Absent Lord: Meru's Peak

As does the text of Parsvanath's five-kalyanak puja, the text of Devcandraji's snatra puja tells a story. The story, which we encountered briefly in the last chapter, is the tale of how the Tirthankar comes into the world and how he is given his first bath (janamabhisek) by the gods on the summit of Mount Meru. The bath, as Laidlaw points out (1995: 44), superimposes two images: it is a baby's bath but also an abhisek, an anointing associated with the consecration of a king. Unlike the text of Parsvanath's five-kalyanak puja, however, this text is generic: It is not about the birth and first bath of any Tirthankar in particular, but of all Tirthankars, past, present, and future. All five kalyanaks are regarded as axial events in the Jain tradition, but the story of the Tirthankar's birth and first bath has a special significance. It is the narrative most often told in Jainism, and has an importance roughly equivalent to that of the nativity story for Christians.

Devcandraji's text is a description of these events. In contrast to Parsvanath's five-kalyanak puja, performers of the snatra puja not only sing the text but act it out as well. The text is therefore unambiguously the "script" for a dramatic performance.^[1] The language is difficult for most participants to follow. According to the editor of the sarth version I consulted (Jargad 1959b, pp. kha and ga), the language of Devcandraji's snatra puja is a mixture of Prakrit, Rajasthani, Gujarati, and Hindi, with Rajasthani predominating. The Prakrit, in particular, is a hurdle for many. My impression, however, is that most performers of the rite can follow its gist on the basis of word recognition and familiarity with the main story line, which is certainly quite well known by most Jains. Some know the text by heart.

Those who perform a snatra puja should be bathed and dressed appropriately for worship. They should have at hand the various materials and utensils used in the rite. The focus of worship is a small metal image of one of the Tirthankars and a siddhcakra, which are placed on a "lion throne" atop a three-tiered stand.^[2] In other rites the stand represents the samvasaran, the assembly of listeners to the Tirthankar, but here it doubles as Mount Meru. The many necessary paraphernalia are kept on a low platform in front of the stand. During the rite itself, performers should have their mouths and nostrils covered by the usual cloth to prevent breathing impurities on the image. They should stand with men to the image's right and women to the left.

A brief sequence called sthapna precedes the rite. In other South Asian traditions the purpose of sthapna is to invoke a deity's presence. But as we know, the Tirthankar's presence cannot be invoked because he is a liberated being, and therefore this is obviously a problematical ritual gesture for Jains. It is probably for this reason that no sthapna mantra (a verbal formula to accompany sthapna) is included in Devcandraji's text, but the procedure is nevertheless considered essential.^[3] A coconut (always associated with auspiciousness) with currency tied to it is placed on a svastik -mark below the image on one of the supporting tables or the floor. Most worshipers merely repeat the namaskar mantra while doing so. An experienced ritualist told me that while doing sthapna one should cultivate the inner feeling that "this is Mt. Meru and we are about to give the Lord his janamabhisek (postpartum bath)."

What follows is a description of the snatra puja comparable to the description of Parsvanath's five-kalyanak puja given in the last chapter. I have abstracted the performative aspects somewhat and have given special emphasis to the text. It should be borne in mind that performances of the rite can vary tremendously in elaboration and enthusiasm, depending on the context.