In Hindu mythology, a mandala simply means a circle, which has a universal mystical significance. It is a symbolic graphic diagram invested with the spirit of a deity. When finished it becomes Yantra, a ritual artifact an object of worship, a meditation device for concentration, for the purpose of attaining spiritual insights and act of activating supernatural forces in the human body.
What is Mandala ?
The process by which mandala is prepared involves gathering and concentration in a diagrammatic design of the important aspects of worshipper’ world, his own physiological constitution, and for these two dynamic forces to interact. It is therefore focusing of energies for their effective play or interaction. Its function is to protect, create, integrate and transform. The centre, a dot is the origin of mandala, it is a symbol free of dimensions. It means a ‘seed’, ‘sperm’, ‘drop’ the salient starting point. It is the gathering center in which outside energies are drawn and in the act of drawing the forces; the devotee’s own energies unfold and are also drawn. Thus it represents the outer and inner spaces, its purpose is to remove object-subject dichotomy.
In its creation, a line materializes out of dot; other lines are drawn until they intersect creating triangular geometrical patterns. The upright triangle stands for masculine principle and inverted triangle stands for feminine principle. The circle drawn outside stands for dynamic consciousness of worshipper. The outer square represents the physical world bound in four directions; and the lotus petals surrounding the circle represent regenerative power and principles. The mid-most or central area is the residence of deity. The entire mandala represents a city, a place or an island, but it is most often the symbol of Mt. Meeru, a mythical mountain made of solid gold and studied with jewels and the sacred triangle associated with the mother Goddess. The human body could also represents mandala as it has a base and a peak linked by spinal column- the column of Mt. Meeru in which the chakras are located.
When a ritual is performed on the mandala, an effort is made by the worshipper to align his energy with the Divinity to activate the hidden external forces and the worshipper own forces. In this ritual the consciousness of devotee finds expressions in articulation and there emerges spiritual development. A Mandala is in human quasi form i.e. theriotheistic, it can be in animal form or even in anionic objects, stones or crystals found in nature. In ritual worships when icons are used, it is unusual to draw the appropriate geometrical designs: the spirit of the icons is ritualistically invested in design. In another yantra- the Surya puja – sunrise or morning prayer- the diagram is drawn on the ground, which then becomes a divine power site. It is due to the concentration of the worshipper which makes the yantra a powerful instrument.
