Aspects of Brahmanical Influence On Jaina Mythology

Author(s): Shaktidhar Jha
Publisher: Bharat Bharti Bhandar

Page 35

The Epics and the Jaina Puranas
avoured to provide the common people with some such documents as could serve as suitable substitutes for the Brahmanical epics and Purānas. In this mission they had not to exert much, for, the epic-Puranic tradition had given them a powerful mythology which they utilized with necessary modifications in their own pantheon which popular Jainism had developed owing to the powerful influence of Brahmanism Thus, almost all the epic-Puranic gods and goddesses, Gandharvas and raksas and a host of mythical figures as well as the myths and legends connected with them were assimilated in the Jaina religious beliefs and were represented in the Jaina Puranas without
restraint.
It seems likely that the Jaina Purānas would have deve loped quite differently, had the epics-which were largely drawn upon and imitated over by the Jaina Puranas-not been there For, the nature and contents of the Jaina Caritas and Puranas show that the authors of the works have strived to vie with the epic poets insofar as they have styled the different chapters of their Purānas either Sargas or Parvans The tone and the technique which they have adopted are essentially those of the epic poets With the exception of the Purānas written in Prakrta and Apabhramŝa all the Purānas are composed mainly in Anuştubh metre-a favourite metre of the epics-with occasional introduction of later Kavya diction
Of all the Jaina Purānas, Vimalasūri's Paumacarıya (C 400 A D.) is the oldest In narrates the story of the Valmiki Rāmāyana in a Jainised way 12 Though there are many points of difference in the details, yet the general run of the whole does not show much departure from the traditional account of Rama's exploits However, it must be noted here that even in
Narada's interpretation, delivers his judgement in favour of Parvata's stand, and so sinks deep down into the earth together with his crystal throne, VPC, 11 6-35, RPC 11 11-72, JHV 17 01-152 UP, 67 329439, TSPC, 72 383-450, and of Mahābhārata, A'svamedhikaparva, Chaps 91 11-23, 26-34, Vayup 67 92-121
17
12 VM Kulkarni Paumacarya, Introduction, pp 5-6, The Origin and Development of the Rama-story in Jaina literature, JOI, Vol IX, No 2