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NON-CANONICAL SVETĀMBARA LITERATURE
243
Vimalasuri down to Hemacandra.
We have already seen that Vimala had a thorough knowledge, not only of the events narrated in the original Rāmāyana, but also with its language. Although he contemptuously bestows on the earlier poets epithets like kukavi, mūdhāḥ, etc., he actually follows the path trodden by them. Sometimes he does not hesitate to borrow words and phrases of the original Rāmāyana. However, while telling the story of Rāma and Rāvana, he also says something about the different Jaina Tirthařkaras and other interesting details are also found in his work for which he is indebted to none but his own imagination.
The principal details of Vālmīki's Rāmāyana, i.e., the birth of the four sons of Daśaratha, Rāma's marriage with Sītā, the daughter of Janaka, his departure for the forest along with Lakṣmaṇa and Sītā, Rāvana's kidnapping of Sītā, death of Jațāyu at Rāvana's hands, Rāma's meeting with Sugrīva, Hanumat's departure for Lankā, his meeting with Sītā, the battle of Lankā, the rescue and ultimate banishment of Sitā are all described in Vimiala's poem. Mere similarity of broad facts do not however concern us much here. After a through examination of Vimala's entire Prāksta poem I have been able identify a large number of small yet important details which also occur in the original Rāmāyana. I give those below in parallel for the two volumes:
Paumacariyam
Rāmāyaņa
2
1. Description of Ayodhyā (I,
ch. 5). 2. VII, ch. 34, VII.16.25 ff.
1. Description of Rājagrha
(2.8-14) 2. Rāvana's encounter with
Bālin and lifting of Kailāsa
(9.24 ff.) 3. Description of the Narmadā
(10.29 ff.)
3. VII.31.5 ff.
4. Sahasrakirana's play in the
water of the Narmadā
(10.33 ff.) 5. Rāvana's worship of the Jina
image near the bank of the Narmadā (10.45 ff.)
4. VII.32.2 ff. (In this epic he
is called Arjuna of sahasra
hands.) 5. VII.31.37 ff. (He is shown as
worshipping the Sivalinga.)
