FW: Durga and Kali yantras

[Guest guest]

Usha Devi wrote:

My dearest friends and siblings,

Let me describe the Durga Yantra and the Kali Yantra,

two of the most important because they represent two of the most

widely worshipped forms of the mother.

 

DURGA

 

Durga is of course the invincible warrior who destroys armies of

demons. She has ten arms with a different weapon in each. Her

festival in the autumn is a very major event in India, especially in

Bengal.

The Durga Yantra has, starting from the outside and going

toward the center:

 

Saffron square

 

Ring of 8 lotus petals, a slightly darker orange than the square.

Each has a small white flower at the tip.

 

Three concentric gold rings

 

Three saffron triangles, pointing upward, arranged so that they

overlap near the center of the triangle producing a darker orange

triangle.

 

A large yellow triangle pointing downward.

 

A yellow bindu in the center.

 

The bright orange color has a calming effect on the mind. The 8 lotus

petals represent the 8 facets of existance: love, mercy, sacrifice,

penance, service, devotion, faith, and humility. The gold rings

represent past, present, and future. The three upward-pointing

triangles represent Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva, in turn representing

Creation, Preservation, and Destruction. The downward-pointing

triangle is the Divine Force. The bindu in the center is the Divine

Mother.

 

KALI

 

Kali is the fierce, angry, destuctive form of the Great Mother,

although everyone recognizes that she is symonymous with more

beautiful, more sweet and loving forms. She is black with fiery red

eyes, and she wears a necklace of demon skulls. Devotees invoke her

name for protection when seemingly overwhelming evil threatens.

Her yantra looks like this:

 

Deep blue square

 

Large pale blue triangle, pointing upwards, only partially visible

because it is covered by the layers below.

Only the two lower corners can be seen.

 

 

Ring of eight pink lotus leaves

 

Three golden circles surrounding a purple area

 

Three crimson rectangles, all pointing upwards.

 

Golden bindu in the center.

 

Each layer has a thin gold line around the edges, adding to the

geometric design of the yantra.

 

The partially hidden triangle represents the Cosmic Mother, who has

the entire world inside her. The eight lotus petals represent akasha,

air, fire, water, earth, mind, intellect, and ego. The three gold

circles represent past, present, and fugure. The three triangles,

connected with the three circles, are the three different forms of

shakti power: sattva, rajas, and tamas. Yes, I know that we said that

upward-pointing triangles often represent masculinity, but they can

also mean fire and power, which Kali possesses in abundance.

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