Padmavati (Jainism)


Padmāvatī is the protective goddess or śāsana devī of Pārśvanātha, the twenty-third Jain tīrthāṅkara, complimenting Parshwa yaksha, the shasan deva. She is a yakshi of Parshwanatha.

Jain Biography

There is another pair of souls of a nāga and nāginī who were saved by Parshwanath while being burnt alive in a log of wood by the tapas kamath, and who were subsequently reborn as Indra and Padmavati after their death. According to the Jain tradition, Padmavati and her husband Dharanendra protected Lord Parshvanatha when he was harassed by Meghmali. After Padmavati rescued Parshvanatha grew subsequently powerful in to yakshi, a powerful tantric deity and surpassed other snake goddess Vairotya.

Legacy

Worship

Goddess Padmavati along with Ambika, Chakreshvari are held as esteemed deities and worshipped in Jains along with tirthankaras. Ambika and Padmavati are associated with tantric rituals. These tantric rites involves yantra-vidhi, pitha-sthapana and mantra-puja.

In literature

A snake's hood covers her head, and she sits on a lotus flower. Often a small image of the Lord Parshvanatha is placed in her crown. She may be depicted as four-armed, carrying noose and rosary, elephant goad, lotus and a fruit. Yaksha-Yakshi pair sculptures of Padmavati Ambika and Dharanendra are one of the most favoured along with Gomukha-Chakreshwari and Sarvahanabhuti-Ambika.

Main temples