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264
A CRITICAL STUDY OF PAUMACARIYA峁�
the main R膩ma-story is held to be based on the ancient G膩th膩s. These
G膩th膩s and the Akhy膩na Kavya of Rama-story, says Dr. Bulcke
( p. 135), had very presumably originated during the 6th century B. C.
The Buddhist Tripitaka G膩th膩s concerning the R盲ma-story are also held
to be based on the old Akhy膩na Kavya. (Bulcke, pp. 98. & 134). Brief
R膩ma-stories found in the Dronaparva and Santiparva of Mah膩bh膩rata
seem to be based on the same Akhy膩na Kavya, says Dr. Bulcke (p. 135). He
further states that this G膩th膩 literature of Rama-story orginated in the
Ko艣ala country and spread towards the west also when the Mahabharata
was composed. He holds that by the time of the 4th century B.C., the
Rama-story (Akhy膩na Kavya) had considerably become popular. P膩li
Tripitaka was being composed during that period ( Bulcke, p. 135) and
some matter of the Akhyana Kavya of the Rama-story entered into the
P膩ri Tripi峁璦ka also ( Bulcke, p. 98 ). Thus we can be sure that R膩ma-
story in its original and basic form was gaining popularity in North
India by the time of the 4th century B. C. Jainism was also popular-
ising during that period in north India and gradually spreading towards
the west and south hence there is every possibility that the basis of R膩ma-
story of the Akhy膩na was known to the Jaina tradition. It will be quite
worthwhile here to record the view of Prof. Winternitz about the ancient
popular narratives and how they were utilised by different religions
of India. He says that as early as the time of Buddha there was
in existence an inexhaustible store of prose and verse narratives
Akhy膩nas, Itih膩sas, Pur膩峁嘺s and G膩th膩s, forming as it were literary
Buddhists and
public property which was drawn upon by the
h
the Jains, as well as by the epic poets (HIL, I. P. 314). In
view of this opinion the 'n膩m膩va!is' in the Sth膩n膩nga and Samav膩y膩nga
indicate that the R膩ma-story in its basic form was known to the
Jaina tradition. The 'series of names' formed the nucleus of the
Rama-story and its details remained with the precetors in the oral
form. These details passed on to the successors by tradition i. e. 'ayariya
parampar膩gayam' as Vimalas奴ri also mentions in his work at 1. 8.
To this we can add the Popular Tradition from which Vimalas奴ri
seems to have drawn a lot, as evidenced in the above analysis to
compose his Paumacariya峁�.
3. R膩ma's name as Padma :
Now the question arises why Dasarathi R膩ma is called Padma in
the Samav膩y膩nga as well as in the Paumacariyam when he is not known
by this name either in the Brahmanical or in the Buddhist literature.
The Samavayanga names D膩艣arathi R膩ma as Padma and K峁涐梗峁嘺's brother