Studies in Jainism

Author(s): Ramkrishna Mission Institute of Culture Culcutta
Publisher: Ramkrishna Mission Institute of Culture Culcutta

Page 164

THE JAINA RĀMĀYANAS
155
Padmanandi, Gunabhadra, and Sakalakīrti wrote the sarne story. Kannada writers like Cāmundarāya. Nāgacandra, Māghanandi Siddhānti, Kumudendu, Nayasena and others. continued the same tradition. Devacandra, at the close of his work, adds that he is rectifying a few doubtful points in the story as given by Nāgacandra on the basis of the Rāmāyaṇa story occurring in Guņabhadra's Trişasthilaksanamahāpuruşa-purāna and other similar stories in the legendary lore of the Jainas.5
The early part of this tradition that the first Tirtharkara was the originator of the story may be dismissed as unhistorical, because the story of Rama is said to have come into existence, according to Jaina mythology, during the time of Muni Suvrata, the twentieth Tirthankara. In the latter part of the tradition, from Mahāvīra onwards Devacandra is probably travesting historical ground, for the works of some of the writers he mentions are even now available. Though very little is known about Kūci Bhattāraka and Nandimuņi, Cāmuṇdarāya (978 A.D.) tells us that each of them worte a Mahāpurāna.6 Kavi Paramesthi may be a writer of the same name who has been praised by Pampa (941 A.D.). He is said to have written a purāņa on the lives of sixty-three Jaina saints. Camundarāya who mentions this fact also adds that Jinassena, for whom we have a date in 783 A.D., wrote his Adipurāņa on the basis of the Mahāpurāņa of Kavi Paramesthi must be somewhere before 783 A.D. His work must necessarily contain the Rāmāyaṇa story because, Rāma and Lakşmaņa are included in the sixty-three saints. Ravişena is the celebrated author of the Padmapurāņa, alias the Mahārāmāyana, which was composed in 678 A.D.8 Virasena and Siddhasena have come down to us as mere names. The first might be the same individual who was the preceptor of Jinasena. The second has been praised very highly by Cāmundarāya as a poet whose extraordinary imagination steeped in wonder a throng of poets.9 Siddhasena of the above tradition, may perhaps be identical
5
For the original of this passage see Ibid., 150. Ch. Pu, 24 (verse). 7 Ibid., verse 5.8 Hiralal's Catalogue, XXI. Ch Pu., verse, 4. 9a HIL., II, 496, 592.