ABSTRACT
Jainism is a tradition best known for its world-renouncing asceticism, its doctrine of non-violence, and its individualistic non-theism. The lived tradition, however, presents a more complex landscape of devotion, ritual, and practice. This chapter draws on ethnographic impressions as an entry-point into the lived tradition of the Jain goddess Padmāvatī. While there exists a multiplicity of opinions within Jain communities as to the authenticity of goddess devotion as a canonical Jain practice, it is interesting that the enduring and rising popularity of goddesses coincides with periods of renewed identity-building. Here I propose that the goddess in Jainism, and Padmāvatī in particular, acts as an important mediator between intermediate and ultimate spiritual goals, reconciling the realms of community continuity and ascetic renunciation, as the former invariably supports the latter. As such, her cultus, although occasionally contested, is Jain-specific and uniquely positioned at the convergence of diverse voices within the community as well as varied strains of theological, mythic, and symbolic meanings.
