Śrī Chakra and the Human Body: The Sacred Geometry of Consciousness
Exploring the Nine Āvaraṇas, Kundalinī, Chakras, Lalitā Sahasranāma and the Journey from Matter to Divine Consciousness
Introduction: Is the Human Body a Living Śrī Chakra?
What if the human body is not merely a biological structure made of cells, tissues and organs, but also a living expression of the same divine principles that govern the universe?
What if the ancient Ṛṣis understood the relationship between the human being and the cosmos through a sacred geometric diagram?
And what if the Śrī Chakra, one of the most revered symbols in the Hindu tantric tradition, represents not only the universe but also the journey of human consciousness towards its divine source?
These questions have fascinated me as a medical doctor and a student of Yoga, Tantra and Śrī Vidyā.
During my explorations of Lalitā Sahasranāma, Kundalinī, the chakras and the relationship between science and spirituality, I have repeatedly encountered a profound principle:
Whatever exists in the universe also exists, in essence, within the human being.
In Sanskrit, the universe is called Brahmāṇḍa, the cosmic whole, while the human being is described as Piṇḍāṇḍa, the microcosm.
The Śrī Chakra provides a remarkable geometric expression of this relationship.
Within Śrī Vidyā, it is the sacred geometric embodiment of the Divine Mother, Śrī Lalitā Tripurasundarī. Its nine interlocking triangles, lotus petals, surrounding square and central Bindu represent different dimensions of creation and consciousness.
The Bhāvanopaniṣad, an important Śākta Upaniṣad, takes this understanding further by interpreting the human body and its faculties in terms of the sacred powers represented within the Śrī Chakra.
This gives rise to a fascinating possibility:
The Śrī Chakra may be contemplated as a map of the universe, a map of the human being and a map of the inward journey towards divine consciousness.
In this article, I bring together traditional Śrī Vidyā teachings, Lalitā Sahasranāma, Kundalinī philosophy and a contemplative correlation between the nine āvaraṇas and the major chakras.
These chakra correlations are interpretative rather than universally prescribed scriptural correspondences. They provide a framework for contemplation, not a literal map of human anatomy.
1. Śrī Chakra: The Sacred Geometry of Creation
The Śrī Chakra, also known as the Śrī Yantra, is composed of nine interlocking triangles surrounding a central point called the Bindu.
Traditionally:
Four upward-pointing triangles represent Śiva, the principle of pure consciousness.
Five downward-pointing triangles represent Śakti, the dynamic creative power.
Their intersections form 43 smaller triangles.
These are surrounded by an eight-petalled lotus and a sixteen-petalled lotus.
The outermost enclosure is a square with four gateways, known as Bhūpura.
Together, the geometry forms nine sacred enclosures called āvaraṇas.
The three-dimensional representation of the Śrī Chakra is known as Śrī Meru.
Śiva and Śakti: Consciousness and Creation
The intersecting triangles symbolise the inseparability of Śiva and Śakti.
Śiva represents pure consciousness, while Śakti represents the power through which consciousness manifests as the universe.
Without Śakti, Śiva remains unmanifest.
Without Śiva, Śakti has no independent conscious foundation.
Their union is the basis of the non-dual Śrī Vidyā understanding of existence.
At the centre lies the Bindu, representing Lalitā Tripurasundarī in inseparable union with Kāmeśvara.
The movement from the Bindu towards the outermost enclosure symbolises the unfolding of creation.
The reverse movement, from Bhūpura towards the Bindu, represents the spiritual journey of returning to the source.
Thus, the same Śrī Chakra describes two complementary processes:
Creation: One becoming many.
Liberation: Many returning to One.
This is the fundamental philosophical foundation of the nine āvaraṇas.
2. The Śrī Chakra as the Cosmic Womb
One of the most beautiful interpretations of the Śrī Yantra is that it represents the womb of the Divine Mother.
In Śrī Vidyā, Lalitā Tripurasundarī is the supreme Paraśakti, the source of all manifestation.
The Bindu represents undifferentiated potential.
The central triangle symbolises the emergence of fundamental creative powers.
The successive triangular enclosures, lotuses and Bhūpura represent the progressive differentiation of creation.
The universe unfolds from unity into multiplicity.
The Śrī Chakra is therefore not merely a diagram placed upon an altar.
It is contemplated as the sacred architecture of manifestation itself.
In biology, we observe how a single fertilised cell progressively differentiates into increasingly complex tissues and organs.
In cosmology, we study the evolution of the universe from an early hot, dense state into increasingly complex structures.
These scientific processes are not equivalent to tantric cosmology. Nevertheless, they provide an interesting philosophical analogy for contemplating how complexity emerges from an initial state of potential.
The question that unites these reflections is:
How does the One become the many, and how does the many remain connected to its source?
Śrī Vidyā expresses its answer through the eternal relationship between Śiva and Śakti.
3. The Human Body as Śrī Chakra: The Teaching of the Bhāvanopaniṣad
The Bhāvanopaniṣad offers one of the clearest traditional foundations for contemplating the human body as Śrī Chakra.
It describes a form of internal meditation in which the human body, mind, senses, vital functions and other aspects of experience are identified with corresponding divine powers of the Śrī Chakra.
This process is called Bhāvanā — deep contemplative identification.
Rather than worshipping the Divine Mother only through an external Yantra, the practitioner gradually recognises the body itself as a manifestation of Devī.
The human being can be contemplated through three dimensions.
Sthūla Śarīra — The Gross Body
This is our material, physical existence.
It includes the body, senses, organs of action and interaction with the material environment.
The outer āvaraṇas of the Śrī Chakra provide a useful contemplative parallel with the gross body and our experience of the external world.
Sūkṣma Śarīra — The Subtle Body
The subtle body includes the traditional concepts of prāṇa, nāḍīs, chakras, mind, intellect and the faculties of perception and action.
The intermediate āvaraṇas may be contemplated as increasingly subtle dimensions of human experience.
Kāraṇa Śarīra — The Causal Body
The causal body represents the seed condition of individuality and experience.
As the practitioner approaches the central triangle and Bindu, contemplation moves beyond the ordinary distinctions of body, mind and individual identity.
Importantly, the Bindu should not be identified simply with the causal body. In non-dual Śrī Vidyā, it symbolises the supreme consciousness that transcends these three bodies.
Thus, the journey through the Śrī Chakra becomes a process of recognising the Divine Mother through progressively subtler dimensions of one's own existence.
4. The Nine Āvaraṇas and Their Relationship to the Human Chakras
The nine āvaraṇas and the seven principal chakras belong to related but distinct tantric systems.
Their correspondence should therefore not be treated as a rigid scriptural or anatomical equivalence.
However, when considered as complementary contemplative maps, they provide a powerful understanding of the spiritual journey.
First Āvaraṇa: Trailokya Mohana Chakra
The Enchantment of the Three Worlds
Geometry: Bhūpura — the outer square with three enclosing lines and four gateways.
Contemplative chakra association: Mūlādhāra.
Presiding Cakreśvarī: Tripurā | Yoginī classification: Prakaṭa.
The first āvaraṇa represents the world of manifestation, sensory perception and identification with material existence.
At the human level, consciousness ordinarily identifies itself with the body, possessions, relationships, profession and social identity.
This makes Mūlādhāra, the root chakra, a meaningful contemplative parallel.
Mūlādhāra is associated with the Earth element, grounding, survival and embodied existence.
The spiritual lesson of this enclosure is not that the material world is evil or should be rejected.
Rather, matter itself is recognised as a manifestation of Śakti.
The body is not an obstacle to divinity. It is the starting point for recognising divinity.
The inner transformation is:
“I am this body” → “This body is a manifestation of Devī.”
Second Āvaraṇa: Sarvāśā Paripūraka Chakra
The Fulfiller of All Aspirations
Geometry: Sixteen-petalled lotus.
Contemplative chakra association: Svādhiṣṭhāna.
Presiding Cakreśvarī: Tripureśī | Yoginī classification: Gupta.
The sixteen petals contain sixteen Ākarṣiṇī Śaktis, associated with attraction and different faculties and objects of human experience.
This enclosure concerns desire.
Desire moves human beings towards relationships, pleasure, creativity, achievement and fulfilment.
Svādhiṣṭhāna provides a useful parallel because of its traditional association with the Water element, sexuality, pleasure and creativity.
Śrī Vidyā does not necessarily regard desire as something to be destroyed.
The Divine Mother is Kameśvarī, the sovereign of desire.
The spiritual transformation involves recognising desire as a form of Śakti and gradually directing it towards higher understanding.
Kāma → Conscious desire → Devotion to Devī.
Desire becomes an instrument of spiritual evolution rather than merely a force of attachment.
Third Āvaraṇa: Sarva Saṃkṣobhaṇa Chakra
The Stirrer of All
Geometry: Eight-petalled lotus.
Contemplative chakra association: Maṇipūra.
Presiding Cakreśvarī: Tripurasundarī | Yoginī classification: Guptatara.
The eight petals contain the Anaṅga Śaktis.
The term Saṃkṣobhaṇa suggests stirring, agitation and activation.
This enclosure symbolises the dynamic movement of Śakti.
At the human level, desire develops into energy, motivation and the power to act.
Maṇipūra, associated with the Fire element, provides an illuminating contemplative parallel.
Fire represents transformation.
Just as physical fire transforms substances, the inner fire of discipline and awareness transforms impulses into purposeful action.
At the second āvaraṇa, the individual says:
“I desire.”
At the third:
“I possess the energy to transform.”
The spiritual journey involves converting restless desire into disciplined, transformative energy.
Fourth Āvaraṇa: Sarva Saubhāgyadāyaka Chakra
The Bestower of All Auspiciousness
Geometry: Fourteen triangles.
Contemplative chakra association: Anāhata.
Presiding Cakreśvarī: Tripuravāsinī | Yoginī classification: Sampradāya.
This enclosure represents auspiciousness, harmony and integration.
Anāhata, the heart chakra, provides a meaningful parallel because of its association with love, compassion, devotion and emotional integration.
At the lower centres, desire and action may be predominantly directed towards personal fulfilment.
At the heart, these forces can be transformed into compassion and service.
Personal love begins to expand towards universal love.
The spiritual transformation is:
“What can I receive?” → “What can I offer?”
The practitioner gradually recognises the Divine Mother in family, society, nature and all living beings.
Fifth Āvaraṇa: Sarvārtha Sādhaka Chakra
The Accomplisher of All Purposes
Geometry: Ten outer triangles.
Contemplative association: Anāhata–Viśuddha transition.
Presiding Cakreśvarī: Tripurāśrī | Yoginī classification: Kulottīrṇa.
This enclosure is associated with accomplishment and the fulfilment of purpose.
In ordinary life, our actions are often driven by ambition, personal recognition or the desire for success.
As spiritual awareness develops, the relationship between individual action and divine purpose begins to change.
The aspirant increasingly asks:
“Am I acting only for myself, or can my actions become instruments of the Divine?”
The movement from the heart towards the throat symbolises the translation of compassion into purposeful expression.
Personal ambition gradually becomes Dharma.
The transformation is:
Individual will → Higher purpose → Selfless action.
Sixth Āvaraṇa: Sarva Rakṣākara Chakra
The Giver of All Protection
Geometry: Ten inner triangles.
Contemplative chakra association: Viśuddha.
Presiding Cakreśvarī: Tripuramālinī | Yoginī classification: Nigarbha.
This enclosure represents protection and preservation.
Viśuddha, associated with the Ether element and the principle of sound, provides a useful contemplative association.
At this stage, spiritual practice increasingly concerns the purification of thought, speech and intention.
Speech becomes sacred.
Mantra becomes an expression of consciousness rather than mechanical repetition.
Protection may be contemplated as freedom from destructive patterns of thinking, false identification and uncontrolled impulses.
The spiritual transformation is:
Ordinary speech → Conscious expression → Vāk as Devī.
The practitioner begins to recognise the Divine Mother's power even within the faculty of speech.
Seventh Āvaraṇa: Sarva Rogahara Chakra
The Remover of All Afflictions
Geometry: Eight inner triangles.
Contemplative chakra association: Ājñā.
Presiding Cakreśvarī: Tripurasiddhā | Yoginī classification: Rahasya.
This enclosure is traditionally associated with the removal of affliction.
The eight triangles are associated with the Vāgdevīs, the goddesses of speech.
At a philosophical level, affliction can be understood not only as bodily suffering but also as suffering arising from ignorance, attachment and misidentification.
The deepest form of ignorance is Avidyā — failure to recognise the true nature of consciousness.
Ājñā, associated with insight and discrimination, offers a contemplative parallel.
The spiritual transformation is:
“I am separate” → “Separation is a limitation of my perception.”
The practitioner begins to recognise the unity underlying apparent differences.
This spiritual interpretation should not be confused with a claim that worship of this enclosure cures physical diseases.
Eighth Āvaraṇa: Sarva Siddhiprada Chakra
The Bestower of All Accomplishments
Geometry: Central triangle.
Contemplative association: Upper Ājñā and Guru principle.
Presiding Cakreśvarī: Tripurāmbā | Yoginī classification: Atirahasya.
The central triangle is associated with three principal Śaktis:
Kāmeśvarī, Vajreśvarī and Bhagamālinī.
At the philosophical level, it may also be contemplated through the fundamental powers of consciousness:
Icchā Śakti: Power of will.
Jñāna Śakti: Power of knowledge.
Kriyā Śakti: Power of action.
These powers operate in ordinary human experience.
Before undertaking an action, intention arises.
Knowledge guides that intention.
Action brings it into manifestation.
Therefore, every deliberate human act can be contemplated through the sequence:
Icchā → Jñāna → Kriyā.
At the individual level:
I desire. I know. I act.
At the deeper Śrī Vidyā level:
Her Icchā moves as my intention.
Her Jñāna shines as my understanding.
Her Kriyā manifests through my actions.
The sense of individual doership begins to dissolve.
Ninth Āvaraṇa: Sarvānandamaya Chakra
The Abode of Supreme Bliss
Geometry: Bindu.
Contemplative association: Sahasrāra and that which transcends bodily localisation.
Presiding deity: Mahātripurasundarī | Yoginī classification: Parāpararahasya.
The Bindu is the innermost centre of the Śrī Chakra.
Here, the multiplicity represented by the surrounding triangles and lotuses resolves into a single point.
In Śrī Vidyā, the Bindu is the abode of Lalitā Tripurasundarī in inseparable union with Kāmeśvara.
It represents the ultimate recognition of non-duality.
In ordinary consciousness, experience contains three apparently separate components:
Jñātā — Jñāna — Jñeya
Knower — Knowledge — Known.
Similarly, in worship:
Worshipper — Worship — Worshipped.
At the Bindu, this threefold distinction, known as Tripuṭī, is contemplated as dissolving.
The worshipper, the process of worship and the Divine Mother are recognised as expressions of one consciousness.
This is the culmination of the inward journey.
5. The Śrī Chakra and the Five Great Elements
The human body and the material universe are traditionally understood through the five Mahābhūtas, or great elements.
Element | Bīja | Chakra | Sensory quality |
Pṛthvī — Earth | Laṁ | Mūlādhāra | Gandha — Smell |
Āpas — Water | Vaṁ | Svādhiṣṭhāna | Rasa — Taste |
Agni — Fire | Raṁ | Maṇipūra | Rūpa — Form |
Vāyu — Air | Yaṁ | Anāhata | Sparśa — Touch |
Ākāśa — Ether | Haṁ | Viśuddha | Śabda — Sound |
The sequence proceeds from the relatively gross to the increasingly subtle:
Earth → Water → Fire → Air → Ether.
In tantric philosophy, these elements are not merely substances in the modern chemical sense. They are fundamental categories of manifested experience.
The inward journey through the Śrī Chakra may be contemplated as a progressive withdrawal from identification with the gross elements towards increasingly subtle principles of consciousness.
This is not a literal claim that the outer āvaraṇas contain these elements in a fixed anatomical arrangement.
Rather, it illustrates how different traditional systems describe the transition from material identification towards subtler awareness.
6. The Ten Indriyas: How Consciousness Experiences the World
Human interaction with the external world is traditionally understood through ten Indriyas.
Five Jñānendriyas — Faculties of Perception
Hearing — Śrotra.
Touch — Tvak.
Sight — Cakṣus.
Taste — Jihvā.
Smell — Ghrāṇa.
Five Karmendriyas — Faculties of Action
Speech — Vāk.
Grasping — Pāṇi.
Locomotion — Pāda.
Excretion — Pāyu.
Reproduction — Upastha.
Through these faculties, consciousness experiences the world.
The ordinary movement of awareness is outward:
Sense object → Perception → Desire → Action → Experience.
The inward journey of Navāvaraṇa contemplation can be understood as reversing this process:
Experience → Sensory awareness → Mind → Śakti → Pure consciousness.
This is a form of spiritual involution — returning from the differentiated world of experience towards the underlying source.
7. Śrī Chakra and the Three Granthis
The connection between Śrī Chakra and Kundalinī becomes particularly fascinating when we examine the three Granthis, or subtle knots described in yogic traditions.
Lalitā Sahasranāma praises the Divine Mother as the one who pierces these knots.
Brahma Granthi — Attachment to Material Identity
The Brahma Granthi is broadly associated with the lower centres and identification with bodily existence.
It symbolises attachment to survival, security, possessions and sensory experiences.
Lalitā is described as:
Brahma-granthi-vibhedinī — She who pierces the Brahma Granthi.
This may be contemplated alongside the outer āvaraṇas, where the spiritual journey begins with embodied existence.
Viṣṇu Granthi — Attachment to Emotion and Identity
The Viṣṇu Granthi is traditionally associated with the heart region.
It represents increasingly subtle attachments involving emotions, relationships, preservation and personal identity.
Lalitā is:
Viṣṇu-granthi-vibhedinī — She who pierces the Viṣṇu Granthi.
This resonates with the middle āvaraṇas, where personal desire begins to transform into compassion, devotion and surrender.
Rudra Granthi — Attachment to the Spiritual Ego
The Rudra Granthi is associated with Ājñā and subtle forms of individual identification.
Even after overcoming attachment to the body and emotions, the practitioner may remain attached to knowledge, spiritual achievement and the identity of being a seeker.
Lalitā is:
Rudra-granthi-vibhedinī — She who pierces the Rudra Granthi.
This is particularly relevant to the innermost āvaraṇas.
Even the spiritually sophisticated sense of “I am the knower” must eventually dissolve.
The progression can be contemplated as:
I am the body.
I am the mind.
I am the spiritual practitioner.
I am the knower.
Who is this “I”?
Bindu — Pure Consciousness.
8. Lalitā Sahasranāma: The Bridge Between Śrī Chakra and Kundalinī
One of the most compelling scriptural connections comes from Lalitā Sahasranāma.
A celebrated sequence describes the Divine Mother through the language of Kundalinī and the subtle chakras:
Mūlādhāraika-nilayā
Brahma-granthi-vibhedinī
Maṇipūrāntar-uditā
Viṣṇu-granthi-vibhedinī
Ājñā-cakrāntarālasthā
Rudra-granthi-vibhedinī
Sahasrārāmbujārūḍhā
Sudhāsārābhivarṣiṇī
Taṭillatā-samaruciḥ
Ṣaṭ-cakropari-saṃsthitā
Mahāśaktiḥ
Kuṇḍalinī
Bisatantu-tanīyasī.
These sacred names describe Lalitā as the Mahāśakti associated with the subtle centres, the piercing of the three granthis and the ascent towards Sahasrāra.
She is Kundalinī herself.
The Divine Mother who is worshipped in the Śrī Chakra is also recognised as the Śakti present within the subtle body.
Thus, these two systems provide complementary contemplative languages:
Śrī Chakra: The Divine Mother expressed geometrically.
Kundalinī: The Divine Mother expressed through the subtle-body journey.
Lalitā Sahasranāma: The Divine Mother praised through her many forms, powers and functions.
They are not identical systems, but they illuminate one another.
9. The Seven Dhātus and the Yoginīs of Lalitā Sahasranāma
A particularly fascinating relationship between the human body and Śakti appears in the descriptions of the chakra Yoginīs in Lalitā Sahasranāma.
The text associates different Yoginīs with bodily substances or constituents.
Chakra | Yoginī | Associated bodily substance |
Viśuddha | Ḍākinī | Tvak — Skin |
Anāhata | Rākiṇī | Rudhira — Blood |
Maṇipūra | Lākiṇī | Māṃsa — Muscle/flesh |
Svādhiṣṭhāna | Kākiṇī | Medas — Fat |
Mūlādhāra | Śākiṇī | Asthi — Bone |
Ājñā | Hākiṇī | Majjā — Marrow |
Sahasrāra | Yākinī | Associated with all dhātus |
These associations are especially interesting because they integrate the physical constituents of the body into a sacred contemplative framework.
The chakras are not presented merely as colourful symbolic discs.
They are associated with divine powers, letters, bodily constituents and states of awareness.
The body becomes a mandala of Devī.
One may contemplate the sequence:
Śakti → Chakra → Yoginī → Dhātu → Body.
This does not establish that the Yoginīs correspond to anatomical structures in a modern physiological sense.
Rather, it shows how tantric traditions integrate material embodiment into spiritual practice.
The sacred and the corporeal are not treated as fundamentally separate.
10. The Śrī Meru and the Human Spinal Axis
The three-dimensional Śrī Chakra, known as Śrī Meru, offers another meaningful connection.
In traditional yogic terminology, the spinal column is referred to as Merudaṇḍa, evoking Mount Meru, the cosmic axis.
The Śrī Meru rises from a broad base towards its summit.
Similarly, the traditional Kundalinī model describes a movement from Mūlādhāra towards Sahasrāra through the subtle central channel, Suṣumṇā.
These two models can be contemplated as complementary.
Kundalinī — The Vertical Journey
Mūlādhāra rises through Svādhiṣṭhāna, Maṇipūra, Anāhata, Viśuddha and Ājñā towards Sahasrāra.
The dominant symbolism is ascent.
Śrī Chakra — The Inward Journey
Bhūpura is followed by the sixteen-petalled lotus, eight-petalled lotus, successive triangular enclosures, central triangle and Bindu.
The dominant symbolism is interiorisation.
Thus:
Kundalinī: Below → Above.
Śrī Chakra: Outside → Inside.
Non-dual realisation: Many → One.
Although their structures differ, they may be contemplated as complementary descriptions of the movement from conditioned awareness towards the recognition of non-dual consciousness.
11. Yantra, Mantra and Mudrā: The Integration of Geometry, Sound and Consciousness
A recent discussion on sacred geometry and Śrī Vidyā raised an intriguing question:
Can geometry, sound and gesture work together to influence our experience of consciousness?
Within tantric practice, these three components are closely integrated.
Yantra — Sacred Geometry
The Yantra provides a visual structure for meditation.
The Śrī Chakra symbolically represents the different levels of manifestation and the journey towards the Bindu.
Mantra — Sacred Sound
Mantras are traditionally regarded as expressions of divine power through sound.
In Śrī Vidyā, Bīja mantras and other sacred formulas are associated with specific manifestations of the Divine Mother.
Repetition of mantra directs attention towards the contemplated deity and her qualities.
Mudrā — Sacred Gesture
Mudrās are symbolic gestures employed in ritual and meditation.
Traditional tantric interpretations associate them with the direction and expression of subtle energy.
From a contemporary perspective, they may also be understood as ways of integrating bodily gesture with focused awareness.
Together, Yantra, Mantra and Mudrā create a structured contemplative practice involving vision, sound, attention and bodily participation.
Within Navāvaraṇa Pūjā, each enclosure is associated with particular deities and ritual elements.
The combination is traditionally understood as supporting the practitioner's progressive inward journey.
Some contemporary interpreters describe sacred geometries and mantras as portals to different dimensions of consciousness.
This is an evocative spiritual metaphor, but claims concerning literal interdimensional portals are not supported by established scientific evidence.
The more compelling question is how these coordinated contemplative practices may influence attention, self-perception and subjective experience.
12. Bahir Yāga and Antar Yāga: The Journey from External Worship to Internal Realisation
Śrī Vidyā recognises both external and internal forms of worship.
Bahir Yāga — External Worship
This includes Śrī Chakra Pūjā, Lalitā Sahasranāma recitation, homa, Navāvaraṇa Pūjā and related rituals.
External worship cultivates devotion, discipline, concentration and reverence towards the Divine Mother.
Antar Yāga — Internal Worship
In Antar Yāga, the entire process of worship is internalised.
The body becomes the temple.
The breath becomes an offering.
The senses become instruments of worship.
The mind becomes the altar.
The Divine Mother is contemplated as the consciousness underlying the entire experience.
This approach reflects the central principle of the Bhāvanopaniṣad: the recognition of the relationship between human embodiment and the divine powers of Śrī Chakra.
The distinction between worshipper and worshipped gradually becomes less prominent.
Ultimately, worship becomes recognition.
The aspirant discovers that the Divine Mother is not merely an external object of devotion but is contemplated as the very foundation of existence.
13. The Three Powers of the Divine Mother: Icchā, Jñāna and Kriyā
As the inward journey approaches the central triangle, the complexity of manifestation can be contemplated through three fundamental powers.
Icchā Śakti — The Power of Will
At the individual level, Icchā appears as intention and desire.
At the cosmic level, it symbolises the Divine Will towards manifestation.
Jñāna Śakti — The Power of Knowledge
At the individual level, Jñāna appears as understanding and discrimination.
At the cosmic level, it represents consciousness knowing its own manifestation.
Kriyā Śakti — The Power of Action
At the individual level, Kriyā is the capacity to act.
At the cosmic level, it represents the power through which manifestation unfolds.
Every deliberate human activity can be contemplated as involving these three powers:
Intention → Knowledge → Action.
As spiritual awareness develops, the individual may increasingly recognise these faculties as manifestations of the Divine Mother's power rather than independent possessions of the ego.
The transformation is therefore not simply from inaction to action.
It is from ego-directed activity towards surrendered, conscious participation in life.
14. Creation and Dissolution: Two Directions Through Śrī Chakra
Perhaps the deepest insight offered by the geometry of Śrī Chakra is that it represents two complementary movements.
Sṛṣṭi — Creation
The journey begins at the Bindu.
From the Bindu emerges the central triangle.
From the triangle arises the multiplicity of intersecting triangles, followed by the lotus enclosures and the outer Bhūpura.
This symbolises the emergence of differentiation.
Bindu → Śakti → Multiplicity → Mind and senses → Elements → Manifest existence.
This is the movement from One to many.
Laya — The Return
The spiritual journey moves in the opposite direction.
Beginning with identification with the body and external world, the sādhaka progressively withdraws awareness towards subtler principles.
Body and world → Senses → Desire → Mind → Śakti → Central triangle → Bindu.
This is the movement from many towards One.
Navāvaraṇa Pūjā can therefore be contemplated as a ritual enactment of the return of differentiated experience towards its underlying source.
The path does not necessarily involve abandoning life.
Rather, it involves recognising the divine foundation of life.
15. The Śrī Chakra, Consciousness and Modern Science
As a medical doctor, I find the relationship between contemplative traditions and the study of consciousness particularly interesting.
Scientific research has explored the effects of meditation, chanting, breathing practices and focused attention on human experience.
These practices may influence attention, emotional regulation, subjective stress and aspects of physiological functioning.
Geometric patterns can also affect visual perception and attentional processes.
Therefore, the Śrī Yantra presents an interesting subject for studying how structured visual attention, repeated sounds and contemplative intention interact.
However, spiritual symbolism and empirical science must remain clearly distinguished.
Traditional concepts such as nāḍīs, chakras and Kundalinī belong to contemplative and subtle-body frameworks. They should not be equated automatically with nerves, endocrine glands or other anatomical structures.
Likewise, there is no established scientific evidence that Śrī Chakra meditation opens literal portals to other dimensions or directly produces supernatural physical effects.
Yet scientific uncertainty regarding such claims does not remove the philosophical importance of the Śrī Chakra.
One can appreciate its geometry, symbolism and contemplative practices without asserting that its metaphysical claims have been scientifically demonstrated.
The more meaningful investigation may be:
How can traditional contemplative maps help us ask better questions about consciousness, perception, embodiment and the experience of self?
This offers a potentially valuable meeting point between neuroscience, psychology, philosophy and spiritual practice.
16. The Nine Veils: From Fear and Desire to Surrender
There is another dimension of the Śrī Chakra that I find especially meaningful.
Śrī Vidyā is not necessarily a path of rejecting worldly life.
Lalitā Tripurasundarī is the Divine Mother who represents beauty, love, prosperity, creativity and spiritual liberation.
The practitioner is not asked to regard family, nature or material existence as inherently impure.
Instead, the journey begins with recognition of the Divine Mother within these experiences.
Gradually, fear gives way to trust.
Desire gives way to understanding.
Possessiveness gives way to gratitude.
Personal ambition gives way to Dharma.
The sense of individual doership gives way to surrender.
Finally, even the distinction between the seeker and the Divine Mother dissolves.
The nine āvaraṇas may therefore be contemplated as nine stages in the transformation of human consciousness.
The journey begins with:
“What can the world give me?”
It matures into:
“How can I serve the Divine through my life?”
And culminates in:
“The Divine Mother alone shines through all existence.”
This, to me, is the essence of the inward journey.
17. The Bindu: Where the Individual and the Universe Become One
At the centre of the Śrī Chakra lies a single point.
The Bindu.
Geometrically, it has position but no measurable extension.
Within Śrī Vidyā, it represents the supreme source of manifestation and the indivisible unity of Śiva and Śakti.
At the outer āvaraṇas, we experience ourselves as separate individuals interacting with an external world.
We distinguish between ourselves and others, between the observer and the observed, and between the worshipper and the Divine.
As the inward journey progresses, these distinctions are progressively questioned.
At the Bindu, the threefold structure of experience is contemplated as resolving into unity.
Knower — Knowledge — Known.
Worshipper — Worship — Worshipped.
All are recognised as expressions of one consciousness.
This is the deeper meaning of Sarvānandamaya, the abode of supreme bliss.
It is not simply another layer of spiritual pleasure.
It represents the recognition of the unity underlying all experience.
Conclusion: The Human Body Is a Living Temple of the Divine Mother
The Śrī Chakra is one of the most profound sacred symbols of the Śrī Vidyā tradition.
Its nine āvaraṇas represent much more than geometric enclosures.
They provide a sacred framework for contemplating the relationship between the universe, the body, the senses, the mind, subtle energy and pure consciousness.
The Bhāvanopaniṣad invites us to recognise the human body as a manifestation of the same divine powers represented within the Śrī Chakra.
Lalitā Sahasranāma reveals the Divine Mother as Kundalinī, present within the subtle centres and transcending the three granthis.
The associations between the Yoginīs, chakras and dhātus bring the material body into the sacred contemplative framework.
The five Mahābhūtas, the ten Indriyas and the three powers of Icchā, Jñāna and Kriyā further illuminate how differentiated experience may be understood as an expression of Śakti.
Ultimately, the Śrī Chakra and Kundalinī offer two complementary perspectives.
One describes the spiritual journey through sacred geometry.
The other describes it through the ascent of awareness within the subtle body.
Both may be contemplated as movements towards the recognition of non-dual consciousness.
For me, the central teaching is this:
The Śrī Chakra is Lalitā geometrically.
The universe is Lalitā cosmically.
Kundalinī is Lalitā energetically.
The human body is Lalitā microcosmically.
And the Bindu is Lalitā before the One appears as many.
The Śrī Chakra reminds us that our spiritual journey is not necessarily a movement away from the world.
It is a journey towards recognising the Divine Mother within the world, within nature, within every living being and ultimately within ourselves.
We begin at the Bhūpura, believing that we are separate individuals living in a vast universe.
We journey inward through the nine āvaraṇas, gradually recognising the divine nature of our existence.
And at the Bindu, we discover that the seeker, the journey and the Divine Mother were never fundamentally separate.
The journey from Bhūpura to Bindu is ultimately the journey from apparent separation to recognition of unity.
Śrī Mātā Namah.
Jai Maa. Jai Sai Ram.
References and Further Reading
Bhāvanopaniṣad. A Śākta Upaniṣad describing the contemplative identification of the body and its faculties with the powers of Śrī Chakra.
Lalitā Sahasranāma. The thousand names of Śrī Lalitā Tripurasundarī, traditionally transmitted within the Brahmāṇḍa Purāṇa tradition.
Yoginīhṛdaya. A significant text of the Śrī Vidyā tradition discussing the sacred geometry, symbolism and worship of Śrī Chakra.
Nityāṣoḍaśikārṇava. A traditional tantric text associated with Śrī Vidyā worship.
Ṣaṭcakranirūpaṇa, attributed to Pūrṇānanda. A traditional source for the symbolism of the six principal subtle-body chakras.
Krishnakumar PR. The Sri Chakra as a Symbol of the Human Body. Ancient Science of Life. 1993;12(3–4):316–319. PMID: 22556608. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3336567/
Sacred Geometry: Understanding Sri Yantra, Portals, Sri Vidya & More, conversation featuring @justshreem_. A contemporary discussion of Yantra, Mantra, Mudrā, sacred geometry and consciousness.
Sri Yantra: The Geometrical Map of the Universe, discussion with Vinita Raishinkar and Himanshu Om.
Sri Chakra Explained: Hidden Science Behind Sri Yantra, contemporary interpretative discussion of Sri Yantra symbolism.
The traditional sources establish the religious and contemplative context. Contemporary discussions offer additional philosophical interpretations; these should not be mistaken for universally accepted scriptural doctrine or scientific evidence.
Disclaimer
This article presents traditional spiritual teachings and contemplative interpretations of Śrī Chakra, Kundalinī and the human subtle body. The correlations between the nine āvaraṇas and the major chakras are proposed as a symbolic framework rather than as a universally prescribed Śrī Vidyā doctrine. Concepts such as nāḍīs, chakras, prāṇa and Kundalinī should not be treated as established anatomical structures or physiological mechanisms. Spiritual practices are not substitutes for appropriate medical assessment or treatment. Advanced Śrī Vidyā mantras and rituals are traditionally undertaken with guidance from an appropriate Guru.
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