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80 Jaina Religion: Its Historical Journey of Evolution
ceremonies. Then, it was believed that the Tīrthankara or yakşa-yakși after being propitiated by their devotees would bestow happiness on them. Protector goddesses such as Laksmī, Sarasvati, Padmāvatī, Ambikā, Cakreśvarī, Kāli etc. and yakşas, dikpālas and kşetrapālas (bhairavas) such as Maņibhadra, Ghantākarņa Mahāvīra and Pārsvayakșa came to be accepted in the Jaina pantheon. In worshipping them many of the ceremonies of Hindu tradition were accepted in Jaina tradition with minor alterations. Texts like "Bhairava-Padmāvatīkalpa” etc. substantiate this point. In the rituals of Jina-worship and consecration of idols or images in the temples many of the elements of Vedic rituals got assimilated which are very different from the basic ideology of Jaina tradition. We clearly notice today that worshipping Cakreśvarī, Padmāvatī, Ambikā, Ghantākarņa Mahāvīra, Nākodā-bhairava, Bhomiyāji, dikpālas, kşetrapālas etc. have become very prominent in Jaina tradition. This is the other aspect of worship and devotion in Jaina traditionbasically an influence of Hindu or Brāhmaṇa tradition that has come to the fore. There are many mantras recited in Jina-worship and related ceremonial rituals which can simply be called the Jainization of similar mantras of Brāhmaṇa tradition. For example, in Brāhmaṇa tradition while
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