Article: Siddhacakra


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Contributed by M. Whitney Kelting

The siddhacakra is the mystical diagram – yantra – associated with the Navkār-mantra in the Śvetāmbara tradition. Digambara Jains call it the navpadjī. It consists of nine parts, representing each of the Five Highest Beings and ‘three jewels’ of Jain tradition, along with a quality often called the ‘fourth jewel’.

The yantra is venerated in a variety of ceremonies, including those associated with the Āyambil Oḷī festival and fast. The siddhacakra is particularly linked with the story of Śrīpāḷ and Mayṇāsundarī. It is the most commonly used yantra in contemporary Jainism.

Structure of the siddhacakra

This manuscript painting of a Svetāmbara siddhacakra shows the five highest beings in Jain belief, depicted in different colours. The petals in between contain Sanskrit mantras praising the 'four fundamentals'. It is a visual summary of key Jain doctrines

Siddhacakra
Image by British Library © CC0 1.0 (Creative Commons Public Domain)

The Jain siddhacakra is a stylised flower with eight petals surrounding a central circle. The centre and four of the petals bear depictions of the five highest beings in Jain theology. These alternate with petals showing the symbols of the ‘three jewels‘ of:

The last petal contains the sign for what is frequently thought of as the ‘fourth jewel’ – ‘right austerity‘. These nine features are essential to reaching liberation, which is the ultimate aim of all Jains.

The five highest beings shown on the siddhacakra account for its close association with the Navkār-mantra. The mantra also glorifies the highest beings in Jain liberation ideology:

In the grander siddhacakra mahā-pūjā the siddhacakra yantra is surrounding by rings of protector deities including the gods of the directions and the nine planetary deities. Digambara Jains have a yantra called the ‘nine deities’ – nava-devatā – which is similar in form and use.

Rituals involving the siddhacakra

Most Śvetāmbara temples have several siddhacakrayantras made from pañca-dhatu metals. These yantras are ritually bathed and worshipped with sandalwood paste alongside images of the Jinas.

There are several rituals involving the siddhacakra. It is especially linked with the festival of Āyambil Oḷī and its associated fast. The worship of the siddhacakra is a key part of the tale of Śrīpāḷ and Mayṇāsundarī and partly accounts for the yantra’s popularity among contemporary Jains.

Āyambil Oḷī

The siddhacakra is the central object of veneration in the ritual practices associated with the Āyambil Oḷī festival. The festival and the associated fast are believed to promote marital wellbeing and good health.

During the Āyambil Olī, the yantra is installed separately and worshipped daily by those who are performing the fast. On some occasions, the yantra is created out of grains in a mandala form on the temple floor and worshipped, though not bathed.

Siddhacakra mahāpūjā

The siddhacakra mahā-pūjā is often performed to celebrate and bless important life moments in a sponsor’s life and as a protective rite for those in difficult circumstances.

The ceremony entails creating a mandala form of the siddhacakra on the floor of the temple. This mandala is then worshipped with offerings placed on the various segments in turn.

Purpose and source of siddhacakra rituals

This manuscript painting shows three episodes in the colourful adventures of Prince Śrīpāla. A favourite Jain hero, Śrīpāla is closely connected with the worship of the navapada or siddhacakra, which aids him when he faces danger

Śrīpāla’s adventures
Image by British Library © CC0 1.0 (Creative Commons Public Domain)

Jains who use the siddhacakra as a devotional aid hope to encourage the happiness of husband and wife and, more generally, good health and riches. These hopes explain some of the widespread worship of this yantra.

The rituals associated with the siddhacakra are drawn mostly from the example of the worship of the siddhacakra in the well-known story of Śrīpāḷ and Mayṇāsundarī.

Mayṇāsundarī heals the leprosy of her husband Śrīpāḷ by performing the Āyambil Oḷī and the worship of the siddhacakra. Later, Śrīpāḷ’s worship of the siddhacakra protects him from storms, thieves, disease and other misfortune, and grants him great wealth and happiness.

The strong associations of the story of Śrīpāḷ and Mayṇāsundarī and their marital contentment with the siddhacakra are powerful reasons for the continuing popularity of the yantra.

  • Siddhacakra
  • Śrīpāla

Reading

Absent Lord: Ascetics and Kings in a Jain Ritual Culture
Lawrence A. Babb
Comparative Studies in Religion & Society series; volume 8
University of California Press; Berkeley, California, USA; 1996

Full details

Organizing Jainism in India and England
Marcus Banks
Oxford Studies in Social and Cultural Anthropology series; volume 3
Clarendon Press; Oxford, UK; 1992

Full details

Jains in the World: Religious Values and Ideology in India
John E. Cort
Oxford University Press USA; New York, USA; 2001

Full details

The Archetypal Actions of Ritual: A Theory Illustrated by the Jain Rite of Worship
Caroline Humphrey and James Laidlaw
Oxford Studies in Social and Cultural Anthropology series
Clarendon Press; Oxford, England UK; 1994

Full details

Singing to the Jinas: Jain Laywomen, Maṇḍaḷ Singing and the Negotiations of Jain Devotion
M. Whitney Kelting
Oxford University Press USA; New York, USA; 2001

Full details

‘Negotiating Karma, Merit, and Liberation: Vow-taking in the Jain Tradition’
M. Whitney Kelting
Dealing with Deities: The Ritual Vow in South Asia
edited by Selva J. Raj and William P. Harman
State University of New York Press; Albany, New York, USA; 2006

Full details

Heroic Wives: Rituals, Stories and the Virtues of Jain Wifehood
M. Whitney Kelting
Oxford University Press USA; New York, USA; 2009

Full details

Riches and Renunciation: Religion, Economy and Society among the Jains
James Laidlaw
Oxford Studies in Social and Cultural Anthropology series
Oxford University Press; Oxford, UK; 1995

Full details

Honour, Nurture and Festivity: Aspects of Female Religiosity amongst Jain Women in Jaipur
Josephine Reynell
PhD dissertation submitted to University of Cambridge in 1985

Full details

‘Women and the Reproduction of the Jain Community’
Josephine Reynell
The Assembly of Listeners
edited by Michael Carrithers and Caroline Humphrey
Cambridge University Press; Cambridge, UK; 1991

Full details

‘Religious Practice and the Creation of Personhood among Śvetāmbar Mūrtipūjak Jain Women in Jaipur’
Josephine Reynell
Studies in Jaina History and Culture: Disputes and Dialogues
edited by Peter Flügel
Routledge Advances in Jaina Studies series; volume 1
Routledge Curzon Press; London, UK; 2006

Full details

Links

Sketch of a siddhacakra

This sketch of a siddhacakra is found in a manuscript held in the National Gallery of Australia. The Svetāmbara yantra or mystical diagram has nine parts, representing key elements of Jain doctrine. In the centre of the stylised lotus flower is a Jina and around him on alternating petals sit the other beings that make up the five highest beings. On the petals between them are phrases representing the 'four fundamentals'.

http://artsearch.nga.gov.au/Detail-LRG.cfm?IRN=157990&View=LRG

Navapada mahāyantra

The siddhacakra or navapada mahāyantra is the most popular Jain yantra, believed to be highly auspicious. It is a mystical diagram representing the major parts of the path to liberation from the cycle of rebirth. With a key role in worship rituals, the siddhacakra has a central position in the Āyambil Oḷī festival. The picture is found on the HereNow4U website.

http://www.herenow4u.net/index.php?id=73573

Explaining the siddhacakra

Lay woman Heeral Shah explains the different elements of a siddhacakra mahā-yantra. Provided by the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, this video also includes a transcript.

http://www.vam.ac.uk/content/videos/p/video-painting-of-siddhachakra-yantra-heeral-shah/

Parts of a siddhacakra

Academic K. V. Mardia has created a diagram describing the different parts of a siddhacakra or navapada. The foremost Jain yantra, the siddhacakra summarises some of the holiest elements of the Jain religion.

The Yorkshire Jain Foundation in the UK provides a downloadable and printable PDF. You will need to have Adobe Acrobat Reader on your computer to open PDF files.

http://www.yjf.org.uk/YJain7thAnniversary1F.pdf

Siddhacakra mahāyantra

The Herenow4U website provides a picture of a siddhacakra or navapada mahā-yantra, the most popular yantra among contemporary Jains. This mystical diagram presents some of the main elements of Jainism. King Śrīpala and Queen Mayṇāsundarī, who are closely associated with it, are shown at the bottom demonstrating worship of the yantra.

http://www.herenow4u.net/index.php?id=73107

Sacred colours

Acharya Shri Shushil Muni explains the sacred colours of Jainism, which are found in several holy symbols, including the siddhacakra, the Namaskāra-mantra and the Jain flag. The information is provided by the Jainism Literature Center, associated with the Faculty of Arts and Sciences at Harvard University.

http://www.fas.harvard.edu/~pluralsm/affiliates/jainism/jainedu/colorscience.htm

Siddhacakra

The siddhacakra or navapada is a flower with nine sections representing the Five Supreme Entities and the 'Four Jewels'. It is thus a visual summary of key elements of Jain belief. Often known as a navpad nowadays, the siddhacakra is a mystical yantra used in worship rites. This photo on Flickr shows a Śvetāmbara siddhacakra, with an ornately bedecked Jina in the centre.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/yashphotography/6078103409/

Story of Śrīpāḷa and Mayṇāsundarī

The Jain eWorld website provides the well-known tale of Śrīpāḷa and Mayṇāsundarī. The story illustrates that accepting karma, worshipping the siddhacakra or navapada and staying true to religious beliefs are crucial to being a good Jain and moving towards liberation. The tale is part of the epic Śrīpāḷ Rājāno Rās, which recounts Śrīpāḷa’s adventures after he is cured of leprosy. The story is a major element in the festival of Āyambil Oḷī, which focuses on religious devotion, especially revolving around the siddhacakra yantra, and marital happiness.

http://www.jaineworld.com/jain-stories/king-shripal-and-mayana-sundari/5/

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