Ishvari
{{Short description|Hindu epithet}}
{{italic title}}
{{EngvarB|date=August 2017}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2017}}
{{Double image
| image1 = Gajalakshmi.jpg
| caption1 = Lakshmi
| image2 = Parvati Ganesha.jpg
| caption2 = Parvati
| total_width = 200
| image3 = 1895 CE Saraswati on hamsa सरस्वती हंस painting 2.jpg
| caption3 = Saraswati
| direction = vertical
}}
{{Hinduism}}
Ishvari (Sanskrit: ईश्वरी, IAST: Īśvarī) is a Hindu epithet of Sanskrit origin, referring to the Goddess, the divine female counterpart of Ishvara. It is also a term that refers to the shakti, or the feminine energy of the Trimurti, which refer to Saraswati, Lakshmi, and Parvati.{{Cite web |last=www.wisdomlib.org |date=2015-08-29 |title=Ishvari, Īśvarī: 14 definitions |url=https://www.wisdomlib.org/definition/ishvari |access-date=2022-09-07 |website=www.wisdomlib.org |language=en}}
Etymology
The root of the word is the Sanskrit syllable īś, "to be valid or powerful ; to be master of", joined with vara, "select, choicest, valuable, precious, best, most excellent or eminent among" {{cite web | url=https://sanskrit-lexicon.uni-koeln.de/scans/MWScan/tamil/index.html | title=Sanskrit and Tamil Dictionaries }} When referring to divine as female, particularly in Shaktism, the feminine {{IAST|Īśvarī}} is sometimes used.{{cite book |author=Roshen Dalal |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=DH0vmD8ghdMC |title=Hinduism: An Alphabetical Guide |publisher=Penguin Books |year=2010 |isbn=978-0-14-341421-6 |page=376}}