Ishana

Ishana is described as having three eyes, a tranquil appearance and white complexion, dressed with a white cloth and a tiger's skin.{{Cite book |last=Gopinatha Rao |first=T. A. |url=http://archive.org/details/ElementsOfHinduIconographyVol.IIPartII |title=Elements Of Hindu Iconography, Vol. II Part II |date=1916 |pages=537–538}} On his head, a jata-makuta which has on top of it the crescent moon must be placed.

He may be seated on a white bull, or simply in the padmasana though being seated on the bull is preferred.

If he is represented with only two arms, his hands must carry a trident and a kapala or one of the hands (the left one generally) might be in the varadamudra; if, however, he has four hands, the two front ones should be sculptured as playing upon a veena and the others are to be held in the varada and abhaya mudras. Gopinatha Rao suggests that description might be incorrect, as the veena must be held only by the hands of the front pair of arms, which are also the very hands that are necessarily to be in the varada and abhaya poses.

When represented in Lingam form along with the other Panchabrahmas, his face, uncarved, would face upward.{{cite magazine |author= |date=July 2012 |title=Five Powers of Siva : Sadasiva in the Agama Scriptures |url=https://www.himalayanacademy.com/media/books/five-powers-of-siva_ei/five-powers-of-siva_ei.pdf |url-status=live |magazine=Hinduism Today |location=Kapaa, Hawaii |publisher=Himalayan Academy |page=51 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170925013113/https://www.himalayanacademy.com/media/books/five-powers-of-siva_ei/five-powers-of-siva_ei.pdf |archive-date=25 September 2017 |access-date=10 August 2021}}

One verse of the Linga Purana describes Ishana as having three feet, seven hands, four horns and two heads while in one verse of the Shiva Purana, he is described as "resembling pure crystal".{{Cite book |last=J.L.Shastri |url=http://archive.org/details/SivaPuranaJ.L.ShastriPart4 |title=Siva Purana - English Translation - Part 4 of 4 |date=1950 |publisher=Motilal Banarsidass |pages=2036}}

An early mention of Ishana is in one of the Pañchabrahma Mantrāṇī found in the Taittiriya Aranyaka (TA 10.21.1){{cite magazine|author=|date=July 2012|title=Five Powers of Siva : Sadasiva in the Agama Scriptures|url=https://www.himalayanacademy.com/media/books/five-powers-of-siva_ei/five-powers-of-siva_ei.pdf|url-status=live|magazine=Hinduism Today|location=Kapaa, Hawaii|publisher=Himalayan Academy|page=49|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170925013113/https://www.himalayanacademy.com/media/books/five-powers-of-siva_ei/five-powers-of-siva_ei.pdf|archive-date=25 September 2017|access-date=10 August 2021}}{{Cite web|last=Sarma|first=Subramania|date=November 2005|title=Taittiriya Aranyaka Edited By Subramania Sarma|url=http://www.sanskritweb.net/yajurveda/ta-comb.pdf|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170810021245/http://www.sanskritweb.net/yajurveda/ta-comb.pdf|archive-date=10 August 2017|access-date=9 August 2021|website=SanskritWeb}} of the Krishna Yajurveda (c.1200 BCE):

: {{lang|sa|ईशानस्सर्वविद्यानां ईश्वरस्सर्वभूतानां ब्रह्माधिपतिर्ब्रह्मणोऽधिपतिर्ब्रह्माशिवो मे अस्तु सदाशिवोम्।}}

: {{IAST|īśānassarvavidyānām īśvara-ssarvabhūtānām-brahmādhipatir-brahmaṇo’dhipatir-brahmā-śivo me astu sadāśivom}}

Translation by Sabharathnam Sivacharyar:

:"Lord Ishana—the Supreme Lord and Revealer of little knowledge through lord Ishvara and spiritual disciplines, the nourisher and controller of all living beings, the Directing Lord of northeast, He who is the guided by main direct authority of the Vidyeshvaras, who directs Brahma, Vishnu and others—may He who is vidyeshwara present Himself in this Sivalinga. By such benign presence, let there occur absolute purity and auspiciousness in Shiva. Om"

Ishana is also mentioned in the Vajasaneyi Madhyandiniya Samhita of the Shukla Yajurveda (VS 27.35),{{Cite web|title=Samhita Patha 21-30 – Adhyaya – 27 {{!}} Vedic Heritage Portal|url=https://vedicheritage.gov.in/samhitas/yajurveda/vajasneyi-madhyandina-samhita/samhita-patha-21-30-adhyaya-27/|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200720032129/https://vedicheritage.gov.in/samhitas/yajurveda/vajasneyi-madhyandina-samhita/samhita-patha-21-30-adhyaya-27/|archive-date=20 July 2020|access-date=10 August 2021|website=Vedic Heritage Portal}} which the Shiva Purana calls the "Ishana Mantra",{{Cite book|last=Shastri|first=J.L|url=http://archive.org/details/SivaPuranaJ.L.ShastriPart1|title=Siva Purana - English Translation - Part 1 of 4|date=1950|publisher=Motilal Banarsidass|pages=139}} though the Purana calls a different verse from the same Samhita which also mentions Ishana (VS 39.8){{Cite web|title=Samhita Patha 31-40 – Adhyaya – 39 {{!}} Vedic Heritage Portal|url=https://vedicheritage.gov.in/samhitas/yajurveda/vajasneyi-madhyandina-samhita/samhita-patha-31-40-adhyaya-39/|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200712233253/https://vedicheritage.gov.in/samhitas/yajurveda/vajasneyi-madhyandina-samhita/samhita-patha-31-40-adhyaya-39/|archive-date=12 July 2020|access-date=10 August 2021|website=Vedic Heritage Portal}} the "Ishana Mantra" as well.{{Cite book|last=Shastri|first=J.L.|url=http://archive.org/details/SivaPuranaJ.L.ShastriPart1|title=Siva Purana - English Translation - Part 1 of 4|date=1950|publisher=Motilal Banarsidass|pages=166}}

Several Puranas mention Ishana; a few of them are detailed here:

In the Shiva Purana, Ishana is described as a form or aspect of Shiva.{{Cite book|last=J.L.Shastri|url=http://archive.org/details/SivaPuranaJ.L.ShastriPart1|title=Siva Purana - English Translation - Part 1 of 4|date=1950|publisher=Motilal Banarsidass|pages=110}}{{Cite book|last=Shastri|first=J.L.|url=http://archive.org/details/SivaPuranaJ.L.ShastriPart1|title=Siva Purana - English Translation - Part 1 of 4|date=1950|publisher=Motilal Banarsidass|pages=208}} The Purana states that Ishana bestows knowledge and riches on those with intelligence, while curbing evil-doers.{{Cite book|last=Shastri|first=J.L.|url=http://archive.org/details/SivaPuranaJ.L.ShastriPart4|title=Siva Purana - English Translation - Part 4 of 4|date=1950|publisher=Motilal Banarsidass|pages=1914}} Ishana is declared to be the form of Shiva presiding over the ear, speech, sound and ether as well as the "individual soul, the enjoyer of Prakriti".{{Cite book|last=J.L.|first=Shastri|url=http://archive.org/details/SivaPuranaJ.L.ShastriPart4|title=Siva Purana - English Translation - Part 4 of 4|date=1950|publisher=Motilal Banarsidass|pages=1917}}

The Purana also asserts that the "Ishana Mantra" should be recited when fixing Lingams to pedestals, when wearing rudraksha beads on the head or (only for some) when wearing sacred ash.{{Cite book|last=J.L.Shastri|url=http://archive.org/details/SivaPuranaJ.L.ShastriPart1|title=Siva Purana - English Translation - Part 1 of 4|date=1950|publisher=Motilal Banarsidass|pages=157}}

One verse of the Linga Purana describes Ishana as "the omnipresent lord of all".{{Cite book|last=Shastri|first=J.L.|url=http://archive.org/details/LingaPuranaJ.L.ShastriPart1|title=Linga Purana - English Translation - Part 1 of 2|date=1951|publisher=Motilal Banarsidass|pages=55}} In another verse, one who makes the idol of Ishana is said to be "honoured in the world of Vishnu."{{Cite book|last=Shastri|first=J.L.|url=http://archive.org/details/LingaPuranaJ.L.ShastriPart1|title=Linga Purana - English Translation - Part 1 of 2|date=1951|publisher=Motilal Banarsidass|pages=374}} In one verse, he is said to hold an axe{{Cite book|last=Shastri|first=J.L.|url=http://archive.org/details/LingaPuranaJ.L.ShastriPart1|title=Linga Purana - English Translation - Part 1 of 2|date=1951|publisher=Motilal Banarsidass|pages=421}} while in another, he is described as wielding a trident.{{Cite book|last=Shastri|first=J.L.|url=http://archive.org/details/LingaPuranaJ.L.ShastriPart2|title=Linga Purana - English Translation - Part 2 of 2|date=1951|publisher=Motilal Banarsidass|pages=564}} Ishana described as being stationed in every being as the organ of speech.{{Cite book|last=J.L.Shastri|url=http://archive.org/details/LingaPuranaJ.L.ShastriPart2|title=Linga Purana - English Translation - Part 2 of 2|date=1951|pages=652}}

The Purana mentions Ishana as one of the deities present at Daksha's sacrifice who was attacked by Virabhadra.{{Cite book|last=Shastri|first=J.L.|url=http://archive.org/details/LingaPuranaJ.L.ShastriPart2|title=Linga Purana - English Translation - Part 2 of 2|date=1951|publisher=Motilal Banarsidass|pages=556}} He is also described as having attended the svayamvara of Parvati to Shiva.{{Cite book|last=J.L.Shastri|url=http://archive.org/details/LingaPuranaJ.L.ShastriPart2|title=Linga Purana - English Translation - Part 2 of 2|date=1951|publisher=Motilal Banarsidass|pages=563}}

The Brahmavaivarta Purana states that Ishana was born out of the left eye of Krishna. He is described as wearing tiger's skin, adorned with a crescent crown on his head, possessing three eyes and holding a trident, patissa (sword) and club. He became the leader of the Dikpalas.{{Cite book|last=Shanti Lal Nagar|url=http://archive.org/details/brahma-vaivarta-purana-all-four-kandas-english-translation|title=Brahma Vaivarta Purana - English Translation - All Four Kandas|date=2003-01-01|publisher=Parimal Publications|pages=21}}

{{See also|Pancabrahma Upanishad}}

The Pañchabrahmas are five specific aspects of Shiva collectively taken together.{{Cite book|last=Gopinatha Rao|first=T. A.|url=http://archive.org/details/ElementsOfHinduIconographyVol.IIPartII|title=Elements Of Hindu Iconography, Vol. II Part II|date=1916|pages=375}} These aspects include Sadyojata, Vamadeva, Aghora, Tatpurusha, and Ishana. Each of these aspects are glorified in their own mantra in the Pañchabrahma Mantrani present in the Taittiriya Aranyaka (TA 10.17-21).

These aspects of Shiva are often depicted in five-faced Lingams which Stella Kramrisch states are physical equivalents of the five Pañchabrahma Mantrani, with each face of the five-faced lingams corresponding to one of the Mantras and representing a particular manifestation of Shiva.{{Cite book|last=Kramrisch|first=Stella|title=The Presence of Shiva|publisher=Princeton University Press|year=1981|pages=179}}

As one of the Panchabrahmas, Ishana is the source of spontaneous grace directed to all beings and to all worlds.{{cite magazine|author=|date=July 2012|title=Five Powers of Siva : Sadasiva in the Agama Scriptures|url=https://www.himalayanacademy.com/media/books/five-powers-of-siva_ei/five-powers-of-siva_ei.pdf|url-status=live|magazine=Hinduism Today|location=Kapaa, Hawaii|publisher=Himalayan Academy|page=46|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170925013113/https://www.himalayanacademy.com/media/books/five-powers-of-siva_ei/five-powers-of-siva_ei.pdf|archive-date=25 September 2017|access-date=10 August 2021}}

According to Vastu Shastra, it is auspicious for homes and offices to be situated in the northeast. North is the direction wealth resides, associated with Kubera, while East is the direction where knowledge resides, associated with Indra. For this reason, Ishana symbolizes the culmination of both knowledge and wealth.{{Citation needed|date=August 2021}}

{{Reflist}}

• {{cite book|first=John A.|last=Grimes|title=A Concise Dictionary of Indian Philosophy: Sanskrit Terms Defined in English|publisher=State University of New York Press|year=1996|isbn= 0791430677}}

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