Ishana

Ishana (Sanskrit: ईशान, IAST: Īśāna), is a Hindu god and the dikapala of the northeast direction. He is often considered to be one of the forms of the god Shiva, and is also often counted among the eleven Rudras. He is venerated in Hinduism, some schools of Buddhism and Jainism. In the Vastu Shastra, the north-eastern corner of a plot of land is referred to as "Ishana". Ishana also shares qualities with Samhara Bhairava and is therefore a part of the Ashta Bhairava. Ishana is described as having three eyes, a tranquil appearance and white complexion, dressed with a white cloth and a tiger's skin. On his head, a jata-makuta which has on top of it the crescent moon must be placed. He may be seated on a white bull, or simply in the padmasana though being seated on the bull is preferred. If he is represented with only two arms, his hands must carry a trident and a kapala or one of the hands (the left one generally) might be in the varadamudra; if, however, he has four hands, the two front ones should be sculptured as playing upon a veena and the others are to be held in the varada and abhaya mudras. Gopinatha Rao suggests that description might be incorrect, as the veena must be held only by the hands of the front pair of arms, which are also the very hands that are necessarily to be in the varada and abhaya poses. When represented in Lingam form along with the other Panchabrahmas, his face, uncarved, would face upward. One verse of the Linga Purana describes Ishana as having three feet, seven hands, four horns and two heads while in one verse of the Shiva Purana, he is described as "resembling pure crystal". An early mention of Ishana is in one of the Pañchabrahma Mantrāṇī found in the Taittiriya Aranyaka (TA 10.21.1) of the Krishna Yajurveda (c.1200 BCE): ईशानस्सर्वविद्यानां ईश्वरस्सर्वभूतानां ब्रह्माधिपतिर्ब्रह्मणोऽधिपतिर्ब्रह्माशिवो मे अस्तु सदाशिवोम्। Translation by Sabharathnam Sivacharyar: "Lord Ishana—the Supreme Lord and Revealer of little knowledge through lord Ishvara and spiritual disciplines, the nourisher and controller of all living beings, the Directing Lord of northeast, He who is the guided by main direct authority of the Vidyeshvaras, who directs Brahma, Vishnu and others—may He who is vidyeshwara present Himself in this Sivalinga.