Aspects of Brahmanical Influence On Jaina Mythology

SR No.: 011037
Original Sutra Author: N/A
Author: Shaktidhar Jha
Publisher: Bharat Bharti Bhandar
Publication Year: 1978
Total Pages: 315
Language: English
Classification: Book_English
File Size: 12 MB

Page 159

The Ikşvāku Race and its Various Branches
141
another, seems significant, for, it shows that even he did not place reliance on Jinasena's genealogical account of the later Kurus.
As a matter of fact, the PP parts company with JHV from Väsuki onwards The latter work has a group of thirty one names between Vasuki and Santanu A close study of these names reveals that most of them are coined by combining the components of mainly three names,118 viz Paraśara, Dvarpāyana (an epithet of Krşna-Vyasa, traditional son of the sage Parāśara) and Vicitrauirya Moreover, in some cases, only the different parts of the above three names have been turned into distinct personal names 219 Thus, this coinage of new names has caused an abnormal increase in the number of descents Besides that the list betrays a reversal of the order and position of even those persons whose priorits and posteriority in the pedigree happen to be of universal acceptance 120 Under the circumstances, it is not unlikely that the above deficiencies and dis crepancies in the Harvamsapuräna list should have forced Subhacandra to skip from Väsuhe on to Sântanu with a casual reference to the occurrence of some successions between the two personages of the line
Another important feature of JHV list is marked by the fact that it has inserted seven names between Sāntanu and Dhțiarāja, the alleged father of Dhrtarāstra, Pandu and Vidura This representation makes śāntanu a distant ancestor of Dhstarāştra and his brothers, and stands alone inasmuch as none of Jinasena's successors followed that scheme
Now, it will be befitting to analyse the various versions of this part of the pedigree chronologically Thus we take up the Uttarapurāna version first Although the genealogy of the Kurus as found in the work is very brief, yet the information
118 cg Mahāsara, Pratısara, Saradvipa etc ---JHV, 45 29-30 119 Such as Citra, Vicitra, Virya, Sara and Dripa Ibid , 45 27, 28-30 120 Majority of the Jainapurānas, like the epic-Purānic sources make Victraditya posterior in time to Parā'sara and Dvarpāyana See below
अथ कौरवमुख्यस्य हस्तिनास्यपुरेशिन ।।