Essay name: Paumacariya (critical study)
Author:
K. R. Chandra
Affiliation: Research institute of Prakrit, Jainology and Ahimsa Vaishali
This is a critical study of the Paumacariya: the earliest Jain version of Rama's life story, written in Prakrit by Vimalasuri dating to the 4th century AD. In this text, Rama (referred to as Padma) is depicted with lotus-like eyes and a blooming face. The Paumacariya places emphasis on the human aspects of characters rooted in Jain values, contrasting with the divine portrayal in Valmiki’s version.
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228
A CRITICAL STUDY OF PAUMACARIYA�
was reborn as Simhaketu in the house of king Prabhañjana of
Hari Vamsa and queen Mṛtkaṇḍā hailing from Bhogapura situated in
the Haripura country of the Bhāratakṣetra. Vanamālā was reborn as
Vidyutmālā being the daughter of Vajraghoṣa, the king of Silapura and
his queen Subhāmā. Both of them got married. An elephant is
introduced to select Simhaketu to succeed the throne of the heirless
king of Campāpurī. The new king was renamed as Mārkandeya. As
his father belonged to Hari Vamsa hence this line was also known as
Hari Vamsa. It has been stated elswhere that according to the RPS,
the Hari Vamsa was already established by Rṣabha and the first king
of this line was Harikānta of Campāpuri (p. 4). Thus Somasena has
mingled the traditions of the PCV, the AP and the TSP.
According to the Adipurāṇa (16. 259) and Mahāpurāṇa (5. 22. 6)
Rṣabhadeva had established Hari Vamsa and made Harikānta as the
king of that Vaṃśa.
According to the Brahmanical tradition Janaka did not belong
to the Hari Vamsa. The Purāṇas tell us that Śrīkṛṣṇa was born in the
Lunar dynasty (Candra Vaṃsa). He was known as Hari so his lineage
came to be known as Hari Vamsa, There is a Purana which deals with
the life of Śrīkṛṣṇa and it is named as Harivaṃsapurāṇa, because Hari
and Śrīkṛṣṇa are made identical. But in the Paumacariya�, the Soma
(Lunar) and the Hari Vamsas are two different dynasties (5-2) without
having any relation to each other.
As regards the Vamsa to which Janaka belonged, the VR states
that he was born in the line of Nimi (1.71), the twelfth son of Ikṣvāku.
(7.55.4). The Purāṇas also agree with this account (Viṣṇupurāṇa, 4. 5. 1).
It is said that after the name of Janaka (son of Nimi) the line came
to be known as Janaka Vaṃśa in which, after many generations, was
born Janaka II, the father of Sītā (Viṣṇupurāṇa, 4. 5. 32).
Thus the Jaina and the Brahmanical traditions differ as regards
the name of Vamsa to which Janaka belonged and also about the
origin of Hari Vaṃśa.
The following is the genealogical list of the kings of the Hari
Vamsa as found in the Jaina works:-
