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A CRITICAL STUDY OF PAUMACARIYAN
political situations and refernces to historical people, cannot be regarded as interpolations, therefore the date of Paumacariyaṁ cannot go before the 5th century A. D.
Literary and Linguistic Evidences :
in the genealogical list of the Ikşvāku vamśa given in the Paumacariyaṁ, the number of the ancestors of Daśaratha is generally in agreement with that of the Brahmanical Purăņas and not with that of Valmīki Rāmāyaṇa. The Prasasti of Paumacariyaṁ mentions that of besides other things, Kāma, Artha, Dharma and Mokşa' from the constituents of a Purāna. This definition is not in full agreement with the early definition of a Brahmanical Purāņa, but it is in agreement with the later developed definition o! a Brahmanical Purāņa. 3
The gathā metre employed in the Paumacariyan shows an advanced stage as the nicest rules of metres are applicable to it. The time of the advent of Mahārāștri language is generally held to be the second century A.D. but the Mahārāştrī language of Paumacariyam reveals an advanced stage and there is some influence of Apabhraíša on it. 4 We have evidence of the use of Apabhramśa dialect in one of the Arkas of Vikramorvast of Kalidasa (i.e. 4th, 5th century A. D.).
Conclusion:
Thus we conclude that the Nailavamsa originated in the second century A.D. The references to the Dināra, Vimala as a Sūri, Suranga and the astronomieal term take us to still a later date. The inclusion of Sallekhana by the PCV into the twelfth vow a householder bears similarity with the Caritrapāhuda of Kundakunda. The recognition of abstaining from taking meal as the sixth anuvrata of householder's conduct (PCV, 6 120) is mentioned as late as in the Sarvărthasiddhi (7.1) of Pajyapāda. The references to the Sriparvatiyas, Kilakilas and the Anandas take us between the 3rd and the 4th century A.D. The political situations around Daśapura and Nandyāvartapura reveal historical parallels of the first half of the 5th eentury A.D.
1. See Infra. Ch. 5. 2. PCV, 118. 111. 3. See Infra ch. 11 Sec. 3B. 4. See Infra. Ch. 11. See, 1; See (Variant Readings and Orthographie-Seribal
tendencies of the PC, Paumacariyan, Pt II, Prakrit Text Society, 1968. pp.13..
