantra. To fulfill that demand, we now provide you with audio files of the mantras for our bestselling Yantras. However, some points are worth noting.

Mantras work only when pronounced absolutely correctly with no margin for error. That has been taken care of, correct phonetics, pronunciation and so on in the audio file, so it can be played with great benefit.

It is worth noting that mantras chanted over Yantras are not always the mantras that we should chant for our personal growth and prosperity. Mantras for personal transformation are dealt with superbly in our 'Mantras for Healing' section. You can obtain your personal mantra there, or else you can chant the mantra given by your guru.

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. We have put up pictures of this puja procedure that we perform at regular intervals. Any further chanting of mantras over the Yantra is at best superfluous, though again it is a matter of personal comfort levels. 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.

indiayogi does not suggest strict prohibitions when wearing Yantras Pendants but leaves 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.

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.

It is not recommended that you frame your Yantra, either in glass or merely with a frame of any material. A Yantra is a symbolic representation of the entire universe and framing it is to bind and limit it. The efficacy and power of framed Yantras drop alarmingly. They work best when they stand alone. You may however place the Yantra on a stand, or desk standup frame, taking care that none of the circles are obscured.

Oxidation is not to be feared or scoured away with cleaning liquids. A Yantra accumulates power and energy if left alone. Astringent cleaning liquids sear away the layers of energy that start accumulating upon the surface and within the body of the Yantra. Wipe dust away gently with a soft cloth - that should not be used for any other purpose. You may also, sometimes, bathe the Yantra in milk and water, which are purifying substances that only add to the power of the Yantra. Do not do this more than twice a month.

Do not allow anybody else to touch your Yantra, pick it up and examine it and so on. The attractive geometric matrix of the Yantra invites such attention but a Yantra handled by anybody else other than the person [or persons] for whom it was meant loses its power swiftly. If left alone it benefits everybody in the house so there is no real reason for multiple handlings.

If the Yantras are kept separately to be worshipped, or even if they are kept alongside other deities in the space for worship, then it might be a good idea to place them on special pieces of cloth. The traditional colors are red, ochre, saffron, yellow and gold, with intermediate shades in between these colors being regarded as acceptable. Black in general is avoided as being too powerful and also because it is used to work black magic with, in many cases. The traditional material is silk or pure cotton for the Yantra cloth. Polyester and other artificial fabrics cut off the smooth transmission of energy and they are thus not used. Satin may sometimes be used if nothing else is available, but silk and cotton are best.

The Yantra has to be placed in the north/north-west direction facing south/south-east direction in a room. Except for:
The Vaastu Yantra, which is supposed to be placed in the south-west corner of the house, facing north-east.
The Sri Yantra, which is supposed to be placed in the east, facing west.
The Kuber Yantra, which is to be placed in the north facing south or east facing west.

The answer to that is - Most Certainly.

However one should be careful that the Kuber Yantra is always positioned at the extreme left of any group of Yantras when we look at them, i.e. it should be on our left hand side. The Sri Yantra should be in the exact center of the group. If we have only the Sri Yantra and the Kuber Yantra then the Sri Yantra should be to the right side (our right hand side) of the Kuber when we look at it. A Ganpati or Ganesh Yantra should always be placed at the extreme right of any group of Yantras when we look at them, i.e. our right hand side.

The Yantra should be installed on the wall in the puja room, and never put above a door.

This is perfectly alright.

It can be installed at any one of these times - the twilight period at dawn and dusk, at 12 noon or after 4.00 pm.

You may place it in front of the Yantra, with the head of the Koorma facing the Yantra. The Koorma signifies the control of the prana which transforms the person. Please feel free to contact us for any further clarifications.