Ishvara

Ishvara is a Sanskrit term meaning lord or ruler and is used in Hinduism to denote a personal deity or the supreme controller of the universe. The word can refer to a specific god such as Vishnu, Shiva, or Devi, or to a broader sense of a personal, governing principle behind creation, preservation, and dissolution.

In Hindu philosophy, interpretations of Ishvara vary. In Advaita Vedanta, Ishvara denotes the saguna (with form and attributes) aspect of Brahman, the ultimate reality, who governs the world within the cosmic illusion of maya. Liberation, however, is realization of non-duality with Brahman beyond all attributes, including Ishvara. In the vaishnava and shiva traditions, Ishvara is often identified with the supreme personal God—Vishnu or Krishna in Vaishnavism, and Shiva in Shaivism—who possesses characteristics, performs cosmic functions, and is the focus of devoted worship. In these schools, Ishvara is both the creator and sustainer of the world and the object of devotion (bhakti).

The term appears throughout the Vedas, Upanishads, and later devotional and philosophical literature as a designation for the divine governor or Supreme Being. While some schools equate Ishvara with Brahman, others distinguish between Brahman as the impersonal ultimate reality and Ishvara as the personal, relatable aspect of God who interacts with the world and devotees. Ishvara thus functions as a key concept bridging metaphysical discourse and devotional practice across Hindu traditions.