YANTRA. Geometrical diagrams known as yantras form a very special class of religious symbols in Hinduism. Their forms and functions within the tradition vary according to their uses. The most important ones are those that serve as supports for daily ritual worship and as meditational aids to stimulate inner visualizations; others are employed in astrology and temple rites; some are meant for proficiency in occult arts, and many of these are used as talismans.

Meditational yantras are an indispensable constituent of Tantric worship and are a substitute for the deity's iconographic image. Basically, a yantra used in this context is an abstract icon of some personification or aspect of the deity. Most Indian divinities have been assigned aniconic symbols in their specific yantras. Whereas an anthropomorphic image is a static presentation, the yantra is a dynamic symbol of the totality of the cosmos. Hence it...