Studies in Jain Literature

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

Page 53

ORIGIN OF THE STORY OF RĀMA IN JAIN LITERATURE
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readers (or hearers) to practise the Dharma as expounded by the Jinas : रमह सया जिणवरमयम्मि ।
-118. 112. fueria EU 394 hi-118. 113. It is thus very clear that the poet aims mainly at propagation of Jain doctrines,
This will be further obvious if we bear in mind the changes and modifications made by Vimalasūri in the Rāma story as given by Vālmīki and analyse the motives which most probably inspired these changes. The changes effected by Vimalasūri give the story a totally different form and purpose. These changes, however, cannot be explained by assuming that Vimala has preserved any original and important traits of the Rāma legend anterior to the Vālmīki Rāmāyana.
For, Vālmīki's Rāmāyana presents the oldest version of the story of Rāma : "As an epic the Rāmāyana is very far removed from the Veda, and even the Rāma legend is only bound to Vedic literature by very slender threads.. Neither is there anything to indicate that songs of Rāma and Sītā already existed in the Vedic times."14 The story of Rāma and Sītā is to be found, for the first time, in the Ramopākhyāna—The Rāma episode--in the Mahābhārata and the Rāmāyana of Vālmīki. Eminent scholars like Jacobi, Sukthankar and Winternitz hold, in spite of the objections of A. Ludwig and Hopkins, that the Rāma episode is an epitome of the Rāmāyana of Vālmīki, on the evidence of the numerous verbal agreements between the two poems, and other good reasons. 'It is probable', says Winternitz, 'that the original Rāmāyana was composed in the third century B. C. by Vālmīki on the basis of ancient ballads'16.
Now, there are some scholars of eminence who hold that the Ramayana of Vālmīki has for its source the story of Rāma as found in the Daśaratha Jātaka and a few other jātakas!?. But there are equally eminent scholars 18 who hold firmly to the opinion that the Dasaratha Jataka is not really older than the Rāmāyana but only a distorted version of the latter. According to Dr. Narasimhachar, it is difficult to decide the problem either way. The case put forth by Jacobi and others, however, appears to be nearer the truth.
In any case, the question of Daśaratha Jataka does not assume importance as the Jain Rāmāyanas do not show any appreciable acquaintance with the Rāma story as given by the Jatakas. And the earliest Jain version of Rāma story available to us belongs to first (or second century) A. D. That is, the Jain Rāmāyana falls centuries after the Ramayana of Vālmīki. In fact, Vimala is