Critical Study Of Paumacariyam

SR No.: 022643
Original Sutra Author: N/A
Author: K R Chandra
Publisher: Research Institute of Prakrit Jainology and Ahimsa
Publication Year: 1970
Total Pages: 672
Language: English, Sanskrit
Classification: Book_English & Book_Devnagari
File Size: 18 MB

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A CRITICAL STUDY OF PAUMACARIYAM
It is the public censure which creates in his mind an apprehension about the character of Sita. It is on account of public censure that Rama expresses disparaging words about women. Laksmana on the other hand supports Sītā. He charges people with wickedness and blames them for making situations against women (94.6). Otherwise why should Rama later on admit before Sītā that she is chaste and he abandoned her only to convince the people (101.37; 102.37-38).
It should not be forgotten that the above mentioned human weaknesses are not peculiar to women alone but are found with men also.
Male-Excesses and Women's Lot: --Man's polygamous habits show that he is more unsteady in love. Further the special instances of not only his infidelity but of his excesses over the fair sex can be mentioned as follows. It has been already stated that Ravana abducted Sitā though she was the legitimate wife of Rama. King Kundalamandita snatched away the wife of a Purohita and harassed him (26.12). King Madhu kidnapped treacherously the wife of his vassal (105.94). Brahmin Kayāņa abducted the wife of another Brahmin, Atibhuti (30.61). Sahasagati wanted to estabiish sexual relations with Tārā (47.14-19), the wife of Sugrīva and some Mlecchas forcibly removed away a woman (30.118). These instances clearly indicate how the male-class also fell victim to sexual urges. Further in the cases which are mentioned above in connection with the infidelity of women, the corresponding males also are responsible for the guilt. In those cases there were both the unmarried and the married males and as far as the married males are concerned they can be charged with unfaithfulness to their own wives, Svayambhu forcibly raped a virgin girl despite of her opposition (103.100). We find that the rulers, on being refused by the parents of the girls, attacked them and after defeating them married the girls. These cases are not of infidelity but those of male-excesses from a certain point of view.
Divorce :-Further we find that women are dishonoured, exiled or divorced on mere suspicion. Añjana was exiled by her mother-in-law in absence of her husband. She did not find place even at the house of her parents, because she was suspected to be infidel (17.7-20). A Vanik woman Mitramati was exiled by her father-in-law for the same reason. In the above two cases their husbands were the cause of their pregnancies, hence ultimately Añjana and Mitramati were united with their husbands, but for the time being they had to suffer. Sita was exiled by Rama on a mere doubt that she might not have remained chaste on account of her long association with Ravana. She was accepted