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na Srama Sona Sranana Sramana Sarga ramana Sranana Sana Sranana ramana Srana
The of Svayambhudeva's
Samana Samana Stamaa Sramana Samana Santana Sramana Sumana Stamana Sramana Samana Śramana Sramana Samana Sramana Sramana Srangina Spainaa Sanga Sramana Sram Sranan Sranyina Sramana Sramana Sramana
on
Sramana
Samana Sramana Samana Sramana Sranana Sramana Samana Sramana Samana Sramana Samana Santana Sramana Samana Sramana Sranana Sramana Sranana Samana Sramana Stanana Sranana Samana Srananta Sram Spain
Rāma story in the Mahāpurāna
Sraniana Sramana Sramana Sramana Smana Sramana Samana Sranana Sramana amana Sraman Sramania
Introduction
The Jain Rama-kathās are usually divided into two distinct and independent traditions1: (i) the tradition started by Vimalasūri in his Paūmacariyam2 (ca. fifth century) and (ii) the tradition started by Guṇabhadra in his Uttarapurana3 (ca. ninth century).4 The second tradition is considered to follow an older version of the Rama-story, showing some similarities to the Dasaratha Jātaka and the Rama-story in Sanghadāsa's Vasudevahindi. The first tradition is closest to Valmiki's Rāmāyaṇa. However, comparison between two poems representing these two traditions shows that the line between them is not as clean-cut as is usually supposed. I will try to show that the Rama-stories in Svayambhudeva's Paumacariu5 (ca. ninth century) and Puspadanta's Mahapuraṇa (ca. tenth century) are interrelated, although they are considered to belong to different traditions.7
*
Miss. Eva De Clercq*
Svayambhudeva's Paūmacariu is an Apabhramsa version of the Jain Rama-story in the tradition of Vimalasūri. The Apabhramsa Rāma-story in Puspadanta's Mahāpurāṇa is written according to Gunabhadra's narrative. After scrutinising the relationship between these two poems, I think it is necessary to point out that Svayambhudeva's Paūmacariu also had some influence on Puspadanta's Rāma-story, concerning its form, style, wording, as well as- albeit to a lesser extent- the contents of the Rama-story.
Dept. of Languages and Cultures of South and East Asia, Universiteit Gent, Blandijnberg 2, B-9000 Ghent, Belgium.
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