Story Of Rama In Jain Literature

SR No.: 022775
Original Sutra Author: N/A
Author: V M Kulkarni
Publisher: Saraswati Pustak Bhandar
Publication Year: 1990
Total Pages: 278
Language: English
Classification: Book_English
File Size: 27 MB

Page 153

The Ramayana Version of Gunabhadra
Uttara-Purana:
who kills Välin.
MANDODARİ :
Mandodari is shown to be a noble and sympathetic woman. She does her best to persuade her husband to set Sită free but fails; she then exhorts Sitä not to yield to Ravana's passion. SURPANAKHA:CANDRANAKHA:
Surpanakha plays the part of a Dûti only. She meets Sītā, learns how she is a very chaste lady, reports to Rāvana about it.
Pauma-Carlya:
135
Mandodari suggests to Ravana to enjoy Sītā by force; she acts the part of a Duti trying to persuade Sită to accept Ravana's love.
She falls in love with Rama and makes amorous advances to the two brothers - though one of them had killed her son - Sambúka. Disappointed she incites her husband to fight against the two brothers who had killed Sambuka, and who, she alleges, had molested her.
The two versions of Gunabhadra and Vimala Suri markedly differ from each other in regard to story element, characterisation, etc., as demonstrated above. Further, we may note that Vimala shows that Hanumat, Sugriva and Ravana were relatives, that Hanumat had helped Rävana in his fight against Varuna etc., tells of the later history of Rama'-introduces about a dozen Upakhyanas, gives a detailed history of the dynasties of the Rākṣasas and the Vanaras and the Ikṣväku, narrates the account of Välin and Sugriva differently. It is but right then if we say that the two versions should be regarded as independent forms of the story of Rama.
Vimala Suri starts one school of Jain Rämäyaņa. He is followed by Raviṣena, Dhanesvara, and Hema-candra.
Gunabhadra starts another school of Jair Ramayana. He is followed by Puspadanta (and we may add-on the authority of Dr. Narsimhacar some Kannada Jain poets, who treat of the Räma story in their works, including Câmundaraya-Purana and Punyadrava-Kathāsāra).
Harisena's version as found in the Brhat-Kathakoda represents abridgment of the Hindu epic with only two or three Jain features added at the end.
Why Gunabhadra did not follow his Digambara Predecessor-Ravişena? Ravişena was a Digambara. We expect, therefore, Gunabhadra, a Digambara poet to follow his predecessor. But our expectation is belied. As we have shown above. Gunabhadra's Rāma story is vastly different from that of Vimala Suri (with whose story