Ishta Devta literally means ‘Deity to be worshiped’. Ishta Devta is responsible for opening the passage of renunciation for the native. Soul is immortal, and it travels this mortal world many times, in different physical bodies, to get rid of karmic cycles and attain Moksha.
Ishta Devta helps us attaining Moksha and coming out of endless cycle of life and death. Worship of Ishta Devta not only ensures that whole life of a person is well guided, protected and taken care of, but also makes it certain that one is moving towards the path of final liberation. It is possible to know one’s Ishta Devta by studying the native’s birth chart.
There are different deities assigned to different planets or planetary combinations.
Method of knowing one’s Ishta Devta
Step 1: In the birth chart (D-1), look out for the Atmakaraka (AK). As mentioned before, Atmakaraka is the planet that attains maximum degrees in the birth chart.
Step 2: See which rashi (sign) is occupied by the Atmakaraka planet in Navamsa (D-9). The sign, in navamsa, which is occupied by Atmakaraka planet is called as Karakamsha.
Step 3: Note which plant/s occupy 12th house or sign from Karakamsha. Ishta Devta is to be ascertained by this planet / these planets. In case, 12th house or sign from Karakamsha is empty (means no planet occupies it), we have to see for its lordship to know the Ishta Devta. I am placing below a list of deities that correspond to various planets and can be used in deducing the form of Devta to be worshipped (in relevance to Ishta Devta, Dharma Devta, Kul Devta, Paalan Devta)
| Planet | Deity |
| Sun | Shiva, Rama |
| Moon | Krishna, Gauri, Lalita, Saraswati |
| Mars | Hanuman, Rudra, Kartikeya (Subrahmanya), Narasimha |
| Mercury | Vishnu, Narayana, Buddha |
| Jupiter | Hayagreeva, Vishnu, Indra, Dattatreya, Any guru |
| Venus | Lakshmi, Parvati |
| Saturn | Vishnu, Brahma |
| Rahu | Durga, Narasimha |
| Ketu | Ganesha |
It is said that among all the different deities, it is Vishnu, who is capable of bestowing moksha as he carries the sudarshana chakra and uses it specifically for that purpose.
The worship of an appropriate Vishnu Avatara as one’s Ishta Devata is generally recommended for attaining Moksha and reducing obstacles in life in general. The list of those various incarnations of Lord Vishnu and planets associated with them is given in the Brihat Parashara Hora Shastra (Chapter 2, verses 5-7), and is placed below for your convenience of understanding;
| Planet | Sri Vishnu Avatar |
| Sun | Sri Rama |
| Moon | Sri Krishna |
| Mars | Sri Narasimha |
| Mercury | Sri Buddha |
| Jupiter | Sri Vamana |
| Venus | Sri Parashurama |
| Saturn | Sri Koorma |
| Rahu | Sri Varaha |
| Ketu | Sri Matsya |
One should worship one’s Ishta Devta to attain final salvation. Worship of Ishta Devta is to be done daily, with appropriate mantras and allied rituals. The important thing is to be selfless while worshiping to the Ishta Devta. One should not ask for anything while worshiping, rather one should offer oneself completely in Ishta Devta’s holy feet. Jaimini Maharishi has also mentioned about planetary equivalents of various deities in his Upadesha Sutras (1.2.72–79). As per Jaimini Sutram, following is the association between planets and corresponding deities;
Sun (Surya) – Lord Shiva
Moon (Chandra) – Gouri
Venus (Shukra) – Lakshmi
Mars (Mangal) – Skanda (Kartikeya)
Mercury (Buddha) – Lord Vishnu
Saturn (Shani) – Lord Vishnu
Jupiter (Guru) – Samba Shiva
Rahu – Tamasi or Durga
Ketu – Lord Ganesha
Lets take examples and try to understand how to know one’s Ishta Devta.
Example1: 
In this example, I have placed D-1 and D-9 side by side for easy reference. I am placing degrees of planets (as per D-1) below;
We can see that Venus (Shukra) is the Atmakaraka (AK) planet here, attaining highest degrees (29 Cp 30′ 32.35”). If we see D-9, Venus is in Virgo, so Virgo is the Karakamsha sign. 12th house from Virgo is Leo and it is empty i.e. no planet resides in it. Next we would take lordship of Leo, so Ishta Devta for this person is deity form of Sun. It can be Lord Shiva or Lord Rama. One can worship whoever one gets naturally inclined towards.
Example 2:
I have placed D-1 and D-9 charts side-by-side for easy reference. I am placing degrees of planets (as per D-1) below;
As we can see here, Mars comes out to be the Atmakaraka (AK) planet with highest degrees in D-1.
In D-9, Mars is in Aquarius and 12th house from it is Capricorn, in which Jupiter resides. Hence deity corresponding to Jupiter would be this person’s Ishta Devta.
Hence the person’s Ishta Devta can be either of Hayagreeva, Vishnu, Indra, Dattatreya, Samba Shiva or Vamana Avatar of Vishnu.
To attain Moksha, it is essential to worship Ishta Devta by chanting the corresponding 12 lettered (dwadakshari) Mantra. About the mantras, I will write in next post.
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