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224
Story of Rāma in Jain Literature
(b) Realistic Interpretation
Some of the changes which Vimala brings about are due to his desire of giving realistic form to the story. For example, Rāvana is described by the Valmiki-Ramayana as a ten-headed monster--Dasagriva or Dasānana or Dasa-mukha. According to Vimala, Rävana's mother hangs around his neck a wondrous string of pearls, in which his face is reflected nine times, hence his epithet of Dasamukha "the man with ten faces". This is obviously a realistic explanation of the epithets of Ravana. Again, in the ValmikiRamayana the Vānaras are represented as animals having long tails and using their teeth and nails as weapons and living on fruit etc. According to Vimala, "On the monkey Island there is the city of Kiskindhi-pura. The "Monkeys" (Vānaras) are in reality a race of Vidyadharas, which is so called; because these Vidyadharas had monkeys by way of badges on the arches of gates, banners and the like." This interpretation of the terin Vānaras' is also realistic. Then again, about the Raksasas: They are, in the VálmikiRămāyana, represented as demons with fearful appearances, and devouring all kinds of animals including even human beings, according to Vimala the Raksasas belonged to a race of the Vidyadharas, who, far from killing and devouring animals that they could obtain, strictly adhered to the vow of Ahimsá. "The Rákşasas were so called because one high-souled Räkşasa' was born in that dynasty of the Vidyadharas"20. This also is a realistic interpretation of the term Rākşasa. Sitā, in the Välmīki-Rāmāyana, comes forth out of the earth, here she is born of Videha in the natural way. This too is an illustration of realistic representation! We can multiply such instances of realistic representation from Vimala's epic.
(c) Ridding the story of divine elements
Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa represents Råma as a divine being, an incarnation of god Vişnu. The story of Vedavati in the Uttara-kānda leads us to believe that Sita was Laksmi. Bharata, Laksmana and Satrughna are Amsávatāras of Visnu. The Vanaras, Rksas etc. too possess some divine element. Jainism does not admit of the supremacy of the trinity of Hindu gods. Naturally Vimala rids the story of Rama of the divine elements.
20.
Vimala tells us that Bhima-the Räksasapati-bestowed the kingdom of Lankā on the Raksasa-island on Meghavahana a Vidyadhara. In his family were born Mahảraksasa, Devaraksasa, Aditya-raksasa, Raksasa...... By mentioning these fabricated names he prepares the ground for us to accept his etymology of the word Räksasa. Curlously enough, the poem contains another interpretation of the name Raksasa:
रक्खंति रक्खसा खलु दिवा पुण्णेण रक्खिया जेण ।
act fag ett TOÁ 4 25 11- V.257 Uttara-kända relates through Agastya that when Brahmã created the waters, he formed certain beings, some of whom received the name of Raksasas to guard them (Canto 5).
