Ritual

Brahmanda, cosmic spheroid, a
symbol of all-pervasive reality.
Banaras, contemporary traditional
form. Stone.
Lingam with the serpent power,
Kundalini, ascending to its apex.
Banaras, contemporary. Stone.
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womb of Prakriti, symbol of the female principle or the kinetic
aspect giving rise to all vibration and movement. In a state beyond
manifestation or a state of repose or balance, the yoni is represented
by the circle, the central point being the root of the linga. In
differentiated creation, however, or a state of activity it becomes
distinct, and the circle is transformed into a triangle - the yoni, the
source of manifestation. Thus the point, Bindu, in the circle is an
acceptance of all: it neither posits nor negates but incorporates all
into its endless form. These are essential figurations in the
symbolism of tantra, whether expressed in abstract form or
anthropomorphically, as when the Linga-yoni is revealed in the
form of Ardhanarisvara, possessing male and female attributes,
conjoined together, signifying psychic totality.
Through successive stages of the transformation of matter and
its reduction to its absolute essence, the tantric artist's first concern
is to bring out the hidden universality of basic forms. He does not
attempt to absorb something external but releases what he has
experienced inwardly. Concerned with the realities of life, tantra
art is firmly rooted in spiritual values. This form of com-