Ishta Devta based on Horoscope

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 ones Ishta Devta by studying the natives
birth chart.
There are different deities assigned to different
planets or planetary combinations.
Method of knowing ones 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), Narasi

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
ones 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 ones 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 Devtas holy feet.
Jaimini Maharishi has also mentioned about
planetary equivalents of various deities in his
Upadesha Sutras (1.2.7279). 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 ones 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 D1.
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 persons
Ishta Devta.
Hence the persons 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.