''Icchā śákti'' (or ''Iccha shakti'') is a

Sanskrit Sanskrit (; attributively , ; nominally , , ) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in South Asia after its predecessor languages had diffused there from the northwest in the la ...

term translating to

free will Free will is the capacity of agents to choose between different possible courses of action unimpeded. Free will is closely linked to the concepts of moral responsibility, praise, culpability, sin, and other judgements which apply only to ac ...

, desire, creative urge. Icca sakti is the power of desire, will, longing, wishing. When iccha sakti merges with kriya sakti, the power of action, manifestation, creation, they together generate jnana sakti, the power of knowledge and wisdom. Iccha sakti is the natural human impulse to create. Kriya sakti is the ability to act, manifest, and create. Jnana sakti is enlightenment. Many symbolic representations in Sanātana Dharma seek to reveal the relationship between iccha, kriya, and jnana sakti. The trident of Siva symbolizes the three saktis. Siva's son is

Murugan Kartikeya ( sa, कार्त्तिकेय, Kārttikeya), also known as Skanda, Subrahmanya, Shanmukha (), and Murugan ( ta, முருகன்), is the Hindu god of war. He is the son of Parvati and Shiva, the brother of Ganes ...

(jnana sakti). Murugan with his earthly consort,

Valli Vaḷḷi ( ta, வள்ளி) ("Creeper, Sweet potato plant") is a Hindu goddess, and the second consort of the deity Murugan. An incarnation of the goddess Sundaravalli, daughter of Vishnu, Valli is born on earth as the daughter of a chiefta ...

(iccha sakti), and his divine consort,

Devasena Devasena (, ) is a Hindu goddess of aspiration, and the consort of the war god Kartikeya (Murugan). She is also known as Devayanai, Deivanai, and Deivayanai in Tamil texts. Her name is also spelled as Teyvanai or Tevayanai (). Devasena is d ...

(kriya sakti), represent the union of iccha and kriya to create jnana (Murugan).

Krishna Krishna (; sa, कृष्ण ) is a major deity in Hinduism. He is worshipped as the eighth avatar of Vishnu and also as the Supreme god in his own right. He is the god of protection, compassion, tenderness, and love; and is one ...

(jnana sakti) with his childhood love,

Radha Radha ( sa, राधा, ), also called Radhika, is a Hindu goddess and the chief consort of the god Krishna. She is worshiped as the goddess of love, tenderness, compassion, and devotion. She is the avatar of goddess Lakshmi and is also d ...

(iccha sakti), and his wife in adulthood, Rukhmani (kriya sakti). In

Yoga philosophy Yoga philosophy is one of the six major orthodox schools of Hinduism,Maurice Phillips (Published as Max Muller collection), The Evolution of Hinduism, , PhD. Thesis awarded by University of Berne, Switzerland, page 8 though it is only at the en ...

, the ida nadi (iccha sakti) and the pingala nadi (kriya sakti) when in balance allow for energy to flow into the sushma nadi (jnana sakti).

References

Tantra Yoga concepts Shaktism Shiva in art {{IndoAryan-lang-stub