Please give the commonly associated functions of each vidyadevi
In Jain tradition, the 16 Vidyādevīs are often associated with different kinds of knowledge, arts, learning, protection, and auspicious support. Their names and functions can vary slightly across texts and traditions, but the commonly associated meanings are as follows:
- Kali — knowledge of speech, arts, and skill in expression
- Mahākālī — deep learning, strength, and removal of ignorance
- Gaurī — purity, auspiciousness, and refinement
- Gāndhārī — musical and artistic knowledge
- Sarasvatī — wisdom, learning, eloquence, and scholarship
- Lakṣmī — prosperity, beauty, and auspicious fortune
- Śacī — majesty, dignity, and power
- Hṛī — modesty, humility, and inner discipline
- Dhṛti — patience, firmness, and endurance
- Kīrti — fame, glory, and good reputation
- Buddhi — intellect, understanding, and discernment
- Medhā — memory, retention, and grasping power
- Prabhā — radiance, brilliance, and clarity
- Mati — thought, perception, and mental clarity
- Vidyut — quickness, sharpness, and sudden insight
- Jvālinī — spiritual brilliance, energy, and removing darkness
Simple summary
These Vidyādevīs are generally seen as embodiments of:- knowledge
- wisdom
- memory
- speech
- arts
- prosperity
- purity
- glory
- discipline
- spiritual brilliance
In Jain worship, they are respected as devotional and protective deities connected with learning and auspicious qualities, but they are not worshipped as liberated souls. The highest aim in Jain Dharma remains devotion to the Tīrthaṅkaras and the path of right faith, right knowledge, and right conduct.
If you want, I can also give this in a table format with name, meaning, and function.