Devatas

Devatas - or Gods and Goddess, divine forms - can be understood as the different qualities of consciousness that take form through incarnated manifestation. They serve as external representations of various aspects, forms, or manifestations of the enlightened qualities that innately live within each of us as ultimate reality. Through studying, chanting to and meditating upon these forms we awaken these qualities within ourselves.

Within the Vedas, Devatas are presented as many-faceted divine beings who play a vital role in maintaining the greater cosmic order, providing for the needs of all beings, guiding us all on our spiritual paths, and offering a way for us to connect with the divine. Their presence is the very fabric of Indian culture, rituals, and spiritual practices. They are not just objects of worship but are believed to be actively involved in all aspects of life.

Devatas are associated with wisdom, guidance, and the interpretation of dharma, helping individuals on their spiritual journeys; they also represent natural forces, cosmic principles, or specific virtues, offering diverse ways for humans to connect with the divine. 

Their many forms and diverse personalities can serve as a road map to understand the forces within the individual psyche and our potential for enlightment. Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, suggested that the structures of deities like Shiva and Vishnu exist within the human brain physiology. 

In the Yoga Sutras, Patanjali offers practitioners the practice of contemplation upon a personal deity, an Ishta Devata, as a means to guide their practice and their spiritual path. A practice that leads one to feel the inner presence of Ishvara as their foremost teacher (Sutra I. 26). Contemplating and internalizing the qualities and symbols associated with them can expand our personality and lead us to a deeper understanding of our true Self (Purusha, Consciousness…)

Some ways to connect to these forms and their qualities:

Yantra: Using geometrical diagrams representing the deity to meditate and embody their qualities

Puja: Offering prayers and symbolic items to the deity

Nyasa: A symbolic placement of mantras and deities on specific parts of the body through touch and recitation

Devata Yoga: Awakening the inner deities within the mind and heart.

Mantra: Using mantras, which are subtle forms of Devatas, to tune into their specific energies

Whatever resonated the most for you this month, if something lingered in your awareness or sparked a sense of curiosity, that is the quality of the vibration of Devatas awakened within your own heart. Through intimate listening to this voice within us, we begin to have a relationship with inner guidance in all aspects of our life.

Come practice & share any insights below!