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6.2
Cross-Cultural Parallels
6 ANALYSIS
an earnest request to let Jain religion come into view as a separate cultural entity. With regard to the idea of non-violence toward living beings our author is inclusive. He reflects the divine under certain metaphysical categories or presuppositions. Vasunandin's tendency is to describe nature and its creatures as helpless, but in the same time as embodiment of sentience. One gets the impression, as if the non-human and human animals apply to a superior for help (180ff.).
Williams 1963:255 states that the "incarnation in a ku-bhoga-bhūmi resulting from alms-giving (dana) to a ku-pātra is less desirable". The inhabitants of these regions have no clothes and ornaments or houses and live underneath the tree feeding on leaves, flowers, and sometimes a jaggery made of earth. In these destinies instead of human heads they may have heads in the "shape of lions, elephants or other beasts." The description of the "spiritual entities" in human, animal, plant, hybrid and amorph shape (of which we find parallels in related texts such as KA, Mül, Mac or the Pāli Panca-gati-dipanam) clearly shows the tendency of the authors' "secondary anthropomorphism" 307 From my point of view Vasunandin considers the question of autonomy and heteronomy of non-human and human animals, but his position seems to be rather dogmatic. Concludingly, I give into consideration that in the image conveyed in Sr (133ff.) we discern a threefold structure of post-mortem "transition", "purgation", and "dissolution". The key motif seems to be that of beings devoured by the fire. The creatures shriek when being suspended over a kettle, wallowed, cooked and toasted in great heat. They are going into dissolution in the fire like butter, seeds or other ingredients of sacrifice.
While they are devoured by the fire creatures utter inarticulate sounds. In this context we should say a few words about the meaning of the designation "Raurava".308 Outside Jainism the Mārkandeya-purāņa, chapters XIIff., consist of a long description of the post-mortem "reward and punishment". Creatures destined to hell are bound to be wallowed in the hot Mahā-Raurava regions. Sherman 1892:23-46 analyses the parallel features in the Markandeya-purana and Buddhist scriptures, but Feer seems to be the first translator who compares the accounts in Hindu and Buddhist sources dealing with the "catalogues of crimes", especially in Tibetan and Chinese
307 The term "secondary anthropomorphism" is applied here with regard to the deliberate ideological pretexts of authors of religious texts. An outline of theoretical categories and ideologies in religious scriptures is found in Eliade 1987, Vol. I, p.317ff.
308 Skt. raurava belongs to or comes from the "skin of the Ruru class of deer or antilope" or to something unsteady,dishonest, fearful" (MW: p. 891). It seems to be connected with RU / RUD (MW: p.883). For the types of hot hells with other designations such as Tāpana, Sampratāpana, Agni-kunda see Feer 1892:197ff., and for some Chinese designations of Buddhist hells and their etymology cf. also Demoto 2009.
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