Aspects of Brahmanical Influence On Jaina Mythology

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

Page 86

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Aspects of Brahmanical Influence on the Jam Mythology
Now, turning to the account of the early life of mankind, we find that all the Purānas under investigation trace the evolution of the world through an abnormally long period of universal development The Paümacarya and the Padmacanta do not give detailed account of the earliest period 19 These works make only a colourless enumeration of the Manus who reportedly preceded Nābhı, father of Ikşvāku Rsabha. The author of the Harivamsapurana,20 however, has removed that deficiency by developing the enumerative version into a desa criptive form which eventually has emerged in the Adipurana as a moderately developed narrative of the conditions of mankind during the period of the state of Nature and thereafter
Thus the Puranas in question proceed with the description of the social condition prevalent in the beginning of the Avasarpini age. The picture of this age as portrayed by diffe. rent authors is mainly Utopian, and clothed in mythck-gical garb The people of this age are said to have belonged to the land of enjoyment (Bhogabhūmi) 21 Their all requirements were met by the Kalpavyksas of various denominations The cares and anxieties, to which we people of the present age are heir, were unknown to them And, as such, they were akin to the
19 Vide VPC, 3 50ff , RPC, 3 75ff 20 Vide note 26 (Infra) 21 The picture of the Bhagabhūmt combines both the pecularity of the
Ularakurus and that of the Krta age of the Mahabharata and the Brahmanıcal Purānas Cf MBH III 140 11b"कृतमेव न कर्तव्य तस्मिन् काले युगोत्तमे ।" In that excellent age the action having been alrcady done, does not require to be performed (anymore) (Ibid III 149 12-22) This statement of Mahābhārala is suggestive of the idea that since the people of the Krta age have donc (thc meritorious) deeds in their previous life, thcy do not have further obligation to engage themselves in action, they are born in that age to enjoy the rewards of the good cceds done in previous birth. This idea is more clearly brought out by the following statement in thc-Vāgupurāna अप्रवृत्ति कृतयुगे कर्मणो शुभपापयो ।
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