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  • Should jains ಪ್ರಯ to devi devta, kuldevi, shasanrakshak devi devta etc
  • author Posted by
    Jain Follower

    Should jains ಪ್ರಯ to devi devta, kuldevi, shasanrakshak devi devta etc

    8 months ago 135

    In Jain Dharma, the principle is very clear:

    मुख्य आराध्य (main focus of worship) = केवल पंच परमेष्ठी Arihant, Siddha, Āchārya, Upādhyāya, Sādhu–Sādhvi. Devi–devtā, kuldevi, śāsan-rakshak devī–devtā are always secondary.

    ---

    1. Jain view of devi–devtā

    • In Jainism, all devi–devtā are still saṁsārī jīva (worldly souls).
    • They are in dev gati, enjoying good karmic results, but not liberated.
    • So they cannot give moksha, and finally they themselves have to practice dharma to be free.

    Therefore:

    • We may show them respect (vinay) as higher beings.
    • But we must not think, “They will remove my paap and give moksha just by blessing.”

    ---

    2. Kuldevi / Gramdevī etc.

    About kuldevi / kuldev, gramdevī:

    Allowed, if and only if:

    • No animal sacrifice, no alcohol, no himsā.
    • No fear-based belief: “If I don’t do this, devi will get angry and harm us.”
    • No business-type thinking: “I’ll give this offering, you give me money, job, child, etc.”

    From Jain drishti:

    • You may politely bow as a family tradition, but
    • Do not keep them above or equal to Panch Parmeshti.
    • Do not break basic Jain principles (ahiṁsā, satya, aparigraha) for any kuldevi.

    ---

    3. Śāsan-rakshak dev–devī

    Both Śvetāmbara and Digambar traditions accept śāsan-devtā / śāsan-devī (e.g. Padmāvatī, Chakreśvarī, etc.) as:

    • Protectors of Jin-śāsan (the Jain order),
    • Upāsya only as sevak of Tirthankar, not as supreme.

    Bhakti towards śāsan-devī–devtā is:

    • OK if the bhāv is:
    - “You are sevak of Jina; may I also remain firm in Jin-dharma.”
    • Not OK if:
    - We expect them to cancel our karma, give worldly miracles while we don’t follow dharma.

    Śvetāmbara and Digambar both do such bhakti in their own style, but all āchāryas insist: moksha is only by self-effort with Right Faith–Knowledge–Conduct.

    ---

    4. Who should Jains primarily pray to?

    Jain śāstra is very direct:

    • Develop Aśaraṇa-bhāvanā – “Ultimately, no one else is my refuge except my own śuddha ātmā, guided by Jin-vani.”
    • True Jain prayer = gunānusandhān – remembering and praising the guṇa of:
    - Arihant - Siddha - Āchārya - Upādhyāya - Sādhu–Sādhvi and wishing: “May such virtues arise in me.”

    You can read a simple explanation of Jain prayer here

    ---

    5. Practical, simple guideline

    1. Daily main pūjā / namaskār – keep for:

    - Navkār Mantra, Tirthankar bhakti, Panch Parmeshti.

    1. If family goes to kuldevi / dev sthal:

    - Maintain ahiṁsā. - Do not ask for worldly favours as main goal. - Internally remember: “Real refuge is Panch Parmeshti and my own right effort.”

    1. If doing śāsan-devī upāsanā:

    - See them as sevaks of Jina, not as supreme gods. - Use that bhakti to increase śraddhā in Jin-vani and in samyak-darshan.

    Summary: Jains may respectfully bow to devi–devtā, kuldevi, śāsan-rakshak devī–devtā, but central worship, faith and refuge must be only in Panch Parmeshti and in one’s own spiritual effort.

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