Yantra
The term yantra, which literally means an instrument for holding or restraining, may be used to denote a variety of linear diagrams which play a significant role in the meditative practices of Tantric Hinduism.
Yantras may be simple designs such as the cross, triangle, square, circle or lotus pattern, symbolizing basic concepts, or may be more complex combinations of such elements in figures representing in abstract form the particular creative forces in the cosmos which are called divinities.
They are closely related to the mandalas used by both Hindu and Buddhist Tantrism, in which geometric design is supplemented by elaborate symbolic images of the deities, by which their various forms and attributes indicate different aspects of the hidden order of reality.
A Yantra is the geometric pattern of a Mantra. It is the visual representation of a specific vibration. Yantras are used in the context of meditation and worship as visual-aids to concentration of the mind leading to the realization of abstract principles which are the inner meaning of the visible representations.
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