Sambodhi 1982 Vol 11

Author(s): Dalsukh Malvania, H C Bhayani, Nagin J Shah
Publisher: L D Indology Ahmedabad

Page 50

Critieal Survey of the Jaina Purānas
In the first six chapters of v th canto of the Bhāgavata Purāņa ne come across with the story of Rşabhadeva, bis penances etc. This story has a very close similarity in its main outline with the story of Rşabhadeva found in the Jaina Purānas.
This is a matter of thorough study, examination and investigatior, whether discouragment by the traditional Purānas has any thing to do with the origin and development of the Jaina Purāņas. In the present state of our knowledge, no definite answer can be given. Actually speaking the Buddhism had never tried to write Purānas or to popularise them among the masses because their religious activities were not mainly confined to India. On the other hand, the main centre of the activities of the Jainism was Iodia alope. To make it more popular among the masses of Jainas had to compose such tex's The language of the Jaina literature was primarily the Prakrit, but Sanskrit was not altogether sbudned. The Jainas were not averse to the popular feelings and exigencies of the time. They have accepted Sanskrit as one of the languages.
The Rāmāyaṇa and the Mabābbārata are generally known as the national epics of India. The story of Rāma and many of the episodes of the Mahābhārata are stock-subjects which have influerced even the life and literature of the Jainas. The Jainas not only borrowed the themes and episodes of the Great Epics, but also some of the names of the traditional Purāṇas, eg. the Padma-Purāna and the Mahāpurāṇas. This class of literature is generally known as Purānas arcong the Digambaras and as *Caritas' (Caritra) among the Svetämbaras,
The traditional principal Purānas are only eighteen in number, whereas the Jaina Purānas have not such a fixed number. On the basis of the subject and theme the Jaina Puranas may be divided into the following four categories 1 :
(a) The Purāņas based on the Rāmāyaṇa. (b) The Purānas based on the Mahābhārata. (c) The Purānas dealing with the theme of trişaştisalākāpurusa
caritas.
..
Sahitya Ka BỊhad Itihas, Vol. VI,
1. Chaudhary, Gulab Chandra - Jain
Varanasi, 1973, p. 33. Sambodhi XI 6