Hari Aum.
I have had a fair number of people contact me via my free vedic astrology site asking who their ishta devata (favourite form of God that leads one to liberation) is based on their chart.
For those who have some knowledge about vedic astrology, I am writing a post on this topic today for their interest. There are many good articles on this already online but I'm providing a brief summary here for the benefit of readers of this blog.
How to find the ishta devata in the vedic astrology chart:
1. Find the Atma Karaka (AK), i.e. the planet with the highest degrees in the chart.
This planet represents one's soul. (Some say that having a malefic planet as AK, rather than a benefic, suggests greater spiritual development in the past and potentially more suffering in this lifetime during the dasha of the AK- as a malefic planet teaches one tough lessons quickly. On the other hand, dasha period of benefic AK planets will also give spiritual lessons but possibly more gently).
2. Find the position of the AK in the vimsamsa (D 20) chart of spirituality.
This house is called 'karakamsa'. Some people say the navamsa (D 9) chart should be used here. PVR Narasimha Rao (author of the Jagannatha Hora software and a researcher in vedic astrology) says that in his view, the vimsamsa should be used as this is the chart of spirituality (not the navamsa). I have experimented with both navamsa and vimsamsa in this regard, and found his approach to be more accurate. Therefore I too use the vimsamsa here.
3. Now look at the 12th house from the karakamsa to find the planet that represents the ishta devata.
This house reveals the ishta devata. If there is a planet in the house, that planet represents the ishta. If there is more than one planet, take the strongest. If there is no planet, look at the planets aspecting the house, and take the planet with the strongest aspect. If there is no planet aspecting the house, take the lord of the house as representing the ishta.
If the AK is Rahu/Ketu (which always move in a retrograde manner) count the 12th house from karakamsa anti-zodiacally to find the house of the ishta devata. i.e. if AK Rahu is in Sagittarius, then counting 12 houses in reverse order of the zodiac (reflecting the movement of Rahu/Ketu), one will get Capricorn as the house from which to see the ishta.
4. Find the higher deity (form of God) indicated by the planet representing the ishta devata.
Once you have the planet, you have the representative of the ishta devata. There are various views on the deities that different planets represent. I am sharing some information on this below:
Sun- Shiva, Rama
Moon- Parvati, Divine Mother
Mars- Subramanya, Narasimha, Hanuman
Venus- Lakshmi, Divine Mother
Mercury- Vishnu
Jupiter- Guru, Samba Shiva
Saturn- Narayana
Rahu- Durga
Ketu- Ganesha
Once the ishta devata is found, one needs to do some regular sadhana related to that deity. This may be daily japa, puja, homam, karma yoga or some other sadhana. This helps one to obtain the grace of the ishta devata which leads to spiritual liberation.
Hari Aum Tat Sat
I have had a fair number of people contact me via my free vedic astrology site asking who their ishta devata (favourite form of God that leads one to liberation) is based on their chart.
For those who have some knowledge about vedic astrology, I am writing a post on this topic today for their interest. There are many good articles on this already online but I'm providing a brief summary here for the benefit of readers of this blog.
How to find the ishta devata in the vedic astrology chart:
1. Find the Atma Karaka (AK), i.e. the planet with the highest degrees in the chart.
This planet represents one's soul. (Some say that having a malefic planet as AK, rather than a benefic, suggests greater spiritual development in the past and potentially more suffering in this lifetime during the dasha of the AK- as a malefic planet teaches one tough lessons quickly. On the other hand, dasha period of benefic AK planets will also give spiritual lessons but possibly more gently).
2. Find the position of the AK in the vimsamsa (D 20) chart of spirituality.
This house is called 'karakamsa'. Some people say the navamsa (D 9) chart should be used here. PVR Narasimha Rao (author of the Jagannatha Hora software and a researcher in vedic astrology) says that in his view, the vimsamsa should be used as this is the chart of spirituality (not the navamsa). I have experimented with both navamsa and vimsamsa in this regard, and found his approach to be more accurate. Therefore I too use the vimsamsa here.
3. Now look at the 12th house from the karakamsa to find the planet that represents the ishta devata.
This house reveals the ishta devata. If there is a planet in the house, that planet represents the ishta. If there is more than one planet, take the strongest. If there is no planet, look at the planets aspecting the house, and take the planet with the strongest aspect. If there is no planet aspecting the house, take the lord of the house as representing the ishta.
If the AK is Rahu/Ketu (which always move in a retrograde manner) count the 12th house from karakamsa anti-zodiacally to find the house of the ishta devata. i.e. if AK Rahu is in Sagittarius, then counting 12 houses in reverse order of the zodiac (reflecting the movement of Rahu/Ketu), one will get Capricorn as the house from which to see the ishta.
4. Find the higher deity (form of God) indicated by the planet representing the ishta devata.
Once you have the planet, you have the representative of the ishta devata. There are various views on the deities that different planets represent. I am sharing some information on this below:
Sun- Shiva, Rama
Moon- Parvati, Divine Mother
Mars- Subramanya, Narasimha, Hanuman
Venus- Lakshmi, Divine Mother
Mercury- Vishnu
Jupiter- Guru, Samba Shiva
Saturn- Narayana
Rahu- Durga
Ketu- Ganesha
Once the ishta devata is found, one needs to do some regular sadhana related to that deity. This may be daily japa, puja, homam, karma yoga or some other sadhana. This helps one to obtain the grace of the ishta devata which leads to spiritual liberation.
Hari Aum Tat Sat
very useful
ReplyDeleteGlad you found this helpful.
DeleteBest wishes
Hello im manoj my date of birth is 18/05/1997 at 245 pm at udupi city im very confused to choose my devata, i cant even concentrate since single devata as ishta devata is needed
DeleteAccording to my horoscope in d1 chart guru is in makara rashi (5th house )
and in d9 navamsha chart atmakaraka is rahu and from 12th position i got dhanassu rashi aspected by budha
According to 7 karaka system jupiter is my atmakaraka and 12th place from it im getting simha rashi no planets is present but aspected by sun.
In d20 chart im getting vrischika rashi with no planets aspected by mars.
Considering these factors can you please say which is my ishta devata
Can you please say which one devata should i choose it would be very helpful.
Namaste
DeleteI have examined your chart as requested. Using Raman ayanamsa, the D20 chart has Dhanu lagna, with lagna lord and atma karaka Jupiter in Scorpio (assuming birth time is correct to the minute). In the 12th house from AK, are Rahu and Ketu in Libra. This could give Mother Durga or Ganesha. Ninth house contains the Moon, which can represent Devi or Krishna. Based on this, I would say that your chart indicates the Divine Mother as ishta devata. Daily japa of one of Her mantras will benefit you. Daily worship of a Vishnu mantra will also be good for your overall health, and material and spiritual success (as you have Virgo lagna in D1 with Mercury in Aries 8th house).
Hope this is helpful. Best wishes with your sadhana, may God bless you.
Vishnupriya
Hello thankyou so much it was very helpful for me,there is a small mistake in my kundli so there is a dob time mismatch ,can you please check for the same date but different time since my lagna varies,which can be my ishta devata and which devata can yield results for me same as above, name-manoj ,dob-18/05/1997 time : 1:45 pm place -udupi,please check this.
DeleteWho is samba shiva?
ReplyDeleteNamaste
DeleteSamaba Shiva is a form of Lord Shiva who is accompanied by the Divine Mother.
In Sanskrit, the word Samba is produced by combining the two words "Sa" (meaning He) and "Amba" (Divine Mother).
Samba means He who is with Amba.
This is an auspicious gentle form of Lord Shiva.
Hope this helps.
Vishnupriya
Thank you very much
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
DeleteNamaste,
DeleteIt depends upon which sign is in 12th from AK and who is the lord of that sign. With this limited information, it is not possible to know the ishta devata. If you wish, you can send me your birth details via the 'contact form' and I can have a look.
Om shanti
Sir, amk Jupiter in 8 th house in d20 12th house from is 7th house which is vrishab rasi and Mars aspect from 1house.then which God should be worshipped.
DeleteNamaste,
DeleteI have had a look at your chart based on the birth details that were sent. According to this, the ishta devata is Vishnu. You may worship Him as Vishnu or as an avatar (an ugra rupa such as Narasimha may be suitable if this appeals to you).
Hope this helps. God bless you.
Om shanti
Vishnupriya
Thanks a lot ...
DeleteSir,in my case it is Mars in Taurus rasi which female goddess should be worshipped.
ReplyDeleteNamaste,
DeleteMars generally represents warrior forms of the Divine (such as Durga, Narasimha, Skanda)--- if you would like to worship the Mother, you can worship Durga. The mantra Om Shri Durgayai Namah would be a good option to recite daily.
In my case Mars is atmakaraka and in Meena Rashi. I D20 chart Jupiter is in Kumbha. Then to whom I worship?
ReplyDeleteNamaste, Jupiter represents Guru and SadaShiva. You could recite a mantra of Guru or Shiva daily.
DeletePranaam Madam! I've sent you my birth details to know about my Ishta Devta and spiritual growth. Kindly look into it once you get time. Thanks & Regards
ReplyDeletePranaam! Thanks for letting me know. Yes I will certainly look into this in the next few days and get back to you soon.
DeleteOm Om
Thank you very much
DeleteI personally also feel seeing 12th from AK in D-20 gives more accurate result. Atleast for me my isht devta (since childhood) matches with Rao Sir's method. Jai Shri Ram!
ReplyDeleteHello sir should we take jaimini aspect while calculating our ishta devta from D20? Or should we take parashari aspect in D 20?
ReplyDeleteNamaste,
DeleteOne needs to look at the usual Parashara aspects as far as I am aware.
Best wishes,
Vishnupriya
Namaste,
ReplyDeleteThank you kindly for such an enlightening blog post! Would you please help me confirm my Ishta Devata? Ettie Chapman / Bulgaria, Sofia / 9:42:25 am
My AK - Sun is in Aquarius in D-20, therefor 12th is Capricorn. Capricorn is empty with no planetary aspects. Saturn is with Mercury in Leo aspected by Sun/Jupiter/Venus. I'm not sure if those aspects matter. :-)
Thank you again as I am confused if Mercury will be taken under consideration since its sitting with Saturn. Also, there are so many Planetery aspect on Leo... I have been wondering and researching for a quite a while now to find my Ishta Devata. Your time is greatly appreciated.
Kind Regards,
Ettie
Namaste Ettie,
DeleteI'm glad you found the post helpful! I can try and help you to find your ishta devata.
If you wish, you can fill in the 'contact me' page on this site or my Vedic astrology site to provide your details. The date, time and place of birth are needed to create the Vedic chart (you've missed out your DOB above).
Kind regards,
Vishnupriya
Dear Vishnupriya,
DeleteThank you so very much for your reply! DOB might be helpful :-D
I hope is ok to reply here... Let's try again:
Ettie Chapman
DOB: April 11th, 1975
Time: 9:42:25 am
Place: Bulgaria, Sofia
So excited to learn more about the spiritual side of my chart.
Kind Regards,
Ettie
Namaste Ettie,
DeleteThank you for your message here and via the contact form. I will send you an email soon with a reply (sorry for the delay, things have been a bit hectic).
Kind regards,
Vishnupriya
Dear Vishnupriya,
DeleteSending greetings and well wishes to you and your family! Greatly appreciate your efforts and help towards us. As I fully understand how life could get...
The D-20 Chart has been fascinating to study and uncover some golden eggs. Here is what I have learned so far, yet I am still unsure of my Ishta Devata. :-D
As previously mentioned Sun(AK) in Aquarius. Therefor 12th from Karamsha is Capricorn. Saturn & Mercury in 8th House (Leo). Sun (AK) is the 8th Lord of Leo, Sun & Saturn have a Parivartana Yoga (exchanging signs). Because of it Saturn will act as he is the Sun. This makes it more of a Solar / Saturnian type of influence on the 8th House, along with Mercury. Rashi aspect on 8th House from 4th House - Aries (Ma, Ju). I hope I'm on the right track to uncover the D-20 Ishta Devata. :-)
Kind Regards,
Ettie
Hi Vishnupriya,
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for the knowledge you share so openly and heartfully :)
I have actually just submitted a form to you.
I am trying to follow a Navdurga Sadhana, thanks to Om Swami, and doing the best I can. So I have been drawn to learning more about Mantra Sadhana.
I’m particularly looking forward to giving an even better attempt by the time Diwali comes to use this year.
But I thought I’d ask a curious question here…
I had thought an Isht Devata was felt and who you are ‘drawn to’ so how comes it appears on a Kundli and you are not just told this same as one can be told of their Kul Deva and Kul Devi?
Many thanks,
Rishi
Namaste Rishi,
DeleteThank you for the kind comments and for your message via the contact form. I will email you soon with a reply to your query related to your chart.
The ishta devata is the deity one feels most drawn to from the heart. This is the most accurate way of knowing the ishta devata in my view.
The Vedic astrology chart, if the birth time is precisely correct, should reflect this feeling in the heart for a particular form of God. This would also apply to the Kula/Palana devatas (family deity etc).
Hope this helps.
Om shanti
Vishnupriya
Rishi
ReplyDeleteHi Vishnupriya,
ReplyDeleteJust re typing here since my last comment seemed to not submit.
I also messaged you from your other site.
I hope you get this!
And hope you had a great Navratri :)
Rishi
ReplyDeleteNamaste!
ReplyDeleteSent you an email on the other website also.
Giving my birth details here:
Name: Anurag Arya
DOB: 4th November 1999
Time of birth: 6:30 p.m.
Place: New Delhi, India
Can you please tell me who would by ishta devata according to these details? Please and thank you. I don't know how to do this process myself as I am not a learned astrologer at all. :)
Regards,
Anurag
Namaste Anurag,
DeleteBased on your chart, the ishta devata is the Divine Mother. You can choose any one of Her forms (e.g. Durga, Lakshmi or Sarasvati) that you are drawn to. I would advise doing daily mantra japa (108 times a day takes only 5 minutes for most mantras) to obtain Her blessings for both spiritual and material life.
As you are a Taurus/Vrishabh lagna with Virgo rashi as your fifth house of mantra and moon sign, worship of Lakshmi Narayana can also be a natural choice. Please do what your heart tells you (as this is the ultimate guide).
Hope this helps.
Om shanti
Vishnupriya
Namasthe,
ReplyDeleteMy DOB 14 october 1982, 08:46pm, Trivandrum.
I am Taurus Lagna and Moon Sign is Leo
My Atmakaraka is Moon
In D20, 12th from my Atmakaraka is Taurus sign which having Jupiter, Rahu, Ketu And Gulika in it.
In D1, 5th House is Virgo which having Mercury, Venus and Sun in it.
Kindly Light on My Ishta Devata
Namaste
DeleteI have examined your chart as requested. This looks very positive for spiritual life. The house of mantra (5th) is strong and the chart is overall good for spiritual life.
Based on my calculations (Raman ayanamsa), ishta devata in your chart is the Divine Mother (Durga). Daily japa of Her mantra such as Om Sri Durgayai Namah will grant you Her blessings both for spiritual and material life.
Hope this is helpful. May the Mother shower Her blessings upon you.
Vishnupriya
Who is my Ishta dev. My DOB is 27-May-1974, Time is 10.30 PM(Night). Birth Place is - Solapur (Maharashtra). I am Makar Lagna and Moon Sign is Leo. Please guide.
ReplyDeleteNamaste,
DeleteI have examined your chart and the ishta devata is represented by Saturn/Shani-- the higher deity is Narayana/Vishnu so He would be your ishta. This worship will be good for both spiritual and material life (health, general wellbeing etc) based upon your chart (Makar Lagna with Kanya ruled by Buddha/Mercury as 9th house).
I would advise regular recitation of a mantra of Hari such as Hari Om, or Om Namo Narayanaya as per your inclination.
Hope this helps, may Narayana bless you
Vishnupriya
My son's name sudhanva,dob 5/2/2005,time is 17.40 pm evening.dharwar ,,,pls let me know the ista devata to worship do all wishes are fulfilled....thank u ...
ReplyDeleteNamaste
DeleteI have examined your son's chart as requested. Lagna/ascendant is Cancer, rashi/moon sign is Sagittarius. Ishta in his chart is represented by Saturn/Shani-- higher deity for Shani is Narayana. I would advise worship of Narayana by daily japa for even 5 minutes of a mantra such as Hari Om or Om Namo Narayanaya. This will grant both spiritual and material blessings. He should take good care of his health-- this mantra will give protection. He can also recite the Mahamrityunjaya mantra of Lord Shiva a few times daily for maintenance of good health.
Hope this helps.
Vishnupriya
Great Insight! I have got two queries.
ReplyDeleteFirst, pls tell who my ishta devta. Birth details:
Dob: 12/01/1991
Place: Patna, Bihar.
Birth time: 2:09 am
Second, what about other dieties like Shri Radha ? Which planetary combination leds to bhakti in Sri radha?
Namaste,
DeleteI have checked your chart as requested. Based upon this, the grahas indicating preference for ishta devata are Rahu and Venus-- I would say your ishta is the Divine Mother, you can worship Her in any form that appeals to you, such as Durga or Radha. Influence of feminine planets such as Venus in the houses of spirituality/5th/9th (which you have) in the D20 chart/vimsamsa can indicate bhakti for Sri Radha.
Hope this helps. May the Mother bless you.
Vishnupriya
Thx a lot. So, can we go for Maa Kali?
DeleteDoes planets support for her puja?
Pranam,
ReplyDeleteMy DOB is 12 january 1995, 12:20 PM, Lohaghat(Uttarakhand).
Can You please tell me who is my Ishta Devta? I am always confused which god should I pray or do sadhana of. Hence I keep on praying different devi/devta daily.
Please guide me which god should I do sadhana of. I cant understand the process you have suggested as i dont have any basic knowledge of astrology.
Regards
Ujjwal
Pranam
DeleteBased on the details provided, your lagna/ascendant is Mesha/Aries. Ishta devata is indicated by the graha Mercury-- higher deity for Mercury is Vishnu.
Therefore Vishnu would be the ishta devata. Recitation of Hari Om or Om Namo Narayanaya would be ideal.
Hope this helps, may Hari bless you.
Vishnupriya
Pranam,
ReplyDeleteMy name is Shyam sai patro. My DOB is 2 february 2002, 7:00 PM, Vishakhapatnam(Andhra Pradesh).
Can You please tell me who is my Ishta Devta? I am always confused which god should I pray or do sadhana of. Hence I keep on praying different devi/devta daily.
Please guide me which god should I do sadhana of.
Namaste,
DeleteBased upon your chart, the ishta devata is represented by the planet Mars. The higher deity ruling Mars is Subramanya (or some also say Hanuman). You could choose either of these two forms of the Divine for your daily worship.
Hope this helps. God bless you.
Vishnupriya
Thank you so very much 🙏🏻😌
DeleteNamaste,my dob is 18/05/1997 ,time 1:45 pm ,place udupi,please help me find my ishta devata and also my atmakaraka since rahu and guru have same degree similarity i dont know which to choose,also please tell me about the devata which results both spiritually and material benefits according to my kundli.
ReplyDeleteNamaste,
DeleteI have checked your chart as requested. Guru is your AK (using Raman ayanamsa) and ishta devata is the Divine Mother Devi. You can choose any form of Hers that you like and perform daily japa of Her mantra. This will be very beneficial both spiritually and materially.
Furthermore, based on your chart, I would advise regular worship of Lord Hanuman-- this will help reduce the difficult karmas connected with Shani in 8th house and also Mars in lagna. Eg Hanuman chalisa or mantra regularly.
Hope this helps, wish you the very best with your sadhana.
Om
Vishnupriya
Hello , My name is rohit and my date of birth is 19/04/1996 and birth time is 11 37 am and location is mumbai , maharashtra , can you please help me find my ishta devata. i tried to read and find a lot from the jagannath hora software but i am too confused. so if you could help me , that would mean a lot , thanks you.
ReplyDeleteNamaste
DeleteI have checked your chart. Based on this, your ishta devata is represented by Shani dev-- the higher deity for Shani is Narayana and He is your ishta devata. Daily mantra japa of one of His mantras (or of His avatars) will be very beneficial for your life as a whole.
Hope this helps.
Om
Vishnupriya
Namaste Vishnupriya,
ReplyDeleteI'm glad that I found your blogspot. I greatly appreciate your services to help people discover their Ishta Devta and same time alleviate physical ailments as a practicing medical doctor.
I'm Baraneedharan, last few years, I've been experiencing intense feelings of devotion to Shiva and a strong desire to visit Shiva temples. I manage to visit temples and meditate on the Panchakshara and Mahamirtunjaya mantras. Additionally, I'm fond of worshipping Subhramanya and Parvathi Devi.
I would be very grateful if you could help me determine my Ishta Devta, my birth details are as follows
DOB: 14 June 1978
Time of birth: 5.05 PM
Place: Chennai, Tamilnadu, India
Also, I do not know who is my Kula Devta, attempts to find out have been unsuccessful, I value your suggestions/inputs on this.
I realize the importance of worshipping both Kula and Ishta Devta to begin my spiritual journey.
Aum Namah Shivaya
Best,
Baranee
Namaste Baranee
DeleteThank you for your message and kind words. I have examined your chart as requested. Before I continue, I would like to say that the heart is more important (and more accurate) than the chart (which can give different results due even small inaccuracies in birth time etc).
If your heart is strongly drawn to Shiva, and has been for years, there would be a reason (possibly worship in past lives).
Based on your chart, the graha Shani represents your ishta. The higher deity for Shani is Narayana so He would be the ishta devata. Narayana and Shiva are One. When you worship one form, the other is automatically worshipped.
The kula devata is seen from the second house in the D20/vimsamsa subchart of spirituality (the birth time needs to be correct to the minute to determine this correctly). In your case, kula devata is represented by Surya/Buddha in Simha-- this would give Shiva or Rama (higher deities associated with Surya).
Worship of Mother Parvati and Subramanya will also be excellent based on your general chart (Scorpio lagna ruled by Mars and with Moon as auspicious 9th house lord).
Basically, it sounds like you are on the right track with your devotion. Please carry on. May Lord Shiva and His divine family bless you.
Hope this helps.
Om
Vishnupriya
Namaste,
ReplyDeleteMy DOB is 27 December 2003, 9:51 AM, Bengaluru, Karnataka, India.
Can you please tell me who is my istha devata ? I am really confused of which God to worship but I feel more attracted to Shree Hari Narayan a lot.
Please guide me which God to worship.
Thank you!
Namaste
DeleteI have checked your chart as requested. Your ishta is Narayana (specifically His form as Rama but you can worship Him in any form you like). Daily japa of one of His mantras will be very beneficial and grant you many blessings.
Hope this helps.
Om
Vishnupriya
My DOB: 11 January 1987, 17:45, Ganganagar, Rajasthan. Who's my ishta devta. My family's kuldevta is Hanumanji. Please guide accordingly. Thanks
ReplyDeleteNamaste
DeleteI have examined your chart as requested. Based upon this, ishta is represented by Shani and therefore this would be Narayana.
Daily japa of one of His mantras will be very beneficial. As Sri Hanuman is your kula devata, you can also worship Him regularly.
Hope this helps.
Om
Vishnupriya