Iṣṭa-devatā

He is connected, and he never loses this connection.

He sees in every living entity, not only humans, beloved Ishtadev.

He even sees the opportunity to serve beloved Ishtadev in dead matters, because he sees them like Nittai.

But this is a high topic, which has to be realized.

but first properly understood and felt.

He has a strong, tasting bhajan, never giving up bhajan because rati, this middle stage, intermediate stage between sadhana and prema bhakti is blooming with full bhakti.

This is someone who awakened his dormant love And now this dormant love is blossoming and spreading the aroma of his love.

And this aroma is attracting Ishtadev even more.

And this is the anchor.

And being able to say that I have an Ishta Devata, to be able to confide with somebody the happinesses and sadnesses, mostly sadnesses, that you go through, that you cannot express to anybody, that's a powerful healer, right? Otherwise, we'll all go nuts.

And in some ways, I think it is also codified that if you think about the Upanishads, it's not like there's some separate book in the Vedas.

In fact, within the four, the Chaturvedas, the Upanishads are sprinkled in between mostly Karmakanda.

It's very helpful.

In Vedanta, of course, we have the whole range of Ishta Devata and Mantra.

So what is the Ishta Devata? What is the deity? It is you, the pure consciousness.

Now because you cannot objectify it, What is done is Maya helpfully provides you with sattvic names and forms, divine names and forms, which will not obstruct the real nature.

Everything else obstructs our real nature as Brahman.

So when you realize Satchitananda, what are you realizing? You're realizing yourself, your real nature.

But an intermediate technology is to make things easier that same Satchitananda clothed in name and form, which is the god of religion.

So until the realization of Aham Brahmasmi, one very good, powerful and I think necessary support is Ishta Mantra and Ishta Devata.

And every Puranas have various avatars of not just Bhagavan Vishnu.

We have for all Ishta Devatas, we have lots of avatars.

They take a body and come to the world.

And the bodies that the Ishwara takes can be seen in various ways.

It's a, a feminine master manifestation, representation of enlightened energy.

Um, in, in the Vedic traditions, this could be related somewhat to the idea of the Ishta Devata.

In, uh, in, in the Tibetan Vajrayana tra- tradition, um, uh, it's, you know, it's some kind of representation of, of your...

Language gets a little bit, a higher self or a more, more authentic connection to beingness.

And Adi Shankaracharya is believed to be an avatar of Lord Shiva.

Nevertheless, his Ishta Devata, his chosen deity, is Lord Vishnu, Narayana.

We see it in different places.

And here also, he is opening with the word Narayana, and this is the invocation.

Now, you know, many of you must have heard about the story of Satiji, but I'll tell you one so that it comes, recalls in your memory.

So what happened now, for Bhagwan Shiva, Ramji is his Ishta Devta.

He's his deity.

He's a god he worships.