Talk:Devatā (Subject Matter or Addressee) of the Mantras

By Vishal Agarwal

The Devatā of a mantra is that to whom the mantra is addressed, or alternatively, the principal subject matter that the mantra seeks to reveal. In the case of the Īśāvāsya Upaniṣad, the Devatā of the mantras is generally understood to be the Ātmā, indicating that the text is fundamentally Vedāntic in orientation rather than ritualistic in purpose.

As noted by Śaṅkarācārya and other traditional commentators, the preceding thirty-nine chapters of the Śukla Yajurveda Saṃhitā primarily concern Vedic rites and sacrificial ceremonies (yajñas). This concluding chapter, however, is not employed in ritual performance, for its subject matter is exclusively spiritual and contemplative.

While elements of spiritual doctrine do appear sporadically in earlier chapters of the Saṃhitā—such as in Chapters 32 and 34—those sections remain integrated within the framework of ritual application. The Īśāvāsya Upaniṣad alone stands apart, marking a decisive shift from sacrificial action (karma) to inner realization (jñāna), with the Ātmā itself as the central Devatā.