________________
SOME ASPECTS OF PAÜMACARIYA
that leads the various characters in the story to the renunciation of worldly life and acceptance of Jain order.
Vimala's style is lucid and fluent and, wherever necessary, forceful. The Purana portion of the work, although otherwise important, makes extremely dull reading, but the style of this portion of the work too is quite simple and easy. In the course of his narration when he chooses to give poetic descriptions we come across comparatively long compounds but they are not difficult to understand.
Vimala devotes 106 pages out of a total of 335 pages to narrating the background of the principal narrative. This certainly detracts from his merit as a story-teller. He increases the bulk of the story by adding many legendary stories and romantic episodes; some of these, e.g., the episodes of Bhamandala and Vitasugrīva, are indeed quite beautiful. He claims at the end of his work that his Paümacariya is 'visuddha-laliyakkharaheūjuttam' and akkhāṇesu vivihesu nibaddha-attham'. This claim is partially just and legitimate as the language of the work is not pure and chaste but shows many unprakritic forms and idioms. Jacobi rightly observes that the work "is very fluently written, in an easy epic style". Uddyotanasūri pays a handsome tribute to Vimala as follows:
जारिसयं विमलंको विमलं को तारिसं लहइ अत्थं ।
अमयमइयं च सरसं सरसं चिय पाइयं जस्स || – Kuvalayamālā
This high compliment Vimala richly deserves.
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Notes and References:
1. See Winternitz History of Indian Literature, Vol. II (pp. 475 onwards); Dr. A. N. Upadhye Introduction to Bṛhatkathākośa (pp. 17-30).
2. सर्गश्च प्रतिसर्गश्च वंशो मन्वन्तराणि च ।
gafa yai-Matsyapurāna LXV. 63.
3. एतद्रूपपुराणानां लक्षणञ्च विदुर्बुधाः ।
महताञ्च पुराणानां लक्षणं कथयामि ते ॥ सृष्टिश्चापि विसृष्टिश्चेत् स्थितिस्तेषाञ्च पालनम् । कर्मणां वासना वार्ता चामूनाञ्च क्रमेण च ॥ वर्णनं प्रलयानाञ्च मोक्षस्य च निरूपणम् । उत्कीर्तनं हरेरेव देवानाञ्च पृथक् पृथक् ॥ दशाधिकं लक्षणञ्च महतां परिकीर्तितम् संख्यानञ्च पुराणानां निबोध कथयामि ते ॥
Śrīmad-Bhāgavata-Mahāpurāṇa likewise mentions the ten topics of Mahāpurāṇa as
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