Paumchariyam Part 1

Author(s): Vimalsuri, Punyavijay, Harman
Publisher: Prakrit Granth Parishad

Page 19

INTRODUCTION
Nirvana of Lord Mahāvīra, having heard (from his Guru) the lives of Nārāyaṇa and Baladeva as were given in the Purvas.1
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Scrutiny of this tradition: It is difficult to accept this tradition as founded on facts. It is probably true that the poet had before him a Namavali and known its elucidation from his teacher. But that the story was first told by Lord Mahavira himself is difficult to believe. For in the Jaina Canon we do not find the story of Rama recorded anywhere, although the story of Krsna who lived centuries after Rama according to the statement of the Jaina writers themselves occurs in Antagaḍadasão. It is not likely that such a well-known story which admirably illustrates the disastrous consequences of passion for another's wife should find no place in their sacred works. Again, it is very probable that the story of and hence he may not have made use of Rama was not sufficiently popular in the days of Mahavira that story for religious purpose. This surmise is strengthened by the fact that the story of Rama was popularised by Valmiki in the 3rd century B. C. Although it is said that the lives of Narayana and Baladeva were given in the Parva texts, we unfortunately are not in a position to verify the truth of the statement as these Purva texts are irrevocably lost. Again the traditions recorded by different poets in their Puranas dealing with the lives of 63 heroes are conflicting. Even the later poets of Jaina Rāmāyaṇas (such as Hemachandra) do not appear to have taken this tradition of Vimala seriously. Otherwise how could they effect modifications in the principal narrative which Mahāvīra is said to have told to his pupils ? They would have then remained contented with merely adding poetic descriptions of the cities, towns etc., without tampering with the principal narrative of Räma believed to have been delivered by Mahavira. It appears that the poet traces the origin of the story to Lord Mahavira in order just to invest it with authority and sanctity and the statement that the lives were given in the Parva texts is just intended to induce devout readers to accept the truth of the story when, he found it necessary to give the followers of Jaina faith a worthy substitute for the enormously popular epic of Valmiki. Vimalasūri's indebtedness to Valmiki and the derivative nature of the Jaina Rāmāyaṇas has been demonstrated elsewhere".
1. पंचैव य वाससया, दुसमाए तीसघरिससंजुत्ता । वीरे सिद्धिमुवगए, तओ निबद्धं इमं चरियं ॥
and राहू नामायरिओ, ससमयपरसम यगहियसन्भावो ।
विजओ य तस्स सोसो, माइलसमेदिय | Canto 118, v. 117-18,
Canto 118, v. 103.
2. Antagada-dasão, Varga III. The Nandi and the Anuyogadvara Sutra text (forming part of the Jaina Canon) mention 'Bharata' and 'Rāmāyaṇa' but they refer to the great epics of the Hindus and not to any Jaina 'Rāmāyaṇa' or Jaina Mahābhārata.
3. Winternitz has discussed the age of Rāmāyaṇa. He holds that "It is probable that the original Rāmāyaṇa was composed in the 3rd century B. C. by Valmiki on the basis of ancient ballads".
4. We have many parallels in the Hindu literature: e.g., the author of Manusmrti (Chapter 1) traces its origin to the Creator; so too Bharata's Natyaśastra (Chapter 1) finds divine origin. Such fictitious traditions are fabricated intentionally in order to show that these works possess divine authority. Vimala-Sari, being a Jaina, introduces a tradition representing Mahavira, the Jina, as the expositor of the Räma story and thus claims his story to be a genuine account.
5. The limits of space available have precluded full investigation of the origin of the Jaina Rāmāyaṇas, I have fully dealt with this problem in my paper "The Origin and development of the Rama Story in Jain literature" shortly to be published in the Journal of the Oriental Institute, Baroda