Story Of Rama In Jain Literature

Author(s): V M Kulkarni
Publisher: Saraswati Pustak Bhandar

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Story of Rama in Jain Literature
cribes the Samshäras! 4, which acccn.pany the life of an individual from conception to death, the interpretation of dreams, and short treatises on town planning and the duties of the warr0r16 and the art of governing (Nīti)11 - besides ornate descriptions of cities, mountains, rivers and the like in accordance with the rules laid down by Alamkarikas for a Mahakāvya. The same Adi-Purāņa mentions eight topics or subjects which a Purāņa ought to deal with : (i) the universe (Loka), (ii) the country with its mountains, sea etc., - (D. śa), (iii) the city or capital (Pura), (iv) kingdom (Rajyam), (v) the life of a Jina which acts as a ford to cross the ocean of Samsāra (Tirtha) (1i) giving of alms and donations and austerities (Dana-tapas), (vii) the four conditions of existence such as hells etc., and (viii) the fruit of 'punya' and 'papa', the highest reward being ‘inokşa'.'s
7. A COMPARISON WITH THE HINDU EPICS AND PURĀŅAS
The Mahabharata and the Rāmāyana and some of the oldest Puranas are undoubtedly older than the Jain Purānas. And these served the Jains as a model - though not a perfect one - in composing their epics about Rāma, Krsna and Purāņas of the 63 prominent personalities. Broadly speaking the Jain Purāṇas and the Hindu Epics and Purānas treat of a large number of common subjects including biographies of Rāma, Kpsa, crigin of the universe, dissolution and recreation of the universe, the divisions of tine assigned to Manus (Kulakaras), ancient royal genealogies, and accounts of perscrs mentioned therein; religious instruction, the four Puruşarthas, viz., Dharma, Artha, Kāma and Moksa, the Tirthas and the benefits which they confer on pilgrims, medicine, architecture, astrology, gramo ar, tle rights and duties of a king, gnomic sayings both on morality and on worldly wisdom and the like.
The method of presentation adopted by the Jairs is the same as that of the Hindus. The legends of the Tirthakaras and others are presented in the style of ornate epic following the compileis of the Hindu Putānas. Each Pu:āņa is constructed as a discourse delivered by some person of authority to one or more hearers?': the subjects are expounded, oiten in the form of question and answer and not always methodically; and into the ratration are woven stories and discourses uttered by other pursors. These Puānas are mainly in verse. Like the Hindu Epics and Purāņas which afford us insight into all asp.cts and phases of mediaeval Hinduism, the Jain Puranas too constitute a popular encyclopaedia of mediaeval Jainism - religious, philosophical, historical, social and cultural
14 15 16 17 18 19
Chs. 38-40. Ch. 41. Ch. 16. Ch. 42. J. M. P. 4. 3. e. g., Gautami expound, the Paüml-cariya to king Srenika on the his request.