64 LAYOGA February 2010

K

yantra : twenty-second in a series

painting and text by sarah tomlinson

mantra, transliteration and pronunciation by dr. john casey

In our quest for formal accuracy, the Sanskrit terms appearing in this feature have been care-fully researched and have been written using the diacritical marks required for precise spelling.

Yantra: Krishna Love

pronunciation guide:

rod-hay shyahà(‘à’ like ‘n’ in French ‘bon’)

Repeating this sound (either externally or internally) while gazing on the visual Yantra produces a sensuous inner

knowing of the Divine.

mantra for

Kåñëa Yantra

rädhe çyäà

Despite the many girlfriends with whom Kåñëa enjoyed intimate company, the one who stands out as his principal paramour is Rädhä. Devotees of Kåñëa regard the lovesick Rädhä as symbolic of the lovesick individual human soul yearning for union with the Creator. most perfectly embodied in the form of

Kåñëa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead.In the mantra chosen for use with the Kåñëa yantra, “rädhe” is the vocative form of Rädhä, and hence the personal address, “O Rädhä!” For the second

part, çyäma (here shortened to the seed-syllable “çyäà”) means “black, dark colored, dark blue, etc.”—thus, in many ways synonymous with the word

kåñëa itself, which carries these color meanings, and is, of course, descriptive of the dark blue complexion of Kåñëa as depicted in myth and art.

KRISHNA, THE YOUNG SHEPHERD, is considered to be one of the Avatars, or em-bodiments of Vishnu walking the Earth. He is known for dallying with the milkmaids, affectionately known as gopis. According to ancient lore, these women were rishis (seers or saints) who reincarnated for the sole pur-pose of experiencing sensory joy by dancing with their beloved Lord Krishna.

In a small town in Krishna’s playground – Vrindavan, Northern India – I was initiated into the realms of the senses and Krishna in a manner intoxicatingly triumphant and un-forgettable. After a dusk boat ride on the Ya-muna River, we disembarked and walked through the market amidst the nighttime procession of pilgrims heading to the Banke Bihari Temple – Lord Krishna’s most popu-lar. Oil lamps were barely visible in the smoky air. The scents of sugar milk sweet of-ferings, burning slightly, embedded in the wafting currents of incense, filled our nos-trils. All was accompanied by the chants, “Radhe Shyam, Hare Hare, Hare Krishna,

Radhe Radhe.” As we approached the tem-ple, the atmosphere resembled the ramped-up energy of a rave and we were showered with fresh rose petal malas, a gift from Krish-na himself, who apparently manifests each night in the Temple in an event beautifully staged and shrouded in mystery. The fra-grance of thousands of petals and the gen-eral euphoria is almost more ecstasy than one can stand, temporarily transporting the dev-otee into a transcendental state of conscious-ness. Through the senses we know this joy-ous divine expression!

This sensuous experience is contained with-in the deep green square of Krishna’s Yantra. The pink petals denote the heart; the orange inner circle reminds us of the sun, who, like Krishna, shines his rays upon us. The inner star signifies a harmonious, enlightening love contained within an upward pointing blue triangle. Blue is the color of Krishna and this upward motion reveals the use of the senses to drive us to our higher knowing. If you feel that your physical nature is an impediment

to your spiritual evolution, it may be time to try a new path. Meditating on Lord Krish-na’s geometric form allows us to embody the joyous experience of dancing with the Di-vine. Marveling and enjoying as the path to God might be the most heartfelt path we yo-gins may embrace!

Sarah Tomlinson is the author of Nine De-signs for Inner Peace (Destiny Books, 2008) and a student of the late, great Har-ish Johari. She teaches Yantra Painting and Yoga worldwide. For more information, visit yantratecture.com.

John Casey is a teacher, educator, astrolog-ical consultant, yogin, and meditator. This fall, he is teaching the following courses at the LMU Extension in the Yoga Philosophy Certification Program: Sanskrit I, the Bhagavad Gita and the Upanishads (key ideas and foundational texts of the Vedanta tradition). For info, call (310) 338 - 2358 or visit: extension.lmu.edu.

LAYOGA

64 LAYOGA Ju ly /August 2009

I

yantra : seventeenth in a series

painting and text by sarah tomlinson

devanagari, transliteration and pronunciation bydr. john casey

Chakra Vyuha: the childbirth yantra

Through repeating this sound (either externally or internally) while gazing on the visual Yantra, childbirth and your creative

expressions will flow forth.

LAYOGA

IN 1998, I FIRST VENTURED TO INDIA, staying at the home of my teacher, Sri Har-ish Johari, to deepen my practice of creating Yantras (the sacred geometric designs that have adorned this page of LA YOGA). One day Dada, as we affectionately called him, approached me with an idea, “How about learning the childbirth Yantra?”

Childbirth was nowhere on that year’s to-do list, but intrigued and devoted to his wis-dom, I repeatedly traced the circular lines in my sketchbook pages. It seemed clumsy and frustrating so I returned to colorful render-ings of deities and geometric Yantras.

Now I am pregnant and anticipating new beginnings with my blossoming family so the childbirth Yantra has reappeared in a

timely fashion, inspired by Mavis Gewant, a fellow student of Dada. This form now feels fluid. It will, I am promised, ensure an easy downward flow out of my body for my child and an empowering and focusing ex-perience for me as the lines mirror the inner experience of labor.

The circular maze-like design is also men-tioned in the Mahabharata as the fortress where the demons have captured a divine being. The freeing journey out is symbolized by the exit through the labyrinth.

Its picture is to be hung on the wall of the birthing room, and perhaps even as prac-ticed in ancient cultures, be painted or worn on my belly.

Om Hrim:I worship the divine mother.

Hrim is a seed syllable and does not have a direct translation. In this context,

it invokes the divine mother.

Cakravyuham namami:I honor the circle of my family.

Sarah Tomlinson is the author of Nine Designs for Inner Peace (Destiny Books, 2008) and a stu-dent of the late, great Harish Johari. She teaches Yoga and Yantra Painting worldwide and has cre-ated a line of childbirth and enlightened designs for maternity shirts to uplift and ease the passage of birth and creation: yantratecture.com.

Vyaas Houston, MA created the American Sanskrit Institute in 1989 with a vision of San-skrit as a universal sacred language: americansanskrit.com.

John Casey, PhD is an educator, astrological con-sultant, yogin, and meditator who leads spiritual pilgrimages teaches university and extension courses on Sanskrit, contemplative traditions, sa-cred texts and philosophy.

Chakra Vyuha: the childbirth mantra

(OM HREEM)

(CHUCK-RA-VIEW-HAM NUM-AH-ME)