Story Of Rama In Jain Literature

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

Page 70

Story of Rūma in Jain Literature
as 'perhaps of the third century A.D.' In another place still he writes : "Since the word 'oinăra', 'lagna', 'Yavana' and Sakas are mentioned in the work itself the latter must have been composed earliest in the second or the third century A.D.” In the introduction to Parisistaparvan he writes: "For Vimalasūri, author of Prakrit poem Paumacariya, states at the end of his work to have written it in 530 A.V. The date, if interpreted as a regular Vira date is ioconsistent with the author's statements in cxviii. 117-118. He gives his spiritual lineage : Raju, Vijaya, and Sūri Vimala who belong to the Nājlakulavamśa. The latter is no doubt identical with Nāji sāhā which according to the Therāvají, was founded by Vajra's disciple Vajraena Vajra having died about 575 A.V., Vajrasena may be confidently placed in about 580-600 A.V. As Vinala was a member of the Nāili he was removed from its founder by an uncertain number of generations. He therefore cannot have lived before the later part of the 7th century A.V., and thus it is certain that his date 530 is not a regular Vira date. In the common Vira era starting from 526 B.C. the year 530 corresponds to 4 A.D. But the Paumaeariya was written in a much later age. For in it the Yavanas and Sakas are mentioned not as newly settled in India, but as living there since time immémorial, the são é holds good with dinära".
5 Inroduction to Bhavisattakahā (German) 1918, Translatien by Dr. Ghosal, Journal of the
Oriental Institute, Baroda, June 55, Vol. IV, No. 4, pp. 363-65. 6 Bibliotheca Indica Work No. 96 (Calcutta. 1832), edited by Jacobi, p. XIX. Keith (A His
tory of Sanskrit Literature, p. 34 p. 40, f. n. 2), Woolrer (Introduction to Prakrit, 1928.
. 83). Glasenapp (Jain Dharma, p. 118,-A Gujarati Translation of Jainismus, Jain Dharma Prasaraka Sabha, Bhavnagar), Dr. Upadhye (Introduction to Pravacanasāra-p. XXIII, and f. n. 1 thereon, R. J. Sastramalā, Bombay 1935, and Introduction to Paramätma-prakāśa, n. 56. 1. n. 1, R. J. Sastrama'a, Bombay 1937), Dr. Ghatage (ABORI, Poona. Vol. XVI. 1934-35 : Narrative Literature in Jain Māhārāştri, p. 30; Progress of Indic Studies. BORI. Silver Jubilee. 1942, Poona : "A Brief Sketch of Prakrit Studes", p. 169; Sarcha Satabdi Commemoration Volume : A Locat ve Form I Paum cariya) follow Jacobi in dating Vimalasuri.
Prof. Laddu and Gore appear to be of two minds regarding the date of Vimalasůr. They Assign him "to a period between the latter half of the first century B. C. and the first half of the first century A. D." or "To somewhere between the latter Lalf of the second century A. D. and the first half of the third century A. D." (Paumacariya of Viinalasuri. Cantos 33-35, Poona, 1941 Introduction pp. viii-ix). Shri S. C. Upadhyaya assigns V.mala
Birl to the seventh century A. D. on the basis of the influence of other poets and writer on him (Paumacariyam, Chs. 27, 28, Ahmedabad, 1934). He, however, subsequently changed, his view and defended the date 530 A. V. as correct (Jainācārya Sri Ātmārāmji Janmaatabdi Grantha : Mahakavi Vimalasuri ane temanu Racelur Paumacariya-an article in Gujarati b. 100-123, 1935 Principal Chaughule and Vaidya place Vima'asuri in the second century
D) (Paumacariyam, Chs, 27-28, 1934 Cnaugule. Chs. I-IV 1936. Chaugule and Vaidva. Chs. 33-35, 1941. Principal V. M, Shah too places Vima'asuri in the second century AD. Paumacariya, Chs. I-IV, 1936, Surat). Dr. U. P. Shah casually suggests that it would be preferable to understand 530 A. V. as 530 V. S. (Śrimad Rājendrasuri Smāraka Grar. tha : Praeina Sahitya men Mudrāsambandhi Tathya, p. 539, an article in Hindi.)