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SOURCES, CONTRIBUTION AND INFLUENCE OF PCV.
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J. Charpentier also upholds the Jaina tradition and concludes that the Pârvas gradually went into oblivion (See Uttară, Int. p. 24). There are references to Sīta and Tara in the tenth Anga, namely, Prašnavyākaraņasūtra (No. 16). Here we can seek for the source of the Jaina Rama-story but the above Anga is regarded as a later work because its contents do not correspond to the table of contents given in the Sthànānga and the Nandisūtra (See HIL, II. p. 452).
Vimalasūri once again states that he is narrating the story of Padma that has come down traditionally in the form of 'series of names' (nāmāvaliyanibaddhaṁ āyariyaparamparāgayaṁ 1.8). Such series of names are given in the Samavāyāngasūtra (157-158) and the Tiloyapannatti (4.421 ff). The points, bearing on the Padma-story, mentioned in the Samavāyāngasūtra (158) are as follows:
Padma and Nārāyana (Lakşmaņa) were the sons of Dasaratha born of Aparājitā and Kaikeyi respectively. They were the eighth Baladeva and Vasudeva respectively. Nārāyaṇa killed Rāvana, the eighth Prativāsudeva. Padma attained Moksa. Padma was Aparājita and Nārāyana was Punarvasu in their previous birth. At that time their preceptor was Samudra. Punarvasu observed someone's prowess and made a resolution 'nidana' at Mithiläpuri. Vimalasūri's Padma-story agrees with the above points except the following: The birth name of Laksmana's mother is Kaikeyi (different from Bharata's mother) but her popular name is Sumitrā Padma is nowhere mentioned as Aparajita in his previous births and there is no reference to Samudra as his or Punarvasu's preceptor. Punarvasu belonged to Pratişthanapura and he had resolved (made a 'nidāna') to marry a certain girl in his next birth (See Supra, Ch. 4, story Nos. 43 and 54)..
The Tiloyapar.natti (4.1411-14-38) names the eighth Baladeva as Rāma and the ninth one as Padma (i.e. the brother of Krşpa). Rāma and Lakşmaņa are said to have lived 17000 and 12000 years respectively (See PCV, 118.86; 114.27, 29). The former attained Mokşa and Ravana went to hell. The PCV agrees with the above points except that of the name of the eighth Baladeva.
Then in the Sthānăngasūtra (672) there is a list of the names of the fathers of the Baladevas and Vasudevas. There Daśaratha is mentioned as the father of eighth Baladeva and Vasudeva.
Thus we find that the facts noted in the Samavāyānga, the Sthānanga and the Tiloyapannatti are generally in agreement as far as they go in our work. Whatever variations are found, they can be explained as due to oral tradition which should have differed in its details with
