Ishtadeva orishtadevata (Sanskrit: इष्ट देव(ता),iṣṭa-deva(tā), literally "cherisheddivinity" fromiṣṭa, "personal, liked, cherished, preferred" anddevatā, "godhead, divinity,tutelary deity" ordeva, "deity"), is a term used inHinduism denoting a worshipper's favourite deity.[1][2]
It is especially significant to both theSmarta andBhakti schools, wherein practitioners choose to worship the form of God that inspires them. WithinSmartism, one of five chief deities is selected. Even in denominations that focus on a singular concept of God, such asVaishnavism, the ishta-deva concept exists. For example, inVaishnavism, special focus is given to a particular form ofVishnu or one of hisavataras (i.e.Krishna orRama). Similarly withinShaktism, focus is given to a particular form of the Goddess such asParvati orLakshmi. TheSwaminarayan sect of Vaishnavism has a similar concept, but notably holds that Vishnu andShiva are different aspects of the same God.[3]
The "worship of the five forms" (pañcāyatana pūjā) system, which was popularized byAdi Shankara among orthodox Brahmins of theSmārta tradition, invokes the five deitiesGanesha,Vishnu,Shiva,Shakti, andSūrya.[4][5] This system was instituted by Adi Shankara primarily to unite the principal deities of the five major sects (Gāṇapatya, Śaiva, Vaiṣṇava, Shakta and Saura) on an equal status. Themonistic philosophy preached by Adi Shankara made it possible to choose one of these as a preferred principal deity and at the same time worship the other four deities as different forms of the same all-pervadingBrahman.[citation needed]
 | This sectiondoes notcite anysources. Please helpimprove this section byadding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged andremoved.(January 2015) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
Typically a practitioner worships their Ishta-Deva through the form of amurti. This worship may involve offering items to their chosen divinity such asincense or flowers, recitingmantras,singing their names and offeringprayers.
Remembering the deity and internally building a relationship with (or through) them is considered essential to the practise. Within theAdvaita schools it is believed that thehumanmind needs a concrete form to understand the divine that ultimately can never be defined. Just as one can understand the abstract concept of acolor only after one has seen a concrete form, one can only realize the deity through a form ofmurti. In contrast, theDvaita schools believe the Supreme Being to possess a divine form, and offer worship to their Ishta-Deva as either a representation or direct expansion of the Supreme Person. For example,Vaishnava schools offer worship exclusively to murtis of Vishnu, or his associated avatars such asKrishna orRama.
Shaivites worship Shiva, either figuratively, or through hisLingam murti. As Shaivism contains both monistic and dualistic traditions either (or both) of the above approaches may be applicable.
