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Appendix-8 Previous Lives of Rama, Lakṣmaṇa, Viśalyā, Bibhiṣaṇa, Rāvana, Sugriva and Sitā
A trader named Nayadatta, resided at the Kṣemapuranagara in the southern Bharata. He had two sons Dhanadatta and Vasudatta. They had a friend called Yagyavalkya. In the same city, a noble trader Sägardatta had a son Gunadhara and daughter Gunavati. When Gunavati reached puberty, her father engaged her to Vasudatta. But her mother Ratnaprabhā, a greedy woman, secretly engaged her to a rich man Srikanta. Yagyavalkya, somehow came to know the vicious plan of Ratnaprabha. He revealed it to his friends Dhanadatta and Vasudatta. One night, Vasudatta attacked his rival Srikanta. A fierce duel ensued and both the young men died while fighting with each other.
Both were reborn as deers in the jungles, situated on the slopes of the mount Vindhyācala. Gunavati remained a spinster throughout her life and was born as a gazel. The animosity between the two deers was so intense that they fought with each other for the gazel, and after death, they continued the vicious cycle of birth and death for a long period.
Dhanadatta, the elder son of Nayadatta was so shattered by his brother's death, that he lost faith in his dharma and wandered through the forest like a lunatic. One night, he saw an ascetic in jungle and asked him for some food. The muni replied, "We do not store food even for the day, You too, must not eat or dine after the sunset, for, in the darkness after sunset, many micro-organisms grow tremendously all over. They cannot be seen by naked eyes. Eating after sunset leads to the first gate of the hell. When Dhanadatta heard this, he became a śravaka and lived a virtuous life. After his death, he was born in the first celestial world. From there, he was born at Mahāpuranagara as Padmaruci. He became a great śrāvaka.
Once, he was riding to Gokul. He came across an aged bull who was about to breathe his last. He halted and descended from his chariot and recited the Navakara mantra in the ears of the bull. When the bull died, he was born as Prince Rṣabhadhvaja. The enormous latent energy in the Namaskāra Mahāmantra
made this feasible. Once, he reached the place where he lived in his previous birth and remembered his past birth vividly. He erected a gigantic Jina temple there. One of the temple walls depicted a dying bull and a young man murmering something in his ears. He ordered the sentinels, "Anyone who can interprete the enigma behind this strange scene should be brought to me at once."
Once, Padmaruci reached in the vicinity of the Jina temple. When he noticed the strange picture, he said, "This is me, and I know what is the picture about." The sentinel took him to Prince Rṣabhadhvaja, The prince asked him "How could you solve the mystery of the enigmatic scene?" Padmaruci answered, "I can, for I myself recited the Namaskara Mahamantra in the ears of a dying bull." The prince said, "I was that dying bull. I have acquired the loftiest status because of this mantra. Had it not been for you, I would have still been an animal of somekind. You are my mentor, my master and my lord. Pray, take my empire, be a ruler and let me be your slave."
Padmaruci and Rṣabhadhvaja lived a very virtuous life as śravaka and when they died, they were elevated to the Iśāna second devlok and became very mighty dieties. From there, Padmaruci's soul was born as Prince Nayanananda at Nandavarta nagara. He lived a virtuous life and after his demise went in the fourth celestial world called Mahendra; From there, he was born at Purvavideha as Prince Śricandra. In this life, he renounced the world and accepted an ascetic life. Muni Samadhigupta initiated him into the fold of ascetism. After his death, he was elevated in the fifth celestial world known as Brahmadevaloka as Indra and from there, he was born as a very mighty ruler Rama. The soul of Rşabhadhvaja was born as Sugriva, during the times of Rama.
The soul of Srikanta, after transmigrating through many cycles of births and deaths, was born as King Sambhu of Mrnalakandanagara. His enemy Vasudatta too travelled through innumerable lives and was born in the family of the royal priest of Mṛṇālakandanagara as Śribhuti. Gunavati, whose love created a rift between Śrikanta and Vasubhuti, was born as Vegavati the daughter of Śribhūti. After one rebirth, she was born as Sitā.
For the other lives of Sitä refer appendix-2
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