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Within Hinduism, an Ishta-Deva or Ishta Devata (Sanskrit: ईष्ट देवता, ', literally "cherished divinity" from ''iṣṭa'' "desired, liked, cherished, preferred" and ''devatā'' "godhead, divinity, tutelary deity" or ''deva'' "deity") is a term denoting a worshipper's favourite deity.〔V. S. Apte, ''A Practical Sanskrit Dictionary'', p. 250.〕 It is especially significant to both the Smarta and Bhakti schools wherein practitioners choose to worship the form of God which inspires them the most. Within Smartism, one of five chief deities are selected. Even in denominations that focus on a singular concept of God, such as Vaishnavism, the Ishta Deva concept exists. For example, in Vaishnavism, special focus is given to a particular form of Lord Vishnu or one of his Avatars (i.e. Krishna or Rama), and similarly within Shaktism, focus is given to a particular form of the Goddess such as Parvati or Lakshmi. The Swaminarayan sect of Vaishnavism has a similar concept, but notably differ from practically all Vaishnavite schools in holding that Vishnu and Shiva are different aspects of the same God.〔()〕 ==Variations in practices== Using the literal translation of the words Ishta Devata, or deity of choice, a professed practice or anushatan is not really needed. Most Hindu deities are depicted with multiple hands depicting the abundance the gods wanting to shower on the devout. Hence the need of a ritual or an ascribed form of practice is not really mandatory. There is no universally accepted perspective of God throughout the branches of Hinduism, and thus the specific nature of belief and worship regarding a practitioner's Ishta-Deva depends largely on which tradition they are following. However, no matter which tradition attracts the devotee's mind and heart, Hinduism teaches ''Ekam Sadvipraha Bahudha Vadanti'', i.e., "While Truth is One, the Names are Many." Adherents of the monistic schools (such as Advaita Vedanta) worship multiple forms of God as emanations from the ultimately formless Brahman, whereas followers of the Bhakti traditions may worship a particular form or Avatar of Vishnu, Shiva or Ganesha as the Supreme God (Ishvara) in the dualistic sense. Even in Vaishnavite traditions, a particular form of Vishnu is favored by the devotee. For example, Hanuman's Ishta-Deva was Lord Ramachandra. Other notable examples would be that of Tulsidas who was another devotee of Rama and Mirabai a devotee of Krishna. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Iṣṭa-devatā (Hinduism)」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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