Ishta Devata

 Santana Dharma is a concept associated with the birth and rebirth cycle and release for the cycle called Moksha, and Vedic Astrology defines the attainment of Moksha as the only purpose in life for every human being. 

 Ishta Devata or my deity is the one whom I should pray to, and she/he can guide us to our true purpose - salvation. Ishta Devata literally translates to 'the favored deity and is the higher power, whom we connect with spiritually. He/She guides us through life, helping us live a fulfilling life, directing us into leaving the cycle of rebirth behind.

 Ishta Devata is special for every soul and can be easily discovered through our birth chart. One should definitely worship own specific Ishta Devata. The rituals behind the veneration of your chosen deity are rather easy to follow and are mainly based on the chanting of mantras pertaining to them.

Finding Ishta Devata  

The knowledge about your own Ishta Devata can easily be found via Atmakaraka in Navamsa in our birth charts. The Atmakaraka is the planet with the highest degree in your Kundli. The Navamsa, on the other hand, is the ninth division in our birth chart.

 The Atmakaraka in Navamsa is called the Karakamsa and the twelfth house or sign from it is your Ishta Devata. The planets posited in this house determine our chosen deity, however, if this house is empty then the Lord of the house is taken as the signification. 

Example:

The highlighted text shows Guru in highest degree, hence He becomes the Atmakaraka, now see placement of Guru in D9, 12th house to Guru placement in D9 will be Istha devata. 

Planet Degree Rashi Nakshatra Paada Nakshatra Lord
Lagna 26:45:51 Dhanus U.Ashadha 1 Surya
Surya (DK) 3:26:21 Kumbha Dhanishta 4 Mangala
Chandra (PiK) 14:20:57 Dhanus P.Ashadha 1 Shukra
Mangala (C) (MK) 19:45:20 Kumbha Shatabhisha 4 Rahu
Budha (C) (PK) 11:16:04 Kumbha Shatabhisha 2 Rahu
Guru (AK) 27:52:09 Vrishabha Mrigashira 2 Mangala
Shukra (GK) 4:51:29 Makara U.Ashadha 3 Surya
Shani (AmK) 23:42:22 Kumbha P.Bhadrapada 2 Guru
Rahu (R) (BK) 7:18:44 Vrishabha Krittika 4 Surya
Ketu (R) 7:18:44 Vrischika Anuradha 2 Shani
Uranus (R) 25:04:54 Simha P.Phalguni 4 Shukra

Planets and Deities

According to the planet residing in the twelfth house from your Karakamsa house, or the Lord of the said house, the deities to be worshipped are given below:

Sun: Lord Shiva, Sri Rama
Moon: Goddess Gauri, Goddess Lalita, Goddess Saraswati, Sri Krishna
Mars: Lord Hanuman, Rudra Deva, Lord Kartikeya (Subrahmanya), Sri Narasimha
Mercury: Lord Vishnu, Sri Buddha
Jupiter: Lord Hayagreeva, Lord Vishnu, Lord Indra, Lord Dattatreya, Any mentor/teacher
Venus: Goddess Lakshmi, Goddess Parvati
Saturn: Lord Vishnu, Lord Brahma
Rahu: Goddess Durga, Shri Narasimha

Lord Vishnu is known as the 'preserver' in the Santana Dharma among the Brahma, Shiva and Vishnu, and he is the one who can guide every individual towards Moksha easily, as he carries the Sudharshan Chakra, which is essential in the attainment of salvation. 

The following list carries the specific forms (avatar) of Lord Vishnu whom they should worship as their Ishta Devata:

Sun: Lord Rama

Moon: Lord Krishna

Mars: Lord Narasimha

Mercury: Lord Buddha

Jupiter: Lord Vamana

Venus: Lord Parashurama

Saturn: Lord Koorma

Rahu: The Varaha form

Ketu: The Matsya form

If you still don't know how to find leave a comment in the comments section with your birthday,birth time and place of birth details.

The author can be reached at astroalparvind@gmail.com