Who
is Īśvara ईश्वर?
This
write-up lists the attributes and qualities of Īśvara.
Brahman+māyā=Īśvara
Īśvara is the creator of
this jagat – universe.
Any personal deity in our
prayers is given a common generic name Īśvara. Siva, Rudra, Vishnu, Narayana, Durga,
Lakshmi, Saraswati, Ganesha, Skanda, Muruga, Rama, Krishna and so on are Īśvara.
Brahman
≠ Īśvara – The terms Brahman and Īśvara are not identical.
Brahman+māyā=Īśvara
– This is expressed as māyā sahita Brahman is Īśvara.
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This jagat – universe is
manifested by Īśvara with the power of māyā.
Brahman with māyā as upādhi
– limiting adjunct is Īśvara. Brahman which is Sat and Chit is akarta – does
not perform any action and abhokta – does not enjoy or suffer. When associated
with māyā, Brahman creates (as though) this jagat.
Īśvara
is the abhinna-nimitta-upādāna-sahakāri-kāraṇa
of jagat:
Īśvara is karta – creator
and Jagat is karyam – end result. What about kāraṇam?
If Īśvara created this
jagat, where did the material - kāraṇam come from?
Īśvara is abhinna kāraṇa
of jagat: Abinna means that Īśvara is not broken up to provide the material for
jagat.
Īśvara is nimitta kāraṇa
of jagat: Īśvara is the intelligent cause, efficient cause of jagat. Example is
a pot maker.
Īśvara is upādāna kāraṇa
of jagat: Īśvara is the material cause of jagat. Example is the clay which is
used to make the pot.
Īśvara is sahakāri kāraṇa
of jagat: Īśvara is the instrumental cause of jagat. Example is the set of
tools like the potter’s wheel used to create the pot.
Īśvara is the
intelligent, material and instrumental cause of the universe and Īśvara is not
broken up in the process of creation.
Īśvara
is the karma-phala-dātā:
What is karma phalam?: Whatever
action is done by an individual leaves behind it some sort of potency which has
the power to ordain for him joy or sorrow in the future according as it is good
or bad. When the fruits of the actions are such that they cannot be enjoyed in
the present life or in a human life, the individual has to take another birth
as a man or any other being in order to suffer them.
Karma phalam and punar
janma – rebirth thus imply each other.
By means of choice and
free will, an individual is responsible for karma – karma hetu. One can do it,
not do it or do it differently - kartum akartum anyatha va kartum. An
individual has a choice over one’s action, but the results of the action. The
results can be either what that person expected or not what he expected. Īśvara
is the karma-phala-dātā – Īśvara adminsters the law of karma and the results
are in accordance with one’s punya and papa.
Karma Yoga is performing
one's duty with Īśvarārpaṇa buddhi and accepting the phala with prasāda-buddhi.
Īśvara
is the dharma-adhyakṣa:
Īśvara ordains the the
universal order – rta ऋत of this jagat. Ṛta (ऋतं
ṛtaṃ) is the principle of natural order which regulates and coordinates the
operation of the universe and everything within it. Veda describes Ṛta as that which is ultimately
responsible for the proper functioning of the natural, moral and sacrificial
orders.
Dharma is the codex of
social and ritual ordinances which uphold Ṛta.
Īśvara
is virāt:
Īśvara represents the
samaṣṭi (collective) of every vyaṣṭi (individual) in this world. Vyaṣṭi
includes everything, both cetana (conscious) and jaḍa (inert). And as the
samaṣṭi, he is more than the sum total of the vyaṣṭi.
This jagat is verily the
virāt (cosmic) svarūpa of Īśvara. Īśvara is all of what pronouns 'He', 'She'
and 'It' can represent. Īśvara stands for what is known and the unknown.
Virāt is the Samashti
(collective) Sthula Sarira Abhimani. The Chaitanya that is reflected in the sum
total of all physical bodies (cosmic) and all physical objects in the macrocosm
is Virat. Vaisvanara is another name tor Virat.
Reference:
- Explanation
of Īśvara
Īśvara
is Bhagavān:
Bhagavān is the one who
has bhaga, the six-fold virtues in absolute measure.
भगः अस्य अस्ति इति भगवान्
bhagaḥ asya asti iti
bhagavān
The one who has bhaga is
called Bhagavān. It is said in the Vishnu Purana (6.5.74)
ऐश्वर्यस्य समग्रस्य वीर्यस्य यशसः श्रियः।
ज्ञान-वैराग्ययोश्चैव षण्णां भग इतीरणा॥
aiśvaryasya samagrasya
vīryasya yaśasaḥ śriyaḥ |
jñāna-vairāgyayoścaiva
ṣaṇṇāṁ bhaga itīraṇā ||
Total and absolute
overlordship, power, wealth, dispassion, fame and knowledge are known as bhaga.
These are: all knowledge,
jnana; total dispassion, vairagya; the capacity to create, sustain, and
resolve, virya; absolute fame, yasas; all wealth, sri; and overlordship,
aisvarya.
Reference:- Meaning
of Bhagavan
Gita
Chapter 11 – विश्वरूपदर्शनयोगः - viśvarūpadarśanayogaḥ
Visvarupa is Īśvara from
the standpoint of the physical universe. If you look upon this entire creation
as the form, the body of Isvara, we have what we call virat, caitanya in the
form of cosmos, called the cosmic person. Virāt means vividham rajate, the one
who appears in varieties of forms. That single form, which includes all forms
is called the cosmic form, virāt-svarupā. It establishes that nothing is
outside Īśvara.
Īśvara has all the auspicious qualities – kalyana
gunas – as described in Bhagavad Gita Chapter 11.