Ishvara

Ishvara 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 Supreme God in a monotheistic sense. This term should not be confused with the various demi-gods within Hinduism, called devas. Often in popular speech the Hindu 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).

Among the six systems of Hindu philosophy, Samkhya and Mimamsa do not believe in the concept of Ishvara. The four monotheistic schools: Yoga, Vaisheshika, Vedanta and Nyaya believe in the existence of an Ishvara.

The conception of Ishvara in Hinduism is very much dependent on the particular school of thought.

 Vedanta
Advaitism holds that when human beings think of Brahman, the Supreme Cosmic Spirit is projected upon the limited, finite human mind and appears as Ishvara. Therefore, the mind projects human attributes, such as personality, motherhood, and fatherhood on the Supreme Being. An interesting metaphor is that when the "reflection" of the Cosmic Spirit falls upon the mirror of Maya (Māyā; the principle of illusion, which binds the mind), it appears as the Supreme Lord. God (as in Brahman) is not thought to have such attributes in the true sense.owever it may be helpful to project such attributes onto God — the myriad names and forms of God one finds in Hinduism are all human-constructed ways for approaching the divine.

In Vishishtadvaita, Ishvara is the Supreme Cosmic Spirit who maintains complete control over the Universe and all the sentient beings, which together also form the pan-organistic body of Ishvara. The triad of Ishvara along with the universe and the sentient beings is Brahman, which signifies the completeness of existence. Ishvara is Parabrahman endowed with innumerable auspicious qualities (Kalyana Gunas). Ishvara is perfect, omniscient, omnipresent, incorporeal,[3] independent, Creator of the world, its active ruler and also the eventual destroyer. He is causeless, eternal and unchangeable — and is yet the material and the efficient cause of the world. He is both immanent (like whiteness in milk) and transcendent (like a watch-maker independent of a watch). He is the subject of worship. He is the basis of morality and giver of the fruits of one's Karma. He rules the world with His Māyā — His divine power.

According to the Dvaita school, Ishvara possesses all the qualities seen in Vishishtadvaita. However, Ishvara is only the efficient but not the material cause of the Universe and the sentient beings. Thus, Dvaitism does not separate Ishwara and Brahman, and does not believe that the highest form of Brahman is attributeless, or that Ishwara is incorporeal. Instead, Ishvara is the highest form of truth and worship of God involves belief in God as an infinite and yet personal and loving being.

Thus, in addition to their belief in the abstract principle of Brahman, most Hindus worship God on a day-to-day basis in one of God's less abstract personal forms, such as Vishnu, Shiva, or Shakti. Some Hindus worship these personal forms of God for a practical reason: it is easier to cultivate devotion to a personal being than to an abstract principle. Therefore, the Hindu scriptures depict God not only as an abstract principle or concept, but also as a personal being, much like the Yahweh in the Judeo-Christian religions.