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An old version of the Jaina Ramayana
bed". (sayanovayāraviyakkhana) 15 granted her a boon. (2) Kekai led an army and got her husband released from the enemy's custody, for which she was granted another boon.
A kind of service in bed" has been described in the Vasudevahind 16 and the BKŚS17 when Buddhiseņa (Gomukha in the BKS), a close associata of Prince Samba (Naravahanadatta in the BKSS) is entertained by a young prostitute named Bhogamalini (Padmadevika in the BKS) by employing a technique of massaging known as stanapiditaka (pressing the breasts). As the original Bịhatkathā was full of passionate love stories, it might well have contained such episodes, which were later utilised by other writers, Jong and Bulke bave called this form of legend "primitive."18.
(4) After becoming infatuated by the beauty of Sita, Rāvana directs bis minister Mārīca to assume the form of an illusory deer studded with gems (rayanacitta) to in order to tempt the young warriors living in the forest as hermits. As soon as Sitā beholds the deer she asks for it as a pet. Rama follows the animal with a bow and arrow in hand. First the deer goes along slowly, but after it swiftly moves off. Rama begins to suspect that it is not an ordinary deer but an illusory one,
Earlier in the Nalajasalambha (181, 15-20) of the Vasudevahindi a very similar description is given when Nilajasā asks Vasudeva to catch a baby peacock as a plaything for her. Vasudeva later remarks that as Rama was deceived by a dcer, so was he by a peacock, Ultimately Nilakantha assumes the form of a peacock and abducts Nilajasä while Vasudeva remains helpless. In similar circumstances Ajinavati, the prototype of Nilajasa, is kidnapped by a vidhyadhara named Vikacika who flies through the sky like a hawk carrying off a cuckoo (BKÓS, XX. 202.-226). In the BKM (13.45-47) Vegavati is kidnapped by a demon (raksasa) called Manimat who assumes the form of a peacock.
This all indicates that the kidnapping of women by vidyadharas or rākşasas was common in early Indian literature, at least at the time of the author of the Byhatkatha. Under the circumstances we can easily take Sita's abduction as an important part of the Byhatkatha narration; moreover we should not forget that the wbole theme of the BỊhatkatha is based on the abduction of Madanamañjukā by the vidhyad hara Manasavega.
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15 Elsewhere called paviyarasukha, 133,2. The 16 arts of sayano pacara' are mentioned
in the Kāmasāstra (1.3.14, Jayamangala commentary), 16 102, 17-21. 17 X. 140-152. 18 See Jong's above-mentioned article; Bulcke, Ibid., p. 402. 19 Maninirmita in the Uttarapurāna (68.197). The KSS, BKM, and Harişena's Byhat.
kathakosa have all referred to a golden deer. However, Vimalasuri las ommitted this episode in his Paumacari ya with the explanation that since Räma was observing a
vow (vratastha) he could not kill a deer. Sambdhi 4.3-4
