God / The Lord (Īśvara)

Īśvara is 'the Lord' — God conceived personally, the supreme being who creates and rules the world, hears prayer, and bestows grace. For the theistic schools, Īśvara is ultimate reality itself; for the non-dualists, Īśvara is the highest form in which the formless absolute appears to seekers within the world. Even the Yoga school, which is not centered on a creator, gives Īśvara a special place as an ideal object of devotion.