Studies in Jain Literature

Author(s): V M Kulkarni
Publisher: Shardaben Chimanbhai Educational Research Centre

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look and form. It is, therefore, generally regarded-and rightly too, for it has many important divergences with the Paümacariya-as forming another independent version. Puspadanta although he does not expressly state so, follows Gunabhadra. Krsnadāsa is another writer who follows him. From the number of authors, who follow Vimala, it is evident that his tradition is highly popular among the Jains.
STUDIES IN JAIN LITERATURE
The versions of Sanghadāsa and Hariṣena, however, are more related to the Rāmāyaṇa of Välmiki or the Rāmopākhyāna of the Mahabharata than to the version of either Vimala or Gunabhadra.
The different works noticed in the Jinaratnakośa but not studied here probably do not contain any new features but reproduce, with some variations, one or the other of the versions treated here. It would not be correct to designate the schools of Vimala and Gunabhadra as Svetämbara and Digambara, for some Digambara writers too follow the so-called Svetambara version of Vimala. The three groups of Jaina Rāmāyaṇas may conveniently be represented in a tabular form as given on the next page.
II. THE ORIGIN OF THE RĀMA STORY IN JAIN LITERATURE
I. The Problem
With regard to this problem of the origin of the Rama story in Jain literature three logically possible answers suggest themselves; the story of Rama in Jain literature (i) preserves an independent tradition anterior to that of Vālmīki, (ii) is derivative in nature being borrowed from the Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa or the Hindu Rāmāyaṇa in general with suitable changes, (iii) partly preserves some features of the very ancient tradition prior to that of Valmiki and partly borrows some features of the Valmiki Rāmāyaṇa on account of their vast popularity among the masses. For this purpose it is necessary to investigate the oldest Jaina tradition preserved in the Paümacariya. According to the statement of the poet himself it was composed in 530 A. V. (4 A. D. if we accept the traditional date (527 B. C.) of Mahavira's Nirvana, or 64 A. D. according to Dr. Jacobi's date (467 B. C.) of Mahavira's Nirvana). The researches of modern scholars lead us to believe that Vimala cannot be assigned to a later date than second century A. D. Whatever date we choose to accept, the fact remains that the Paumacariya is the earliest extant Jain form of the story of Räma. Let us now see what this earliest poet of Jain Rāmāyaṇa has to say regarding the origin of the story of Rama.