In the 2009 issue of Brahmavidya (the journal of the Adyar Library), Subhash Kak argues that the description of Sri Yantra is identical to the yantra described in the Śvetāśvatara Upanisad.
The Sri Yantra's 9 constituent triangles vary in size and shape and intersect to form 43 smaller triangles, organized in 5 concentric levels. Together they represent the totality of the cosmos and express Advaita or non-duality. In the middle, the power point (bindu) represents the cosmic center. The triangles are circumscribed by two concentric circles composed of 8 and 16 petals, representing the lotus of creation and reproductive vital force. The entire configuration is framed by the broken lines of an earth square, representing a temple with four doors open onto the regions of the universe.
The worship of the Sri Yantra is central to the Shri Vidya system of Hindu worship. It represents the goddess in the form of Shri Lalita or Tripura Sundari, the beauty of the three worlds: Bhu Loka (Physical Plane, Consciousness of the Physical Plane), Bhuvar Loka (Antariksha or Intermediate Space Consciousness of the Prana) and Swar Loka (Svarga or Heaven or Consciousness of the Divine Mind). The Sri Yantra is the symbol of Hindu tantra, which is based on the Hindu philosophy of Shaktism. The Sri Yantra is the object of devotion in Sri Vidya.
The Sri Yantra represents the union of Masculine and Feminine Divine. The four upward-pointing isosceles triangles represent the goddess's masculine embodiment Shiva, while the five downward-pointing triangles symbolize the female embodiment Shakti.
The Sri Yantra is also known as the nav chakra because it can be seen to consist of nine concentric layers that radiate outward from the bindu. ("Nau" or "nava" means "nine" in Sanskrit.) Each level corresponds to a mudra, a yogini and a specific form of the deity Tripura Sundari along with her mantra. The various deities residing in the nine levels of the Sri Yantra are described in the Devi Khadgamala Mantra. These levels, listed from outermost to innermost, are
- Trailokya Mohana , the outermost square, traced in three lines and interrupted by four recessed portals;
- Sarvasaa Paripuraka, the outer lotus, consisting of 16 petals;
- Sarva Samkshobahana, the inner lotus, consisting of 8 petals;
- Sarva Saubhagyadayaka, the outermost ring of small triangles (14 in total);
- Sarvarthasadhaka, the next ring of triangles (10 in total);
- Sarva Rakshakara, a smaller ring of 10 triangles;
- Sarva Rogahara, a ring of 8 small triangles;
- Sarva Siddhiprada, one small triangle containing the bindu at its center;
- Sarva Anandamaya, the bindu.
