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 209

The Rāmāyana of Acārya Hemacandra
191
Now in Ratha-nüpura. Sahasrara's wife Citra-Sundari dreamt a dream, auspicious as it was, some god conceived in her womb. In due course she had a pregnancy-longing of enjoying sexual intercourse with Indra. As this longing was dimcult to express and difficult to be satisfied, she grew very weak and emaciated. Her husband pressed her to reveal her longing. On knowing it he through Māyā assumed the form of Indra and satisfied her longing. In due course she gave birth to a son who was, because of the longing during pregnancy, named as Indra. When he attained to youth, his father appointed him king, and himself became a monk. This Indra regarded himself as Indra, the overlord of gods and bringing under his sway all the Vidyādhara kings, appointed, like God Indra, the guardians of the world, etc., and ruled over his kongdom, being surrounded by Vidyadharas bearing the names of Indra's Partvára. Māli felt jealous of Indra's glory, went to Vaitadhya but was killed in the fight. The Raksasa and Vänara armies being routed, again sought shelter in Pătála-Lanká under the leadership of Sumali. Indra appointed Vaiśramana as the ruler of Lankā.
Now Ratnasrava was born of Sumáli. He once went to a park to acquire supernatural lores. There he met Kaikast, the sister of Kausika who was the wife of Visravă and of whom Vaiśramaņa, the lord of Lankā was born. At Kaikasi's request Ratnaśravă married her.
Kaikasi once dreamt a dream in which she saw a lion entering her womb. As a result of her conception she behaved dreadfully. In due course she gave birth to a son with a span of life covering 14000 years. As a young baby he took out that wonderful necklace strung with nine gems (- which was a gift by Bhima, the Raksasa chief to Meghavahana, the founder of the Raksasa dynasty -) and wore it round his neck. His face reflected in those nine gems. Hence his father named him Dasamukha. It was predicted that he, who would drag out of the casket the Ratnahara, would become Ardha-Cakrin. Kaikasi in course of time gave birth to Bhanukarņa (also known as Kumbhakarna whose birth was announced by a Bhanu-svapna), Candranakha (also known as Sūrpanakhā) whose nails resembled the crescent-moon, and Vibhisana (whose birth was announced by Saśánka-svapna).
9.
Vimala states her dohada thus : Icchāmi surahivassa sampatti
Pc. VII, w. 4-5. Ravisena expresses her dohada in these words: ........väńchami bhoktumindrasya sampadam
pp. VII. v. 8. Whereas Hemacandra take her dohada to be :
Dohadastasyāḥ sakrasambhogalaksanah It is indeed extraordinary that Hemacandra should so interpret that longing. The interpretation of the name Dasamukha given here is the same as found in the Pc. and the Pp.
10.