What is a Yantra? From his book "Myth and Symbols in Indian Art and Civilization," Heinrich Zimmer explained that the Sanskrit word "Yantra" is "yam" with a suffix "tra," where "tra" means instruments or tools and "yam" means "to gain control over the energy inherent in some element or being" (141). And that a yantra is "an instrument designed to curb the psychic forces by concentrating them on a pattern, and in such a way that this pattern becomes reproduced by the worshiper's visualizing power (Zimmer:141).

According to Zimmer, a yantra may serve as:
"1. a representation of some personification or aspect of the divine
2. a model for the worship of a divinity immediately within the heart, after the paraphernalia of outward devotion (idol, perfumes, offerings, audibly uttered formulae) have been discarded by the advanced initiate
3. a kind of chart or schedule for the gradual evolution of a vision, while identifying the Self with its slowly varying contents, that is to say, with the divinity in all its phases of transformation(141)."

And according to Sri Swami Satchidananda of the Integral Yoga Center in New York City, a yantra is "a physical expression of a mantra - a mantra being a Divine aspect in the form of sound vibration - yantra in the form of a geometrical figure." So "when mantras or divine ideas are meditated upon, certain images are brought out" and these images "are used in meditation or worship to symbolize or express certain divine ideas and quality (Satchidananda)."

Yantra in Thailand

Apparently the Indian yantra is the source of the Thai yantra. But most (or all?) of the Thai yantras (pronounced "yan" in Thailand) turn out to serve not any divine idea or meditative purpose but a whole host of earthly wishes, from carnal desires to fire protection. How did the shift of meanings take place?

Who knows?....I wondered and I wondered.... Then I stumbled upon this book called "Thai Construction of Knowledge" edited by Manas Chitakasem and Andrew Turton, and one of the contributing papers, by Andrew Turton, is titled "Invulnerability and Local Knowledge," and it's really interesting, and perhaps could illuminate me on my quest to know, and I would like to share it with y'all, who are interested.....

Well, invulnerability, according to Turton, is quite a global phenomenon. It's a knowledge of how to be impervious to various harms, physical or non-physical, like impenetrable by weapons or untouched by curses or unhurt by evil spirits. In Thailand, the knowledge and practice of invulnerability is pretty ancient, Turton says, and it's a knowledge that's a part of "saiyasat" (magic) and has mainly been a male thing. Its origin probably predated the Ayuddhya period, according to Turton, and he specifically mentioned the very popular epic poem Khun Chang Khun Paen" as an evidence of how ancient and popular this practice has been. This epic poem had been passed down, orally, since the beginning of the Ayuddhaya period, until it was written down by King Rama II and his court poets one of whom was the famous Suntorn Poo (Turton:164).

Khun Paen or Plaigaew, our hero, is a commander in the military under one of the Ayuddhayan Kings. He knows a lot of Saiyasat and is a very invulnerable dude indeed! Guns, spears, and other weapons can't whack him; he knows how to become invisible (which would be of great help when the taxman comes calling!), how to make his enemy stoned immobile, and (this one I would really like to know) how to charm ("mahaniyom" in Thai)! And Khun Paen and his men practices "powwana" (meditation) to "concentrate their thoughts and power" (Turton:164) every time before the battle.

The popularity of this epic poem all these times (maybe not so popular today) shows us how the knowledge of invulnerability was very respected, very legitimate, very popular, and cut across the classes - both the prai's and the King's shared interest in and gave respect to those who possessed this knowledge. Or maybe it's an indication of how hard life was at those times, and how to survive in such time invulnerability knowledge was just downright indispensable!

I don't remember, it's been a long time, whether Khun Paen used yantras or not, but yantra is one of the items among others that, when properly made by knowledgable teachers, could render the user invulnerable from specific harms.

The followings are examples of some yantras:

This yantra wardw off any enemy.

This one protects the place from fire.

...
And these two are for invulnerability.

[All the pictures above from "Yant 108 Pisadarn" book.]

Now, let me go on to the Thai book I have on yantras. The book is called "Yant 108 Pisadarn" and is written by Ajarn Urakin Wiriyaboon. This book says each component of the Thai yantra (lines, shapes, and the alphabets) has certain meaning. For example, the lines within the yantra means the "bones" of the yantra, the continuous line (line drawn back and forth continuously) means the umbilical cord of the Buddha, the circle means the face of the Buddha or the Brahmin (in the Thai sense - the Hindu god "Pra Prom"), the triangle means the three-fold teaching of the Buddha (Buddha, Dharma, Sangha) or the three worlds or the three Hindu gods (Isuan, Prom, Narai - Thai pronunciations), the square means the four worlds or the four elements (soil, water, wind, fire), plus other symbols used such as the image of the Buddha, the half moon, the sun over the moon, and etc., each have its own particular meaning.

The writings on the yantra are written in ancient Khmer. This book says the ancient Khmer alphabets are considered sacred and are therefore used to write down the incantation (kata or sutra) that appears on each yantra. But Turton mentioned that there are yantras that are written in Pali, Burmese and other languages, or a mixture of many languages. So Ajarn Urakin's book probably represents his school's way of making the yantras. But for the yantras of all schools, the meanings of these writings are not supposed to be understood by the users but are known only to the teachers who make them.

Ajarn Urakin's book goes on to say that each yantra has its own verbal incantation to be recited at the time of its making. A Thai number is used as a code that signifies a particular incantation to be recited for that yantra (instead of having to write down the whole incantation). Each yantra also has its own unique recipe and material and its own way of using. There are many kinds of material a yantra can be drawn on, depending upon its use. Some of the materials are paper, cloth, metal, a handkerchief, a hat, and a shirt. Or a yantra can be tattooed on the specific area of the person's body. Some of the uses are to fold the yantra-drawn cloth and insert it in a "takrud" or placing a yantra-drawn paper on a certain area of the establishment.

And importantly Ajarn Urakin says, there's a ritual to pay gratitude and respect toward the teachers and the celestial beings. This ritual requires various specific items such as food, flowers, candles and incense, colored cloths, money, and etc. to be bestowed to the celestial beings and the teachers. This ritual is called "Ongkarn Shumnum Wai Kru" - the gathering to pay respect to the teachers. And there's a specific recitation to accompany this ritual also.

All in all, as Turton mentioned (161), each yantra is "effective only under certain prescribed conditions," and so the right incantation, the specific auspicious day of making and of acquisition, the gratitude toward the teachers and the celestial beings, and even the avoidance of certain foods, thoughts, location, etc., are important and must be followed strictly.

The following are examples of the yantras that serve some of the other popular uses than invulnerability, all from the book "Yant 108 Pisadarn":

This one's good for business

This one makes you well-liked by all.

This one makes the person falls in love with you! Write your name and the targeted person's name on the yant.

This turtle one's good for many purposes such as winning in the court case, winning in the game, turning a person who's mad at you into forgiving you, etc....

How did tattoos come to have such a bad name? According to Turton, "Tattooing is regarded as a most effective means of inscribing the formulae, ...." (161). But tattooing was not used by Khun Paen in the epic poem Khun Chang Khun Paen, while Khun Paen's enemies did have tattoos all over (here Turton is citing Thep Sarikabutr in his "Wicha Khongkraphanchatri" book). According to Turton, Thep Sarikabutr claimed that with the end of the compulsory military corvee by 1905 (where every Thai men had to spend 3 to 6 months in the force), the popularity of invulnerability knowledge began to decline, and this was just the time when cultural contacts with other groups such as the Shans and the Laos, who used tattoos, increased. So the cultural contacts with groups that used tattoos occurred when the need for invulnerability knowledge was declining, when the status of that knowledge and its legitimacy was beginning to crumble, and therefore tattooing itself became to be identified with "gangsters and ruffians" (antaparn, nugleng huamai) who were the people who still practiced this knowledge..... So that was one of the versions of how tattoos came to have a bad name that remains until today. Now, let's move on to body piercing..... Yes, that's one of the way to inscribe, or absorb in this case, the formulae! It's subcutaneous insertion of materials in places like lower eyelid, arm or torso (Turton:161). But that's all the info there is to say for now, unfortunately......

Magic Squares in Thai Yantras

Click to see some Thai yantras that contain magic squares...

Work Cited

Turton, Andrew. "Invulnerability and Local Knowledge." Thai Construction of Knowledge. London: School of Oriental and African Studies, 1991.

Wiriyaboorana, Urakin. Yant 108 Pisadarn. Bangkok: Sons of S. Tampakdee, 1978.