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A CRITICAL STUDY OF PAUMACARIYAM
The instances of rivalry among the queens already quoted above exhibit the trait of jealousy for one another.
The defect of greediness is also found with women. Ratnaprabhā, on account of being allured to the wealth, overrode the decision of her husband a nd secretly betrothed her daughter to another person though she was previously betrothed to Dhana datta by her husband (103,12). It was with the motive of covetiousness that the mother of Ahideva and Mahideva wanted to poison her sons for securing a gem from them (55.41).
Weaknesses :-Certain inherent weaknesses to which the human beings are prone to fall victims are well depicted in connection with the woman-class. Thus the PCV reveals that women fell victims to manifold vices on account of being motivated by sexual urges. There are examples of women who failed or got success in their attempts to commit adultery, but in both the cases the results proved to be dangerous. How a woman, on being overpowered by the sexual urge, falls victim to baser instincts and unholy ways can be evidenced in the character of Candranakhā. She angrily searches for the culprit who killed her son, but as soon as she observes Rama and Lakşmaņa, she gets enamoured of their handsomeness. She forgets her filial love for her son and adopts deceptive ways to win the heart of the princes. She assumes the form of a beautiful girl, fabricates that she is an orphan and invites Rāma to marry her (43,36-44,39). But when her request is rejected, her heart boils with the feeling of revenge. She does not hesitate in reporting false things to her husband alleging that she was man handled by Rāma and Lakşmaņa. Thus she paves the way for the battle of Kharadūşaņa and Laksmana and becomes an in direct cause of the kidnapping of Sītā. Nalakūbara's wife, Uparambhā did not hesitate in bringing about the downfall of her own husband by giving out the secrets of the strategy of war to Rāvana, merely for the sake of establishing sexual relations with Rāvana who was the very enemy of her husband. Ultimately her husband was defeated by Rāvana but she was admonished by the latter for her immoral avertures (12.53-71)." Queen Lalita entrapped an innocent handsome Brahmin for committing adultety with him, but as soon as she was caught by the king, she betrayed the Brahmin and the king inflicted a severe corporal punishment upon the concerned Brahmin (81.11). The wife of a minister failed in seducing a king, but the result was dangerous. The apprehending minister set fire to the palace of the king. The king had to flee away with his family for safety and had to fight a battle to reoccupy his capital (104.120). Sakhā, the
