________________
550
A CRITICAL STUDY OF PAUMACARIYAM
completely human. Their shapes were not fierce or abominable. In the religious field they have been completely Jainised. But in the VR, they have been painted cruel, wicked and of diabolic nature. They are said to be fierce-looking and are depicted just like demons1. Still there are no less references in the VR which depict them as human beings and of good looking. The descriptions of Lankā, the palace of Rāvana, the luxurious life there and the council of Ravana indicate that they were not always fierce looking and in no way backward2.
Then the question is why the VR at other places should have depicted them as cruel, of abominable look and as devilish whereas the Jaina tradition should describe them as human and religious.
The reason seems to be very clear. It is said in the VR that the Rahṣasas were the inveterate enemies of the Brahmanical cult of sacrifice 'Yajña'. They destroyed and put obstacles in the performance of those rites. The story of Viśvāmitra and the Daṇḍakaranya journey of Rama quite sufficiently depict it. Further it is a well known fact that the Jaina religion always deplored the cult of sacrifice which is quite against its ethics. And as the Rākṣasas also opposed this Vedic cult of Himsa, the Jaina assigned to them a place of respect in their literature and did not make any onslaught on them. There is some truth in not depicting them as devilish because in the VR also there are several references to the effect that they performed penances (5. 59. 4), studied the Vedas and their auxiliaries (5. 18. 2; 6. 10. 8; 6. 109. 23; 6. 92. 60), knew the state-craft (6.71.29; 6. 63. 14-1) and learned Sanskrit (5. 30. 18; 3. 11. 55).
The facts that they (Rākṣasas) obstructed sacrifices, that thay troubled Munis who advocated sacrifices, that they on the strength of their valour opposed the Aryans and did not allow them to enter the south, that they made their own efforts to dominate the north, became responsible for their being depicted as cruel and abominable in the VR. Mr. S. N. Vyas writes that they were depicted so because they were the born enemies of the Aryans3. Mr. C. V. Vidya says that really speaking these tribes were advanced but on account of their opposition to the Aryans they are depicted as cruel. Because they opposed Brahmanical cult therefore they are depicted as Daityas and blood consumers just as the Semitic people depicted their antagonistic tribes as unholy, fierce, cruel and barbaric 5.
1. VR, 3.2, 13, 69.
2. VR, 5.2,5;6.11.
3. Ramayana Kalina Samaja, p. 31.
4. The Riddle of the Ramayana, p- 94. 5. RKSJ, p. 52.
