Studies in Jainism

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

Page 172

THE JAINA RĀMĀYAŅAS
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Uparambha, who was dissatisfied with her husband and who liked Rāvana from her girl-hood, knowing that her dear Rāvana was so near on that occasion, intrigued to enslave him by her beauty. But he did not yield to her ravishing words. Instead he counselled her to behave properly towards her husband as befitted her noble lineage and carefully to guard her priceless jewel of chastity.22 Rāvaṇa passed unsullied this severe test. Still there was in him a hidden fear of his weakness for woman and so he went to the sage Anantavirya and took upon himself the vow of chastitythe paränganā virati vrata. He fortified himself with this restraint against temptation for a woman. So his abduction of Sitā is a lapse from his normal behaviour and he paid dearly for it. This constitutes the tragic weakness of Rāvana. He is not perfectly virtuous.
From the above, it is clear that this conception of Vimalasūri, born out of the application of Jaina ideals of life and conduct to the Valmiki Rāmāyaṇa, is peculiarly tragic in spirit. Aristotle's dictum that a tragic hero must be a "man, not pre-eminently virtuous, and just, whose misfortune, however is brought upon him not by vice and depravity but by some error of judgment" holds good literally for Vimalasūri's Rāvana. The subsequent development of the story as Vimalasūri narrates it, is in keeping with the spirit of tragedy rousing abundant pity for the fate of Rāvaṇa. Vimalasūri's genius as a poet and artist is fully manifested in his conception of the character of Rāvaṇa, whom he takes to be the real hero of his work, though he calls it the "Cariam of Pauma" alias Rāma. More than Rāma, Rāvaṇa catches our imagination and dwells there permanently. His character is full of human interest.
22a
22 PC., XII, 52-73.
22a This tragic aspect was first discerned by Prof. B. M. Śrikantia in his essay called 'Tragic Rāvaṇa' (Mysore University Magazine, vol. VII). He has based his interpretation on the well known Kannada work called 'Ramcandra carita purāṇa or Pampā Rāmāyaṇa' by Nāgacandra, a poet of the 11th century A.D. The work belongs to the school of Vimalasūri and closely follows it with some slight changes of incident here and there. On the whole it can be said that its characterisation of Rāvana resembles that of Paumacaria.