Ishvarapranidhana
Encyclopedia
Ishvarapranidhana represents surrender to, and love for, the divinity within the individual in Hinduism
and Yoga
.
, meaning Lord, God, Supreme Being or Life Force, and Pranidhana, meaning attention to, love for, surrender to, faith in, or reunion with. "Attentiveness" and "Surrender" are both close English approximations. A close literal English translation of Ishvara-Pranidhana would give "Attentiveness to God" or "Surrender to God." As one of the final or "supreme" stages of many forms of Yoga, the "surrender" aspect of Ishvara-Pranidhana is often used to describe the step, whereas "attentiveness" describes the practice. Both are used interchangeably. Note the similarity to the literal meaning of Islam
-- submission or surrender to God. A close Christian
term would be the Love of God
.
. In Raja Yoga
, Pantanjali considers it the 5th or final niyama
. In other forms of yoga, it is the tenth niyama. Compare the meditation and mindfulness exercises of Ishvara-Pranidhana with Zen
. "Connecting to the Divine Within," or attentiveness and surrender to the Divine within in Ishvara-Pranidhana, parallels the concept of connecting to the inner Buddha-Nature
in Zen. In Hinduism, the Niyamas are the "do list" and the Yamas
are the "don't do" list, and relate to the practice of virtue
in daily life. Bhakti
refers to connection with the Divine, or worship. Since many forms of Hinduism are polytheistic, the monotheistic mystic and meditative practices of the love of God
focus on Divine qualities (or virtues), which is similar to the Ishvara-Pranidhana practice of surrendering to the Divine qualities within, in each daily activity, and not restricted to specific meditative practice or occasions. The Christian mystic might visualize the qualities of God as All Knowing, All Loving, etc., whereas the Ishvara-Pranidhana practitioner might visualize the qualities or image of a specific god or goddess, representing attributes, powers, names, virtues or qualities of the Supreme Being, or the Divine nature within. If Yoga
is the practice of unity or oneness, the question arises: "oneness with what?" Some Ishvara-Pranidhana advocates contrast the practice to the "me" focus of Western culture.
Hinduism
Hinduism is the predominant and indigenous religious tradition of the Indian Subcontinent. Hinduism is known to its followers as , amongst many other expressions...
and Yoga
Yoga
Yoga is a physical, mental, and spiritual discipline, originating in ancient India. The goal of yoga, or of the person practicing yoga, is the attainment of a state of perfect spiritual insight and tranquility while meditating on Supersoul...
.
Etymology and meaning
In its simplest form, the word is a combination of the words (sometimes hyphenated), IshvaraIshvara
Ishvara is a philosophical concept in Hinduism, meaning controller or the Supreme controller in a theistic school of thought or the Supreme Being, or as an Ishta-deva of monistic thought.-Etymology:...
, meaning Lord, God, Supreme Being or Life Force, and Pranidhana, meaning attention to, love for, surrender to, faith in, or reunion with. "Attentiveness" and "Surrender" are both close English approximations. A close literal English translation of Ishvara-Pranidhana would give "Attentiveness to God" or "Surrender to God." As one of the final or "supreme" stages of many forms of Yoga, the "surrender" aspect of Ishvara-Pranidhana is often used to describe the step, whereas "attentiveness" describes the practice. Both are used interchangeably. Note the similarity to the literal meaning of Islam
Islam
Islam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...
-- submission or surrender to God. A close Christian
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
term would be the Love of God
Love of God
Love of God are central notions in monotheistic and polytheistic religions, and are important in one's personal relationship with God and one's conception of God ....
.
Duties and practices
In many forms of Yoga, Ishvara-Pranidhana is considered the "final" step, stage, practice, observance or niyamaNiyama
Niyama generally denotes a duty or obligation adopted by a spiritual aspirant , or prescribed by a guru or by scripture...
. In Raja Yoga
Raja Yoga
Rāja Yoga is concerned principally with the cultivation of the mind using meditation to further one's acquaintance with reality and finally achieve liberation.Raja yoga was first described in the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, and is part of the Samkhya tradition.In the context of Hindu...
, Pantanjali considers it the 5th or final niyama
Niyama
Niyama generally denotes a duty or obligation adopted by a spiritual aspirant , or prescribed by a guru or by scripture...
. In other forms of yoga, it is the tenth niyama. Compare the meditation and mindfulness exercises of Ishvara-Pranidhana with Zen
Zen
Zen is a school of Mahāyāna Buddhism founded by the Buddhist monk Bodhidharma. The word Zen is from the Japanese pronunciation of the Chinese word Chán , which in turn is derived from the Sanskrit word dhyāna, which can be approximately translated as "meditation" or "meditative state."Zen...
. "Connecting to the Divine Within," or attentiveness and surrender to the Divine within in Ishvara-Pranidhana, parallels the concept of connecting to the inner Buddha-Nature
Buddha-nature
Buddha-nature, Buddha-dhatu or Buddha Principle , is taught differently in various Mahayana Buddhism traditions. Broadly speaking Buddha-nature is concerned with ascertaining what allows sentient beings to become Buddhas...
in Zen. In Hinduism, the Niyamas are the "do list" and the Yamas
Yamas
Yamas, and its complement, Niyamas, represent a series of "right living" or ethical rules within Hinduism and Yoga. These are a form of moral imperatives, commandments, rules or goals...
are the "don't do" list, and relate to the practice of virtue
Virtue
Virtue is moral excellence. A virtue is a positive trait or quality subjectively deemed to be morally excellent and thus is valued as a foundation of principle and good moral being....
in daily life. Bhakti
Bhakti
In Hinduism Bhakti is religious devotion in the form of active involvement of a devotee in worship of the divine.Within monotheistic Hinduism, it is the love felt by the worshipper towards the personal God, a concept expressed in Hindu theology as Svayam Bhagavan.Bhakti can be used of either...
refers to connection with the Divine, or worship. Since many forms of Hinduism are polytheistic, the monotheistic mystic and meditative practices of the love of God
Love of God
Love of God are central notions in monotheistic and polytheistic religions, and are important in one's personal relationship with God and one's conception of God ....
focus on Divine qualities (or virtues), which is similar to the Ishvara-Pranidhana practice of surrendering to the Divine qualities within, in each daily activity, and not restricted to specific meditative practice or occasions. The Christian mystic might visualize the qualities of God as All Knowing, All Loving, etc., whereas the Ishvara-Pranidhana practitioner might visualize the qualities or image of a specific god or goddess, representing attributes, powers, names, virtues or qualities of the Supreme Being, or the Divine nature within. If Yoga
Yoga
Yoga is a physical, mental, and spiritual discipline, originating in ancient India. The goal of yoga, or of the person practicing yoga, is the attainment of a state of perfect spiritual insight and tranquility while meditating on Supersoul...
is the practice of unity or oneness, the question arises: "oneness with what?" Some Ishvara-Pranidhana advocates contrast the practice to the "me" focus of Western culture.