Literacy and Shri Vidya Yantra

Meaning of literacy
Literacy could mean different things to different people. People have referred to literacy in different fields such as language, science, mathematics, computers, culture, media, health, international events and sex. For our purpose, however, language literacy and computer literacy would be more relevant than other types of literacy.

According to the UNESCO definition of literacy, "a person is literate who can, with understanding, read and write a short statement on his everyday life" (Literacy 2000 Conference summary: 4). Gudschinsky, who pioneered literacy campaigns in the world (particularly in Vietnam), gave her own definition of literacy which appears to be more explicit and accurate. According to her definition, "that person is fully literate who, in a language that he speaks, can read and understand anything that he would have understood if it had been spoken to him; and who can write, so that it can be read, anything that he can say" In this definition, literacy includes: 1) the ability to hear and to read with comprehension, and 2) the ability to speak and to write comprehensibly. The definition implies that the reading and writing will be done in a language which the person speaks.

Gudschinsky's definition excludes the ability to read and understand content material beyond the person's capacity to understand orally. It also excludes the ability to write better than one can speak. Illiterate people, specially adults, already know the sounds and vocabulary of their language. What is needed, therefore, is the teaching of symbols and not sounds.

In view of these factors, the objective of promotion of literacy should be to teach the script and not the language. The language spoken by illiterate people should remain unchanged for reading and writing purposes. This does not mean that there will be no improvement in the language. This improvement will be in line with the improvement that takes place through learning a spoken language. A person improves his/her language even when learning only through speaking. The same pace of improvement should be maintained while teaching reading and writing.

Literacy should be taught at home rather than at school. The campaign for promotion of literacy need not disturb the school system of education. The objective being to make a person literate rather than educated, the focus of teaching should be on help in communication and not on sophistication of speaking style. The main purpose of literacy would be to support a person in his normal activities in the environment in which he is living. The apprehension of a person being converted to some kind of "high brow" culture, should be avoided.

Benefits of literacy
For those who still doubt the wisdom of teaching everyone to read and write and question the merits of making literacy universal, the following points may be noted:

1. Literacy overcomes the limitations of time over spoken words which disappear after they are uttered. Written words are preserved for use in future. Through literacy, words become immortal.
2. Literacy also overcomes the limitations of space and promotes communication among people at different places. Through literacy, languages become universal.
3. Since reading and writing is done by seeing, mental activities based on the sense of vision are strengthened. Literacy is enlightenment in a real sense.
4. Thoughts and records can be kept separately and there is no need to strain the brain for memorizing everything. Accumulation of knowledge outside mind is possible only through literacy.
5. Literacy promotes creativity. It helps people in experimenting with new concepts and expressing new ideas generated in the mind. "Who knows how many Virgils and Shakespeares, Newtons and Einstein, may await the opportunities which literacy alone can make available?" (Jeffries: 23).
6. Literacy helps in developing different cognitive capacities of mind. Since cognition requires memory, many things which cannot be remembered can be made available in written form.
7. Literacy promotes and enforces honesty. A person may deny what he has said but cannot deny what he has written.
8. Literacy opens new areas of real and conceptual worlds to be surveyed and researched for economic development. The economic prosperity in literate societies is generally more than in illiterate societies.
9. Literacy promotes social justice and equality. The exploitation of people in an illiterate society is more than in a literate society. In a literate society, there is wider base for defending human values cherished by people.

Shri Yantra

   Shri Yantra is a beautiful figure to depict and symbolize the secrets of the entire universe. It is regarded as the abode of the Supreme Wisdom or the Mother Goddess of Wisdom That created all the elements of the universe, sustains them, and finally absorbs them. The Supreme Power has been given 1000 names such as Shri Vidya, Lalita, Saraswati, Shri Mata, etc. Shri Yantra is a symbolic representation of the mysteries of all the elements, energies, and consciousness levels of the universe. It is also a pictorial design that contains the mysteries of the origin and evolution of the language, script and knowledge in the universe.

   Shri Yantra has a point (bindu) in the center that is surrounded by triangles, circles, and other geometrical formations. The outer line of the Yantra, called “Bhupur”, takes 36 right angle turns. From Bhupur to Bindu, Shri Yantra has 9 Chakras (circular formations). Their names are usually given as follows:

1. Bhupur Chakra;
2. Trilok Vrit Chakra;
3. Shodash-dal Chakra;
4. Ashta-dal Chakra;
5. Chaturdashar Chakra;
6. Bahirdashar Chakra;
7. Antardashar Chakra;
8. Ashtar Chakra; and
9. Trikon Bindu Chakra or cetanaa-energy Chakra

    These Chakras can also be counted in the reverse order. Accordingly, the Trikon Bindu Chakra or cetanaa-energy Chakra would come first and the Bhupur Chakra would come last.

   Creation of the universe starts from the Bindu, the abode of the Supreme Power (or Sadaa Shiva-energy), symbolizing the truth, the consciousness and the bliss (Sat, Chit, Anand). The Bindu also symbolizes the origin of the Cosmic Consciousness. Through vibrations, Bindu grows into a triangle and the consciousness and power or energy elements can be identified distinctly. The three sides or corners of the triangle are symbolic of the three Powers, namely: 1. The power of will, (Icchaa energy), 2. The power of knowledge (Gyaan energy), and 3. The power of action (Kriyaa energy). From the knowledge point of view, the Bindu symbolizes the ultimate source of language (Para Vak energy) and the three sides or corners of the triangle are the three symbolic of the creative (Pashyanti), cognitive (madhyama), and articulate (Vaikhari) powers of the word or language. Modern psychologists have identified the Pashyanti, Madhyama, and Vaikhari powers as the creative or thinking power of the mind, the language processing power of the brain, and the articulate speaking power of the tongue respectively. The union of Bindu (symbol of energy or energy) and the triangle (symbol of Shiva or consciousness) forms the first syllable (xa), which is also called the seed syllable, or “Biij Akshat”. After creation of the seed syllable, there is creation of other writing symbols. Bindu is also called the sound point of the cosmos (Naad Bindu), and from there all the sounds as well as all the lights originate and produce the word (mantra), and form (yantra).

   The inner circle of Shri Yantra has four cetanaa triangles and five energy triangles. The apexes of the cetanaa triangles are upwards and the apexes of the energy triangles are downwards as shown below:

   The diagrams or formations made through the intersection of the lines of these triangles are also called Chakras, and their number is 9. The are, however, not circular but horzontal as shown below:

 These cetanaa and skakti triangles, when converted into circular form, would appear as below:

A Yantra based on the circular form of triangles may be called Alphabet Yantra and will look as below:

   The first Chakra in the inner circle of the Shri Yantra, or the Alphabet Yantra, is Trikon-Bindu or consciousness-energy Chakra. Thereafter, there are four consciousness Chakras and four energy Chakras. The triangles of consciousness Chakras are depicted blue and called the abodes of Shiva (consciousness). The other areas of the Alphabet Yantra are depicted pink and may be called the abodes of Shakti (energy). The 9 Chakras inside the inner circle of Alphabet Yantra have 89 abodes or places of which 43 are consciousness places and 46 are energy places. The names of these 9 Chakras, their type and the number of places inside them, are given below:

Name of Chakra                                         No. Of Places
1. consciousness-energy Chakra 5 (1 consciousness + 4 energy)
2. Ashtar consciousness Chakra 8
3. Ashtar energy Chakra 8
4. Antardashar consciousness Chakra 10
5. Antardashar energy Chakra 10
6. Bahirdashar consciousness Chakra 10
7. Bahirdashar energy Chakra 10
8. Chaturdashar consciousness Chakra 14
9. Chaturdashar energy Chakra; 14

The inner circle of the Shri Yantra after inserting romanaagarii characters would be as follows:

   The relationship between the places in Chakras of the inner circle of Shri Yantra and the writing symbols of romanaagarii is a remarkable feature! In the field of knowledge, this is an important element which can be a great blessing for the promotion of alphabetic literacy. It will not only facilitate the simplified learning of all the symbols of romanaagarii, but also help in understanding the mysteries of word, language,script and knowledge hidden in the Shri Yantra.

   In accordance with the formation of the triangles of the Alphabet Yantra, romanaagarii can be learnt in 9 very simple lessons. Each lesson shows clearly the relationship between the writing symbols being learnt and the characteristics of different Chakras of the Yantra.

(Please see details in Supreme Knowledge Yantra and Literacy in nine easy steps) It may, however, be clarified that the learning of the Shri Yantra is not essential for the learning of Romanaagarii. Romanaagarii can be learnt without learning about Shri Yantra. A flower will be as useful guide as the Shri Yantra.

0