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Marhard copper plates of Avinita, Indian Antiquary, I, pp. 363-- 55; and Epi. Car., Vol. 1, p. 1).
We have in our Catalogue a work Shadarachakra. better known as Siddhapriya stotra in 25 beautiful and artistic Sanskrit verses. Its authoris Devanandi, who may be Pajyapada Devanandt. (For identification of Pajyapada and Devanandi, cf. Peterson, II Report, pp. 67-74.) Ravishenacbärya's "Padma Purana" is well known The
author wrote it in Nirvana Samvat 1205
(A D. 678) as is evident from the following verse that occurs towards the end of the work :
द्विशताभ्यधिके समासहसे समवेतर्द्धचतुर्वर्षयुक्ते । जिनभास्करवर्द्धमानसिद्धेश्चारतं पद्ममुनेदिनिबंधम् ।। ३९ ॥
The author and his work have been referred to in Harivamsa-pură pa ( completed Saka year 705).
कृतपोदयोद्योता प्रत्यहंपरिवर्तिता ।
ft: #10444111e arala: Bar II 34 Padma-purāņa is the earliest complete Jain version of the Ramayana unless the Prakrit work f'aumachariya of Vimala Sari and another work of the same name by Svayambhudeva which are said tu bear on the same subject, really prove to be works of an earlier date, as is alleged. Later writers have all based their works dealing with this subject, on the book of Ravishenacharya. The incidents related in Padma-purana are said to have occurred during the period (Tirtha) ol Santinātha, the 16th Tirtharkara. The story of Rama as narrated tere differs in many material points from that of the Ramayana of Valmiki. Rama and Ravana are both claimed here to have followed Jain religion. Lakshmana is stated not to have been a full brother of Satrughna, but the son of a fourth wife of Dasaratha, Suprabha by name. Sita was born from the human womb of the queen of Videba. Dasaratha did not die on account of the banishment of Rama: be is represented to have become disgusted with the ways of the world and he retired to the forest to practise penance. Bali, Sugriva und Hanuman were not of any monkey race, but were powerful rulers of the forest regions. Rama never killed Bali. The latter of his free will relinquished the throne in favour of his younger brother Sugriva and himself became an ascetic. Rāvana was not a Brahmana, but a Kshatriya, and met his death not at the hands of Rama but those of his younger brother Lakshmapa. The latter recovered from the effects of Ravana's " Sakti" not by any lifegiving drug but by the presence of a virtuous lady Visalya, who afterwards became his wife. These are some of the points of difference. A comparative and critical study of the whole will be interesting.