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Iccha

Iccha

इच्छा, icchā 

"will"

One of the three forces of Absolute which are iccha, jnana, kriya. Iccha is willpower, represents the will to create, that is, the driving force of desire, thanks to which the creative impulse does not fade - its aspect of "life force". Iccha as a will also is beyond the concepts of mind, free of forms, visualizations or contemplations. Iccha is also an intent directed to comprehend onself as Shiva.

Iccha-shakti: the ability to make a divine decision about what to do or what to create, the power of the Supreme's will; one of the three main manifestations of Shakti, personified by Maha-Lakshmi.

When Shiva wants to create Universe with his Iccha-shakti, he manifests through Nada (first sound). When after his explosion (sphurata) his extension and tension grow in the form of spanda’s spontaneous pulsation, he results in bindu. Bindu manifests as light which creates all the universes and lokas. This creative force appears in the form of rays – kala. All this creates Brahmanda and the bodies in it but we, living inside the Universe, in our body (pinda), are one with the Universe. 

In Nath tradition Iccha-shakti is associated with Adesh

In Kashmir Shaivism iccha-shakti is present at Sadashiva-tattva level. 

Iccha-yoga: training the will with the help of mental concentration to realize the true identity with the Supreme Being.



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