Ishvara
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Ishvara (ईश्वर in devanagari script, pronunciation /i:sh vərə/), also variously transliterated (romanized) as Īshvara, Īshwara, Īshwar, Īśvara, etc. (Sanskrit: "the Supreme Lord, and hence the Cosmic Controller") is a Hindu philosophical concept of God meaning 'that entity or the Supreme Being which is the lord and the ruler of everything'. It is also used in Buddhism to mean 'lord' or 'master', eg, Avalokiteshvara. When referring to God as female, particularly in Shaktism, the feminine "Ishvari" is sometimes used.
Hinduism uses the term Ishvara exclusively to refer to the One and the Supreme God in a monotheistic sense. The Atharva Veda explicitly says that Ishvara is an epithet of the Supreme Spirit Brahman. This term should not be confused with the various demi-gods within Hinduism, called devas. Often in popular speach the terms Ishvara, Paramatman and Bhagavan are used interchangeably for God, however each word has its own specific meaning in the original scriptural context. Ishvara is also used to denote a "lord" in a temporal sense, as any master or king (a dual usage also found in English).
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[edit] Schools of thought
Among the six systems of Hindu philosophy, Samkhya and Mimamsa do not believe in the concept of Ishvara as a personal controller.
The philosophy of Nyāya or Indian logic, though theistic, earlier said very little about Ishvara [citation needed]. But later they became vehement supporters of belief in Ishvara, as opposed to the Buddhists who, though agnostic, had at that time been vehement atheists. The followers of Nyāya system, called Naiyānikas, gave elaborate "proofs" for the existence of God based on logic.
The concept of Ishvara was also used by Maharshi Kaņāda, the Indian philosopher and founder of the school of Vaisheshika Philosophy, (in present day Afghanistan) in its meaning as the ultimate cause behind all causes. Ishvara is that entity, according to Vaisheshika, which controls the association of particles in the universe. Vaisheshika however failed to explain the exact relation between this Ishvara and the creation, effectively creating a dualistic philosophy instead of a monistic one.
Similarly, the school of Mīmamsā did not say much about Ishvara. Though they fully believe in Vedas and Vedas talk about Ishvara, their school did not believe in an omnipotent God and instead, place the power in the "divine magic" of the yajñas or fire-sacrifices. Even the celestial spirits (the Devas) have a very nominal place in this philosophy.
The Vedanta school fully believes in Ishvara. The Advaita sub-school is highly monistic. It says that the Supreme Cosmic Spirit or Brahman is the only actual reality in the world, and everything else is illusionary, including the universe. Since Brahman, according to this school, is without attributes (it is the subject of meditation and not worship), it is a concept even beyond God. For them, Ishvara is Brahman which is manifested upon the material world due to a complex illusionary power called Māyā. Ishvara can be given all positive attributes (Saguna Brahman) like being worshippable, omnipotent, omniscient, omnipresent, merciful, etc but the ultimate reality remains Brahman and nothing else. The other sub-schools tend to identify Brahman with Ishvara to various degrees, and in turn Ishvara is identified with their favorite deity like Vishnu or Krishna.
[edit] In Advaita Vedanta
According to the many advaitins, Saguna Brahma or Ishvara (īśvara, Hindi Ishvar), in Hindu philosophy, is God or Supreme Consciousness with gunas (qualities or attributes). This contrasts with Nirguna Brahman, the Supreme Consciousness or Supreme Spirit, ie, Brahman beyond the attributes.
However according to the Vaishnava traditions of Vedanta, the definition saguna Brahman given by adwaitins has many mistakes. The form of Lord is never saguna Brahman. It is always nirguna Brahman. Nirguna Brahman means no material attributes. But there are spiritual attributes, like absolute existence, absolute cognizance and absolute bliss. It is the positive side of spiritual dimension. However the word saguna indicates material qualities. Therefore saguna brahman according to Baladeva Vidyabusana indicates the living entities and not God.
The Sanskrit word Ishvara, literally "master, lord" (also used to denote "lord" in a secular sense, as any master or king.), frequently translated as "the Supreme Lord", is used to refer to the One and the Supreme God in a monotheistic sense. In Hindi it is used interchangeably with Bhagwan. The Atharva Veda uses Ishvara as an epithet of the Brahman.
According to Advaita philosophy the universe or creation comes about by the imbalance of the three gunas (sattva, rajas and tamas) within the cosmic mind of Brahman. Nirguna Brahman is beyond mind but Saguna Brahman can said to be floating within the infinite Nirguna Brahma like an iceberg in an endless ocean of water. Saguna Brahman is equated with Ishvara, in turn sometimes equated with a certain personal form of God (such as Shiva or Krishna). Advaita philosophy says that Ishvara or God is simply Brahman who is manifested into the material universe due to a complex illusionary power called Maya.
[edit] In Dvaita Vedanta
In response to statments made regarding Ishvara in advaita vedanta, the Vaishnava and dvaita schools give the argument, "How can Ishvara, the supreme controller, come under the influence of illusion? If God were to come under illusion, illusion would be greater God. If the supreme controller were to come under the control of illusion, He would no longer be supreme. Therefore the proposition makes no sense."[1]
Dvaita philosophical schools consider the material world to be Saguna Brahman. God is never spoken about as Saguna Brahman by the dwaitins. However the infinitesimal living being is called saguna Brahman. This is because even though the living entity is of the same quality as the Supreme Lord (which means that living being is also nirguna), it can be covered by maya, which is the energy working under the direction of Supreme Lord only, and thus has the potency to cover the spiritual nature of the living being. In this state, when covered by maya, the infinitesimal living entity is called Saguna Brahman.
[edit] Notes
- ^ This argument is made by A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, for example in his commentary on 3.6.34 of the Bhagavata Purana.
