Studies in Jain Literature

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

Page 69

ORIGIN OF THE STORY OF RAMA IN JAIN LITERATURE
place in Kişkindhā. He sought Rama's alliance. Rāma and Lakṣmaṇa helped Sugrīva regain the kingdom of Kişkindhā. Rāma, Lakṣmaṇa and the army of Sugrīva marched against Lanka; Vibhīṣaṇa, the righteous brother of Rāvana, did his best to persuade Rāvaṇa honourably to return Sītā to Rāma, but in vain. He deserted Rāvana and formed an alliance with Rāma. A terrible war was fought between the two hostile armies of Rama and Ravaṇa. Finally Rāvana was killed, Vibhīṣaṇa was made king of Lankā and Rāma was united with his lost queen.
After vindicating his honour, Rāma, with Lakṣmaṇa and Sītā, returned to Ayodhya, his capital. Rāma had 8,000 queeens among whom Sītā and three others were the principal ones. Lakṣmaṇa had 16,000 queens among whom Pṛthvisundari and others were the chief ones. Rāma and Lakṣmaṇa very deeply loved each other. After Lakṣmaṇa's death Rama became a monk, practised austerities, obtained perfect knowledge, and in due course attained to moksa, Lakṣmaṇa, as he did not accept the path laid down by the Jinas, sank into hell. Rāvana, for his lapse from the code of correct behaviour, had to go to hell. Both of them after passing through many births would attain to liberation. Sītā, after leading the life of an Aryikā, was born in heaven, but she too would in course of time obtain mokṣa.
According to the Jain versions, Rāma, Lakṣmaṇa and Rāvana are the 8th set of Baladeva, Vasudeva and Prativasudeva.
It is quite obvious that excepting the number of the queens of Rāma and Lakṣmaṇa, the killing of Rāvana by Lakṣmaṇa and the Jinistic conclusion this Rama story is basically and essentially the same as that found in the Hindu versions of Vyasa and Välmiki.
This investigation of the problem of the origin of Rāmāyaṇa in Jain literature clearly and unmistakably points to the only conclusion that the Jain forms of the story of Rama are derivative in character, that they are largely dependent on the Valmiki Rāmāyaṇa and that they do not preserve any features of the ancient ballads about Rāma which had gained currency through the bards before Välmiki gave them the literary shape and form of a unified poem in his widely known Rāmāyaṇa. It would not do to say that the Jain versions of Rāma legend preserve the true Rama story and it is Vālmīki who presents its distorted version. The reason for not accepting the Jain versions as truer to the original oral tradition than the Valmiki Rāmāyaṇa may briefly be stated as follows :(i) Chronologically the Jain versions are definitely later than the Hindu Rāmāyaṇa. The later a work in date of composition the less probable it is that the work embodies the original legend more truthfully.