Tirthankara Suparsvanatha in Kayotsarga, or Standing Meditation, Posture and Protected by a Five-Headed Naga

Practiced in India at least since the sixth century BCE, Jainism offers release from the cycle of birth and rebirth through the practice of asceticism and nonviolence toward all living things. Jains follow the teachings of twenty-four jinas, or perfected beings, known as tirthankaras—humans who have achieved enlightenment and become role models for those seeking spiritual guidance. This sculpture represents Suparshvanatha, the seventh jina. According to legend, his pregnant mother saw herself asleep on a couch of serpents, which accounts for the five-headed cobra protecting the jina. This figure’s nakedness indicates its affiliation with the Digambara or “sky clad” sect, the more austere of Jainism’s two primary branches. The statue of a jina personifies a spiritual ideal and functions as a meditative support. Jains do not worship an image, but venerate it at home or in a temple by singing hymns and making offerings. The jina, who has passed beyond the realm of human affairs, is not believed to reside in the image.