devata
देवता devatāA deity; the divine power to whom a Vedic hymn is addressed.
Where this term appears
- How many gods does Hinduism have? Deities
…s, a category." Read that way, the ancient phrase trayastrimsati koti devata means "thirty-three classes of deities," not 330 million separate gods.
- Is Hinduism monotheistic or polytheistic? Essentials
Each person may then choose an ishta-devata, a cherished form of the divine, without denying that others reach the same reality through other forms.
- Ishta-Devata: Choosing a Personal Deity Deities
That one is the ishta-devata , the chosen deity, and the simple fact of it answers a question that has confused outsiders for centuries.
- Ishvara, Bhagavan and Brahman: How Hinduism Conceives God Essentials
Hinduism conceives the one ultimate reality under three principal names that mark three ways of approaching it. Brahman is the formless, attributeless Absolute…
- Saguna and Nirguna: Form and the Formless Deities
The ordinary and recommended way in is to take up a chosen deity, an ishta-devata , a single form to love and serve through a consecrated image, and to let the relationship deepen.
- Surya Namaskar: The Sun Salutation Yoga
He is the pratyaksha devata , the perceptible deity, the divine that is not hidden behind an image or a story but crosses the sky every day in plain sight, giving light and warmth and the very possibility of li…
- The Four Streams of Hinduism Essentials
The worshipper may place at the centre whichever deity they love most, their chosen form, the ishta-devata , and worship the other four around it with undiminished respect.
- The Gayatri Mantra Worship
The traditional index runs: rishi , Vishvamitra Gathina. Devata , Savitr.