Story Of Rama In Jain Literature

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

Page 90

Story of Rama in Jain Literature
of time it came to denote 'a species of literature comprising works of religious and didactic contents in which were collected ancient traditions of the creation, the deeds of the gods, heroes, saints, and distant ancestors of the human race, the beginnings of the famous royal families ard so on. The term Purāna is defined in Hindu literature as followss1
A Purana treats of five subjects : (1) Sarga, 'Creation', (2) Pratisarga, 're-creation', i.e, the periodical annihilation and renewal of the worlds, (3) Vamsa, account of the genealogy, viz, of the gods and the Rsis, (4) Manvantaras, 'Epochs between the Manus -the great periods, each of which has a Manu or primal ancestor of the human race, and (5) Vamsanucarita, the history of the dynasties whose origin is traced back to the sun (solar dynasty) and the Moon (lunar dynasty)'. The Brahmavaivartapurūna, however, says that the five 'iakşınas' are only for the 'Purānas' and the 'Upapuranas', while tle Maiipuranas (the great Puranas) have ten laksanas' including praise of Vişnu and the gods individually. 5 ? Vimalasuri does not define either Purana or a Malāpuiāna. Among the Jaina authors, Jinasena is probably the first to define Purana and Mahapurana. Says he : "I shall describe the neirative of sixtythree ancient persons. viz., the (24) Tirthanikaras, the (12) Cakravartins, (9) Baladevas, (9) Ardha-Cakravartins (i.e., Vasudevas), and their (9) enemies tie., Prativasudevas). The word Purāņa means old or ancient narrative'. It is called 'great' because it
81 सर्गश्च प्रतिसर्गश्च वंशो मन्वन्तराणि च ।
वंशानुचरित चैव पुराणं पञ्चलक्षणम् || -Matsyapurina LXV. 63 82 एत द्रुपपुराणानां लक्षणञ्च विदुर्बुधाः ।
महताञ्च पुराणानां लक्षणं कथयामि ते ।। सृष्टिश्चापि विसृष्टिश्चेत् स्थितिस्तेषाञ्च पालनम् । कमणां वासना वार्ता चामूनाञ्च क्रमेण च ।। वर्णन' प्रलयानाञ्च मोक्षस्य च निरूपणम् । उत्कीर्तन' हरेरेव देवानाञ्च पृथक् पृथक् ।। दशाधिक लक्षणञ्च महतां परिकार्तितम् । संख्यानञ्च पुराणानां निबंध कथयामि ते ।।
Srimad Bhagavata-Mahāpurana likerise mentions the ten topics of a Mahapurāna as follows :
अत्र सर्गो विसगश्च स्थान पोषणमूतयः । मन्वन्तरेशानुकथा निरोधो मुक्तिराश्रयः ।। -Skanda II, Achyia 10, v. 1
and
सर्गोऽस्याथ विसर्गश्च वृत्ती रक्षान्त ाणि च । वंशो वंशानुचरित संस्था हेतुरपाश्रयः ।। दशभिलक्षणैयुक्तं पुराणं तद्विदो विदुः । केचित्पञ्चविधं ब्रह्मन् महदल्पव्यवस्थया !! -Skandha XII, Adhyāya 7. vv. 9-10