ISVARA

(Sanskrit: Lord), in Hinduism, the personal, or immanent, god, as distinct from the absolute, or transcendent, supreme being (Brahman). Isvara refers to the personified aspect of the divine, of whom the various sectarian divinities are particular manifestations. The title is particularly favoured by devotees of the god Siva, though its meaning transcends all sectarian differences; the comparable term Bhagavat (also meaning Lord) is more commonly used among the Vaisnava (followers of the god Vishnu).