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鈥檚 version.
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274
A CRITICAL STUDY OF PAUMACARIYA峁�
was composed certainly not later than the 6th century of Vikrama
on the linguistic
era. i. e. between 443 and 543 A. D. He further
evidence of the work surmises that it would not be surprising if
the works dates probably one or two centuries still earlier because its
Mah膩r膩峁ａ弓r墨 language inherits some traits of P膩li and many more of
础谤诲丑补尘腻驳补诲丑墨鹿.
A survey of Paumacariya峁� reveals that its language is well
developed Mah膩r膩峁ａ弓r墨 with some influence of Apabhra峁兣沘 on it. The
date of Panmacariya峁� is fixed as the last quarter of the 5th century A. D.
Therefore, it is possible that Vasudevahi峁囜笉墨 was composed earlier than
笔补耻尘补肠补谤颈测补峁�.
Besides that we find that certain intervening stories of PCV
have their source in the Vasudevahindi because some points in these
stories of the PCV are not clear and are left out as well-known to the
readers as follows:-
-
The Ik峁膩ku Vamsa is said to have originated with Adityaya艣as
but it is not mentioned why it was called Ik峁膩ku Vamsa. The VH
explains this point.2
Vimalas奴ri merely refers to the episode of the battle between the
sons of king 艢r墨峁峁嘺 at 15.19 considering as it was well-known. This
story is fully narrated in the VH.3
In the story of the origin of Hari Vamsa, it is not stated expressly
that Hari became the king of Campanagari and the circumstances
under which he, who had no relations with Camp膩nagar墨, was
installed as the king of that city. These two missing points are clear
in the Vasudevahin岣嵞嘎�
In the story of Sa帽jayanta, and Vidyudda峁僺tra, the PCV does not
mention the causes which led to the torturing of the former by the
latter. This point is clear in the VH.5
'Origin of Br膩hma峁嘺s' and the
be in their original setting in the
Besides that, the stories of the
'Origin of Animal Sacrifice" seem to
VH while the PCV has borrowed them from there and affected some
alterations and omissions. In the former story the introduction of the
1. Vasudevahin岣嵞� (Guj. Tr.), Int. pp. 2. & 15-30.
2. See Supra, Origin of Various Dynasties, Ch. 5.
3.
See Supra, Ch. 4 no. 63.
4. Ibid, no. 20'
5. Ibid. no. 21.
6. Ibid. no. 16.
7. Ibid. no. 17.
