shankara
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- Apr 23, 2018
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In Sanatana Dharma (Hinduism), it is widely considered that the Ultimate Divinity is incomprehensible, beyond concepts and words. Though it may be possible to ascribe some kind of labels, such as Sat-Chit-Ananda (Eternity, Knowledge, and Bliss) to this Ultimate Reality, it remains in many ways inaccessible, in the sense of not being able to be directly realized or entered into. It would even be possible to say that it is beyond even extremes like Existence/Non-Existence, and thus it is irrelevant whether or not we “believe” in it. This Ultimate Reality is sometimes referred to as Parabrahman.
Sanatana Dharma is not polytheistic. It is Pantheistic and Monistic. However it accepts the idea of various Gods and Goddesses, in the sense of each being representations of different aspects of the Ultimate Reality. Shiva, the ultimate yogi in utterly immovable meditative stability, Krishna, the god of love who dances with the gopis, Kali, the Divine Mother of time and death (Adi-Shakti). Though certain less developed philosophical schools regard one or another of these Deities as being the sole ultimate reality, with some particular form, attributes, personality, within the Advaita (non-dual) school, they are seen for what they are – means of accessing the incomprehensible Ultimate Reality, by giving it some form and attributes representing a particular part of That Which Is.
Tibetan Buddhism also has the idea of a multitude of Gods and Goddesses, which within that system essentially represent different types of enlightened psychological states. This is not a vastly different idea to the Advaita, though it has its own peculiarities, and rejects the various Sanatana philosophies. The Tibetans call the “personal God” of any practitioner the “Yidam”, whereas in Sanatana Dharma it is known as the Ishta-Devata (meaning “cherished Divinity”). This is the particular form to which a practitioner devotes him or herself, meditates upon, recites the name and praises of.
Clearly, every one of us have our own psychological peculiarity, our own particular “soul” which gravitates towards certain things, and rejects others. Perhaps it is personality, something arising in our particular present life, perhaps it is something unchanging in our fundamental nature. Either way, the religious process should be tailored to each person’s individual centre of gravity, and primary attractions. This draws the forces of the person’s spirit in their natural direction, without attempting to distort or repress their way of being, whilst also leading them towards the ultimate goal of self-realization, Moksha, Nirvana, whatever one wishes to call it.
In the East, an Ishta-Devata might be chosen by a Guru, some holy person acting as a guide. They may bring the blessings of an ancient lineage, perhaps stretching back to the living incarnation of some particular deity. However not every Guru really holds such blessings, possesses such capacities. Many, it must be said, are like the “merchants in the temple”. In any case, in the West it is very difficult to come into contact with these things, and hence we are “out on our own” to some degree. We must find our way by ourselves, and one of the keys to finding our way is to find an Ishta-Devata, the particular form of Divinity which we are most attracted to.
Every form, be it Shiva, Parvati, Sarasvati, Vishnu, represents some particular aspect, as already mentioned – but to realize that aspect is to realize the whole, just as one might be able to enter into one place by many different gates. The key in finding an Ishta-Devata is simply to discover the form which we are most attracted to. It is said that there are different kinds of devotional relationships, in which the deity is taken either as the supreme controller of the universe, a master, a friend, a son or daughter, or as one beloved. Some believe there is a hierarchy in this, that devotion to divinity as a son or daughter is higher than as a friend (for example), but perhaps this hierarchical view is rather arbitrary. One must decide for oneself.
Anyway, the Ishta-Devata is simply the one we are drawn to, the one we find most attractive, the one we would want to meet and know. We shouldn’t carry the hangups of the “monotheistic” religions (which are no more monotheistic than Sanatana Dharma anyway), seeing some deities as “superior” to others. Yes, perhaps the “major” deities with some serious tradition of practise are the ones we should take as Ishta-Devata, some of the “minor” deities being more magical forms invoked for specific benefits than aspects of Divinity. But there is certainly no difference between Krishna and Kali, or Durga and Shiva, however much certain partisan and sectarian devotees might wish to convince people otherwise.
Love is the way, and love is the fruit. The Deity you are in love with will be the way in which you come to access Ultimate Reality. The unique quality of your own soul or personality, is also a unique quality of Divinity. You don’t even need to worship only one particular deity, it is quite ok to be attracted to different divinities each in their own way. The important thing is that you practise, this cannot be stressed enough. There may be different prohibitions and demands attached to adoring different forms, however the key is always devotion, Bhakti Yoga, before all else. This means the regular recitation of the Deity’s mantra or name, calling upon them with love (or in confusion, or in being lost, or however you are doing). Bhakti Yoga is considered by many to be the highest spiritual path, and it is certain that Bhakti to the Ishta-Devata will always bear positive fruits.
The funny thing is, you are likely already doing this. If you are practising any religion, you are already worshipping some particular Ishta-Devata. All of the various teachings were originally nothing more than particular ways of understanding Parabrahman, tailored to particular peoples and particular circumstances. They even remain that way, except their followers have become chauvinistic, denying the Divinity of other Divinities, trying to impose their way of thinking upon others. Really they would do better to celebrate every unique manifestation of the Truth, every path which leads to the same destination by a different route. This is a cliched statement, something which has been said many times before, but nonetheless it is important to say in the interests of harmony and “live and let live”.
The Ishta-Devata is your individual path, the junction between the subjective “self” and the objective “absolute”. We will always be happier if we don’t let others put us in some particular mould, attempt to distort us to conform to their perception of what we should be and believe. To worship the Ishta-Devata is to “follow your heart”.
Shantih
Sanatana Dharma is not polytheistic. It is Pantheistic and Monistic. However it accepts the idea of various Gods and Goddesses, in the sense of each being representations of different aspects of the Ultimate Reality. Shiva, the ultimate yogi in utterly immovable meditative stability, Krishna, the god of love who dances with the gopis, Kali, the Divine Mother of time and death (Adi-Shakti). Though certain less developed philosophical schools regard one or another of these Deities as being the sole ultimate reality, with some particular form, attributes, personality, within the Advaita (non-dual) school, they are seen for what they are – means of accessing the incomprehensible Ultimate Reality, by giving it some form and attributes representing a particular part of That Which Is.
Tibetan Buddhism also has the idea of a multitude of Gods and Goddesses, which within that system essentially represent different types of enlightened psychological states. This is not a vastly different idea to the Advaita, though it has its own peculiarities, and rejects the various Sanatana philosophies. The Tibetans call the “personal God” of any practitioner the “Yidam”, whereas in Sanatana Dharma it is known as the Ishta-Devata (meaning “cherished Divinity”). This is the particular form to which a practitioner devotes him or herself, meditates upon, recites the name and praises of.
Clearly, every one of us have our own psychological peculiarity, our own particular “soul” which gravitates towards certain things, and rejects others. Perhaps it is personality, something arising in our particular present life, perhaps it is something unchanging in our fundamental nature. Either way, the religious process should be tailored to each person’s individual centre of gravity, and primary attractions. This draws the forces of the person’s spirit in their natural direction, without attempting to distort or repress their way of being, whilst also leading them towards the ultimate goal of self-realization, Moksha, Nirvana, whatever one wishes to call it.
In the East, an Ishta-Devata might be chosen by a Guru, some holy person acting as a guide. They may bring the blessings of an ancient lineage, perhaps stretching back to the living incarnation of some particular deity. However not every Guru really holds such blessings, possesses such capacities. Many, it must be said, are like the “merchants in the temple”. In any case, in the West it is very difficult to come into contact with these things, and hence we are “out on our own” to some degree. We must find our way by ourselves, and one of the keys to finding our way is to find an Ishta-Devata, the particular form of Divinity which we are most attracted to.
Every form, be it Shiva, Parvati, Sarasvati, Vishnu, represents some particular aspect, as already mentioned – but to realize that aspect is to realize the whole, just as one might be able to enter into one place by many different gates. The key in finding an Ishta-Devata is simply to discover the form which we are most attracted to. It is said that there are different kinds of devotional relationships, in which the deity is taken either as the supreme controller of the universe, a master, a friend, a son or daughter, or as one beloved. Some believe there is a hierarchy in this, that devotion to divinity as a son or daughter is higher than as a friend (for example), but perhaps this hierarchical view is rather arbitrary. One must decide for oneself.
Anyway, the Ishta-Devata is simply the one we are drawn to, the one we find most attractive, the one we would want to meet and know. We shouldn’t carry the hangups of the “monotheistic” religions (which are no more monotheistic than Sanatana Dharma anyway), seeing some deities as “superior” to others. Yes, perhaps the “major” deities with some serious tradition of practise are the ones we should take as Ishta-Devata, some of the “minor” deities being more magical forms invoked for specific benefits than aspects of Divinity. But there is certainly no difference between Krishna and Kali, or Durga and Shiva, however much certain partisan and sectarian devotees might wish to convince people otherwise.
Love is the way, and love is the fruit. The Deity you are in love with will be the way in which you come to access Ultimate Reality. The unique quality of your own soul or personality, is also a unique quality of Divinity. You don’t even need to worship only one particular deity, it is quite ok to be attracted to different divinities each in their own way. The important thing is that you practise, this cannot be stressed enough. There may be different prohibitions and demands attached to adoring different forms, however the key is always devotion, Bhakti Yoga, before all else. This means the regular recitation of the Deity’s mantra or name, calling upon them with love (or in confusion, or in being lost, or however you are doing). Bhakti Yoga is considered by many to be the highest spiritual path, and it is certain that Bhakti to the Ishta-Devata will always bear positive fruits.
The funny thing is, you are likely already doing this. If you are practising any religion, you are already worshipping some particular Ishta-Devata. All of the various teachings were originally nothing more than particular ways of understanding Parabrahman, tailored to particular peoples and particular circumstances. They even remain that way, except their followers have become chauvinistic, denying the Divinity of other Divinities, trying to impose their way of thinking upon others. Really they would do better to celebrate every unique manifestation of the Truth, every path which leads to the same destination by a different route. This is a cliched statement, something which has been said many times before, but nonetheless it is important to say in the interests of harmony and “live and let live”.
The Ishta-Devata is your individual path, the junction between the subjective “self” and the objective “absolute”. We will always be happier if we don’t let others put us in some particular mould, attempt to distort us to conform to their perception of what we should be and believe. To worship the Ishta-Devata is to “follow your heart”.
Shantih
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