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.
Page 298 of: Paumacariya (critical study)
298 (of 671)
External source: Shodhganga (Repository of Indian theses)
Download the PDF file of the original publication
269
SOURCES, CONTRIBUTION AND INFLUENCE OF PCV.
wasp while searching for ī in Lankā (VR-as a cat ). 26. Handing
over of Rama's ring to ī by Aṇumān in the disguise of a monkey.
27. Aṇumān conjures up an army of monkeys and destroys the garden.
28. Rāvana's sister is called Suṛpaṇakhā. 29. Slaying of Vali by Lak�-
maṇa (VR―by Rāma ). 30. Disturbance by Vidyadharas and ceasing
of the Vidyās to obey Rāvaṇa. 31. Conjuring up of illusory severed
head of ī 31. Molesting of Maṇimati by Rāvana and her curse as the
cause of the death of Rāvaṇa (VR-Vedavati's molestation). 33. Aṇumān,
the son of Añjanā struck the aerial-car of the sun (VR-Hanu wanted
to catch the sun).
Points peculiar to Uttarapurāṇa:-
34. Dasaratha's first wife named as Subālā. 35. No boon
granted to the mother of Bharata. 36. Janaka's wife's name Vasudha-
devi, no reference to the brother or son of Janaka. 37. No betrothal
of Sita with Rāma, No 'svayaṃvara' and the Bow. She was married to
ī
Rāma because he protected the Yajña of Janaka. 38, Rāma and
Lakṣmaṇa were appointed as the king and heir-apparent of Banarasa
respectively. 39. No exile of Rāma. No Journey of Rāma. 40. No
disfiguring of Sambūka. 41. Once Rāma sojourned in the Citrakūta
garden. 42. Nārada instigated Rāvana to kidnap ī. Rāvaṇa wanted
to put an end to the rising glory of Rāma and he was angry also because
he was not invited by Janaka on the occasions of performing a Yajña
and the marriage of ī. 43. Śūrpaṇakhā was sent to ascertain the
wishes of Sita. 44. No Jatayu. 45. Dasaratha's drean.s indicated that
Rāvaṇa kidnapped ī, 46. Mandodari's sympathy and her advice
to ī refrained her from yielding to Rāvaṇa. 47. Hanuman is called
Anuman (his father's name is Prabhañjana). 48. On the advice of
Nārada, Aṇumān and Sugrīva went to help Rāma. 49. Vāli's offer to
help Rāma, Vali's challenge for a battle and then his killing by
Lakṣmaṇa. 50. Mandodari's motherly love for ī. 51. Sitā's sons
named as Vijayarāma and Ajitañjaya. 52. No detailed ancestral history
of Rāvaṇa. 53. There is no story of Añjanāsundarī. 54. The son of
Añjanā by Prabhañjana was named Aṇumān because he once assumed
the form like a particle of sand (aṇu).
As regards the intervening stories of the PCV which are found in
the UP, their sources are different, not the PCV while the stories of
Hariṣeṇa (No. 11), and ‘Origin of Brāhmaṇas' (No. 16) are specially
at variance with those of the PCV (See Supra, Ch. 4).
There is one striking similarity between the PCV and the UP in
the description of the water-sports of Rāma and ī. The PCV is the
