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Story of Rama in Jain Literature
Sandhi LXXVIII : Rávana-nihananam Vibhisana-Pattabandho Năma Sandhi LXXIX : Rama-Laksmanādi-Guna-Kirtanam
3. 'SANDHI - WISE SUMMARY OF THE CONTENTS With these preliminary remarks we now give below a brief outline of the contents of the Rāmāyana of Puşpadanta: SANDHI LXIX :
The poet undertakes the composition of Rāmāyana at the desire of Bharata. Although he does not have the necessary qualifications to carry out the work undertaken, he makes himself bold to sing the adventures of Rama as a poem attains to beauty by virtue of its contents. He cannot compete with his great predecessors - Kaviraja Svayambhū and Caturmukha.
King Srenika of Magadha requests Indrabhati Gautama to instruct him correctly regarding the life of Rāma, in accordance with Mahavira's own instructions. For Vyasa and Välmkd have spread false notions about the great men figuring in the Rāmāyana; thus for example we are told that (1) Rávana had ten heads, (u) his son (Indrajit) was older In age than his father, (111) Ravana was a demon and not human being, (iv) he had twenty eyes and twenty hands and that he worshipped god Siva with his heads, (v) Rāvana was
For the sake of convenience the titles, which are originally in Prakrit, are given here in Sanskrit; the full title of the last Canto is "Muni-Suvrata-Týrtha-Sambhūta-HarişeņaCakravarti-Rāma - Baladeva - Laksmana - Vasudeva - Ravana - Prativasudeva - Guņa - Kirtanarh".
This is but the modesty of the poet. Svayambha is the author of 1) Paumacariu, 2) Rittanemi-Cariü and 3) Pancami-cariu, who probably flourished some time between 678 A.D. and 784 A.D. His Pauma-Cariu deals with the story of Rāma. As it is not yet published we are not in a position to say how far he has influenced Puşpadanta in the composition of his Rāmāyana. Pt. Premi tells us that the PaūmaCarlu consists of 90 Sandhis and is spread over 12000 verses. It is divided into five books : 1) Vidyadhara, 2) Ayodhya, 3)Sundara, 4) Yuddha and 5) Uttara-Kanda. These books contain 20. 22, 14, 21 and 13 sandhis respectively. Of these the last seven Sandhis are from the pen of his son Tribhuvama Svayambhu. Caturmukha preceded Svayambhū. He was known for his choice diction. He is the author of Hartvarsa-Purana and probably of one Paūma-cariü. We so far know of his works through references by later writers. No work of his has yet come to light. For details read 'Mahākavi Svayambhu and Tribhuvana Svayambhū- an article in the Jain Sahitya aura Itihasa of Pt. Premi. In Kadavaka 2 he mentions the land-marks inthe story of Rama: 1) Sitä-harana, 2) HanūmatGuņa-Vistarana, 3) Vita-sugriva-raja-mārana, 4) Tarā-pati-Abhyuddharana, 5) LavanaSamudra-tarana and 6 Pama-kavana-yuddha.
