Viṭṭhal, Jains, and Rāmdāsīs
Viṭṭhal, Jains, and Rāmdāsīs
The poet-saints devoted to Viṭṭhal do not identify him with the Jina as they identify him with the Buddha. Nonetheless, the claim has been made, at least until the end of the eighteenth century, that Viṭṭhal is “the Jains' god.” This chapter investigates the basis of that claim, pointing out similarities in biography, characteristics, and appearance among Kṛṣṇa, Viṭṭhal, and the Jains' twenty-fourth Tīrthaṅkar, Nemināth. The chapter concludes with a discussion of devotion to Viṭṭhal in the Samartha (Rāmdās) sect, a Maharashtrian Vaiṣṇava group that is generally thought to be opposed to the cult of Viṭṭhal and exclusively devoted to Rām. The fact that even Jains and members of the Samartha sect are brought into connection with Viṭṭhal is further evidence of the all-embracing character of this god and his cult.
Keywords: Jina, Jainism, Samartha sect, devotion, Buddha
Oxford Scholarship Online requires a subscription or purchase to access the full text of books within the service. Public users can however freely search the site and view the abstracts and keywords for each book and chapter.
Please, subscribe or login to access full text content.
If you think you should have access to this title, please contact your librarian.
To troubleshoot, please check our FAQs , and if you can't find the answer there, please contact us .
