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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SOCIAL CONDITIONS 383 sound on a bitter tree (kaduyarukkha) on the left side, it indicated a
quarrel (34. 36).鹿 The sight of a crane (s膩rasa), a 艣atapatra bird, a crow,
an ass, a horse, a bull or a jackal making noise on the right side indicated
defeat (7.16). The crossing of one's path by a black serpent2 (70.6)
was regarded inauspicious and foreboded defeat. The sight of a
weeping women with her hair undressed and looking up at the sun
was a bad omen (94.36)鲁. The obstruction of one's movement by the
strike of another's leg (70.6) or the falling down of upper garment or
breaking down of the parasol 4 (70.8) of the king were regarded as
inauspicious and they indicated defeat. The throbbing of the right
eye of a woman prognosticated some trouble (93.2). In Sita's case
this augury came true as she was exiled.
It depended on the mental attitude of a person whether he consi-
dered some thing auspicious or inauspicious. Thus the PCV tells that
the sight of a Jaina monk was regarded to be auspicious by R膩ma when
he commenced his march to Lanka from Ki峁indhipura (54.30), but a
hunter who despised Jaina monks considered the seeing of a Jaina monk
as inauspicious (6.140). The latter belief is corroborated by the
Su艣ruta Samhit膩 (S奴trasth膩nam 29.46). The Bhadr膩b膩hu Samhita observes
that the result of seeing a monk depended upon the out look of the
person who saw him (13.76).
Besides these the PCV mentions some dreadful phenomenal occu
rrences (upp膩y膩d膩run膩 69.47-53). They were observed on the occasion
of R膩vana's final march to the batllefield. These occurrences forebod-
ed defeat and death of a king (des膩hivassa mara峁嘺in) and so R膩vana
was killed in this battle. They are indicated below:
1. The sun turned intolerably scorching (akko auhasariso);
2. The sky was observed to be variegated or a shaggy halo
surrounded the sun (pariveso ambare pharusava峁囜箛o);7
3.
The moon suddenly disappeared;
4. The fire-brands of the hew of blood lighted the eastern
direction 8;
See Br-Samh. 95. 56; 95.37 & Su. Samh, (Sut. 29. 32-33).
1.
2.
See Bhad-Samh, 13,62,
3. See Su-Samh, (S奴t, 29.12).
4'
See Bhad-Sa峁僪, 14,55.
5, Sec S膩kuntalam, p. 161, vide, IK, p. 330.
6. These occurrences & their efficacy can be corroborated from other works as
follows.
7, Br-Samh, 34.5-9; Bhad-Sa峁僪, 4.13.
8.
I did, 43. 14-10; Bhad-Sa峁僪, 3. 16-19.
