Psychic Symbol, Mantra & Ishta

An ishta devata is your own personal deity who you bring to mind in times of sadhana practice, gratitude, pain, reflectiveness, spontaneously, or whenever you need. Generally & because you are your own authority, you can choose this deity or form of God. You may already know your ishta intrinsically, it might be one that runs in your family or you might take some time to think one over that will suit your needs. It can be a deity from any belief system or tradition.

This is a extract from Yoga Magazine, The Nature of Mantra by Paramahansa Niranjanananda.

It is possible that some people may receive a mantra which does not correspond to their ishta devata, titular deity. If the mantra is given to a child, it will not matter because he or she will not employ the intellect. But for a person whose intellect is awakened and who belongs to a belief system, this becomes a problem. They will associate the mantra with their belief system, knowing fully well that the real spirit is formless.

Therefore, the psychic symbol given to every initiate on which to focus the concentration while practising the mantra is the same: jyoti, flame of light. Think of the jyoti and allow any image to appear in the jyoti. The image will change of its own accord, and that is the purpose of the symbol. Instead of the ishta devata or our association, we focus on the jyoti because it is both sakara (having a form) and nirakara (formless). Luminosity is the nature of the inner spirit. In our pooja, ritualistic practice, we can stick to our ishta. In mantra sadhana, focus on the jyoti and allow the pratika, image, to take the form of the ishta that it desires. Use the mantra as a tool to awaken this particular quality in yourself.

Krishna & Radhe

Practice ~

Sit in a comfortable meditation position & obtain stillness. Take the focus to the breath & observe the natural breath for a few minutes. Take the awareness to ajna chakra, the eyebrow centre & here visualise a candle flame. Here visualise or imagine your ishta devata. When you are meditating on your ishta devata, visualise or imagine their physical presence, their clothing & symbols that represent their divine qualities. Feel your ishta devata in anahata chakra, your heart space - hold it here. Say your sankalpa/affirmation three times. Chant om three times. Slowly begin to externalise.

By doing this one aspires to undertake sacred works for the good of all (Adhvara), you also invoke the deity into your life. This deity blesses you. You will start to express these noble & divine qualities.

My ishta devata is the Goddess Sarawati.

Saraswati is the goddess of knowledge and arts. She represents the free flow of wisdom and consciousness. She is the mother of the Vedas. Saraswati is the daughter of Lord Shiva and Goddess Durga. It is believed that goddess Saraswati endows human beings with the powers of speech, wisdom and learning. She has four hands representing four aspects of human personality in learning: mind, intellect, alertness and ego. She has sacred scriptures in one hand and a lotus – the symbol of true knowledge – in the second. With her other two hands she plays the music of love and life on a string instrument called the veena. She is dressed in white – the symbol of purity – and rides on a white swan – symbolizing Sattwa Guna or purity and discrimination. Saraswati is also a prominent figure in Buddhist iconography - the consort of Manjushri. Funnily enough, Bodhi's name for himself is Manjush.

"May Goddess Saraswati,
who is fair like the jasmine-colored moon,
and whose pure white garland is like frosty dew drops;
who is adorned in radiant white attire,
on whose beautiful arm rests the veena,
and whose throne is a white lotus;
who is surrounded and respected by the Gods, protect me.
May you fully remove my lethargy, sluggishness, and ignorance."