A really existing goddess

 

Credit: BotKannadiga

"The Jaina Goddess Padmavati in Karnataka" is a short but interesting essay by Indologist Robert Zybendos, recently published in "Monsoon", the journal of the South Asian Studies Association. 

Just like Buddhism, Jainism is often described as an "atheistic" religion without gods or goddesses, in which each human must work out his or her own salvation. While there is some truth in this (the liberated beings or Tirthankaras of Jainism being former humans who managed to break free of samsara), really existing Jainism also includes temple priests, magic, and worship of gods (yakshas) and goddesses (yakshis) who are paired with the Tirthankaras. The usual reaction when faced with this reality is to blame it on later Hindu influence. Zybendos, by contrast, believes that deity worship and belief in the magical efficacy of mantras was present in Jainism from the start (or even in proto-Jainism). I admit that I have no particular dog in that fight...

Padmavati is associated with the Tirthankara Parshvanatha or Parshva, who Zybendos regards as a real historical figure predating Mahavira, who is usually regarded as the founder of Jainism. In a popular myth, two snakes are hurt by fire when a wayward king is doing penances sitting between burning logs. Before the snakes die of their injuries, Parshva preaches the Jain message to them, which apparently makes the reptiles be reborn in the underworld as nagas (supernatural snake-spirits). One of these nagas is none other than Padmavati. She becomes the protector of Parshva, and is associated with powerful mantras. In Karnataka, where Zybendos carried out his research, the goddess is worshipped in her own temples or in shrines inside temples dedicated to others. The main temple is found in the village of Hombuja or Humcha, once the seat of a Jain royal dynasty. Each year in spring, a major religious festival in honor of Padmavati takes place in Hombuja, attended by about 20,000 people. Her idol is paraded through the streets, the temple priest is apparently possessed by the goddess, and the rituals look "Hindu" in character (at least from my perspective). Indeed, most participants in the festival are presumably Hindus!

Zybendos also tries to analyze the structure of Jain beliefs in gods and goddesses. Each Tirthankara is associated with one god and one goddess, but very often, the goddess is the most prominent, making the pair "male Tirthankara - goddess" similar to the pairing of male gods and their female consorts in Hinduism. It´s also interesting to note that while the Tirthankaras are (of course) cool, serene and detached from the world, the goddesses are involved in it. This is reminescent of how the divine dyad Shiva and Shakti are portrayed in certain forms of Shaivism. While some will no doubt see this as additional evidence for heavy Hindu influence on Jainism, Zybendos rather wants to see it as reflecting a shared understanding of spiritual realities which in some sense might be real (the author seems sympathetic to parapsychology and PSI). 

I found the article interesting, since it shows that Jainism is at bottom just like any other religion, for good or for worse...