| Ishana | |
|---|---|
Regent of the Northeast Direction[1] | |
 | |
| Affiliation | Shiva,Deva |
| Gender | Male |
Ishana (Sanskrit: ईशान,IAST: Īśāna), is aHindu god and thedikpala of the northeast direction. He is often considered to be one of the forms of the godShiva,[2][3] and is also often counted among the elevenRudras.[3] He is venerated inHinduism,[4][2][5] some schools ofBuddhism[6] andJainism.[7] In theVastu Shastra, the north-eastern corner of a plot of land is referred to as "Ishana".[8] Ishana also shares qualities withSamhara Bhairava and is therefore a part of theAshta Bhairava.
Ishana is described as having three eyes, a tranquil appearance and white complexion, dressed with a white cloth and a tiger's skin.[9] On his head, ajata-makuta which has on top of it the crescent moon must be placed.[9]
He may be seated on a white bull, or simply in thepadmasana though being seated on the bull is preferred.[9]
If he is represented with only two arms, his hands must carry a trident and akapala or one of the hands (the left one generally) might be in thevaradamudra; if, however, he has four hands, the two front ones should be sculptured as playing upon aveena and the others are to be held in thevarada andabhayamudras.[9] Gopinatha Rao suggests that description might be incorrect, as the veena must be held only by the hands of the front pair of arms, which are also the very hands that are necessarily to be in thevarada andabhaya poses.[9]
When represented in Lingam form along with the other Panchabrahmas, his face, uncarved, would face upward.[10]
One verse of the Linga Purana describes Ishana as having three feet, seven hands, four horns and two heads[11] while in one verse of the Shiva Purana, he is described as "resembling pure crystal".[12]
An early mention of Ishana is in one of the Pañchabrahma Mantrāṇī found in the Taittiriya Aranyaka (TA 10.21.1)[13][14] of theKrishna Yajurveda (c.1200 BCE):
Translation by Sabharathnam Sivacharyar:
Ishana is also mentioned in theVajasaneyi Madhyandiniya Samhita of theShukla Yajurveda (VS 27.35),[15] which theShiva Purana calls the "Ishana Mantra",[16] though the Purana calls a different verse from the same Samhita which also mentions Ishana (VS 39.8)[17] the "Ishana Mantra" as well.[18]
Several Puranas mention Ishana; a few of them are detailed here:
In the Shiva Purana, Ishana is described as a form or aspect of Shiva.[19][20] The Purana states that Ishana bestows knowledge and riches on those with intelligence, while curbing evil-doers.[21] Ishana is declared to be the form of Shiva presiding over the ear, speech, sound and ether as well as the "individual soul, the enjoyer ofPrakriti".[22]
The Purana also asserts that the "Ishana Mantra" should be recited when fixingLingams to pedestals,[16] when wearingrudraksha beads on the head[18] or (only for some) when wearingsacred ash.[23]
One verse of theLinga Purana describes Ishana as "the omnipresent lord of all".[24] In another verse, one who makes the idol of Ishana is said to be "honoured in the world of Vishnu."[11] In one verse, he is said to hold an axe[25] while in another, he is described as wielding a trident.[26] Ishana described as being stationed in every being as the organ of speech.[27]
The Purana mentions Ishana as one of the deities present atDaksha's sacrifice who was attacked byVirabhadra.[28] He is also described as having attended thesvayamvara of Parvati to Shiva.[29]
The Brahmavaivarta Purana states that Ishana was born out of the left eye ofKrishna. He is described as wearing tiger's skin, adorned with a crescent crown on his head, possessing three eyes and holding a trident, patissa (sword) and club. He became the leader of the Dikpalas.[30]
The Pañchabrahmas are five specific aspects of Shiva collectively taken together.[31] These aspects includeSadyojata,Vamadeva,Aghora, Tatpurusha, and Ishana.[31] Each of these aspects are glorified in their own mantra in the Pañchabrahma Mantrani present in the Taittiriya Aranyaka (TA 10.17-21).[13]
These aspects of Shiva are often depicted infive-faced Lingams which Stella Kramrisch states are physical equivalents of the five Pañchabrahma Mantrani, with each face of the five-faced lingams corresponding to one of the Mantras and representing a particular manifestation of Shiva.[32]
As one of the Panchabrahmas, Ishana is the source of spontaneous grace directed to all beings and to all worlds.[33]
According toVastu Shastra, it is auspicious for homes and offices to be situated in the northeast. North is the direction wealth resides, associated withKubera, while East is the direction where knowledge resides, associated withIndra. For this reason, Ishana symbolizes the culmination of both knowledge and wealth.[citation needed]
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He is a chief among the gods ofParanirmitavaśavarti, the sixth heaven of theKāmadhātu.
According to theAinōshō, there is a theory that this deity is synonymous withPāpīyas as well as theShinto deityIzanagi. TheJinnō Shōtōki also states that there is a theory that the names of Japan's primordial creator godsIzanagi andIzanami are the same as the Sanskrit names Īśāna and Īśānī.
Īśānī is Īśāna's consort. According to theSecret Storehouse Records (祕藏記) she is flesh white in color and wields aspear.
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