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Buddhistic and Jaina versions of the Story of Rama.
BY
Prof. A. Chakravarti, M.A., I.E.S., (Continued from page 16, No. 1.)
WE
WE referred to Rishabha, the founder of the Jaina faith. He belonged to the Aryan tribe of the Purus or Ikshvakus His son was Bharata, who lent his name to the country Bharatavarsha. He was the first great Emperor of the Bharatavarsha. Though he was the supreme Lord of the Aryan tribes, still there were other royal houses recognised by him. The Mahapurana speaks of five great royal houses among the early Aryans-The Ikshvaku-vamsa, the Kuru-vamsa, the Hari-vamsa, the Ugra-vamsa and the Natha-vamsa. All the twenty-four Jainas were fron these five royal houses of the early Aryans. As has been mentioned, Rishabha was from the Ikshvaku or PuruThe last Jina, Mahavira was from Natha-vamsa. That is why he is referred to in Buddhist and Jaina literature as Nathaputta. The one previous to him Parsva was from the Ugra-vamsa. And the twenty-second Tirthankara-Neminatha, or Arishtanemi, a cousin of Krishna of Bharata fame was from Hari-vamsa like Sri Krishna himself. It is a point worthy of consideration, that all the great religious leaders of ancient India, all the Jinas or Tirthankaras, the Buddha, Sri Ramachandra and Krishna were from the several Kshatria lines mentioned above. Their national importance was such that they were afterwards made divine beings or incarnations of the God Vishnu, by Hindus.
vamsa.
When Lord Rishabha renounced his kingdom in favour of his son Bharata and went to perform tapas, the country was portioned out among these five great royal houses, with Bharata as the overlord. A little too late, there appeared two young princes Nami and Vinami, sons of Kacha and Mahakacha, before Lord Rishabha and
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Shree Sudharmaswami Gyanbhandar-Umara, Surat
www.umaragyanbhandar.com
