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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16
A CRITICAL STUDY OF PAUMACARIYA峁�
political situations and refernces to historical people, cannot be regarded
as interpolations, therefore the date of Paumacariya峁� cannot go before
the 5th century A. D.
Literary and Linguistic Evidences :
In the genealogical list of the Ik峁膩ku va峁僺a given in the
Paumacariyam, the number of the ancestors of Dasaratha is generally
in agreement with that of the Brahmanical Pur膩峁嘺s and not with
that of Valmiki R膩m膩ya峁嘺. The Prasasti of Paumacariya峁� mentions
that of besides other things, K膩ma, Artha, Dharma and Mok峁* from
the constituents of a Purana. This definition is not in full agreement
with the early definition of a Brahmanical Pur膩峁嘺, but it is in agree-
ment with the later developed definition of a Brahmanical Pur膩峁嘺.鲁
3 The g膩th膩 metre employed in the Paumacariya峁� shows an ad-
vanced stage as the nicest rules of metres are applicable to it. The
time of the advent of Mah膩r膩峁ａ弓r墨 language is generally held to be
the second century A.D. but the Mah膩r膩峁ri language of Paumacariya峁�
reveals an advanced stage and there is some influence of Apabhramsa
on it. We have evidence of the use of Apabhra峁僺a dialect in
one of the Ankas of Vikramorvast of K膩lid膩sa (i.e. 4th, 5th century
A. D.).
4 Conclusion:
Thus we conclude that the Nailavamsa originated in the second
century A.D. The references to the Din膩ra, Vimala as a S奴ri,
Suranga and the astronomieal term take us to still a later date. . The
inclusion of Sallekhan膩 by the PCV into the twelfth vow a householder
bears similarity with the C膩ritrap膩huda of Kundakunda. The recogni-
tion of abstaining from taking meal as the sixth a峁噓vrata of househol-
der's conduct (PCV, 6 120) is mentioned as late as in the Sarv膩rtha-
siddhi (7.1) of Pujyap膩da. The references to the 艢r墨parvat墨yas, Kila-
kilas and the Anandas take us between the 3rd and the 4th century
A.D. The political situations around Dasapura and Nandy膩vartapura
reveal historical parallels of the first half of the 5th eentury A.D.
1. See Infra. Ch. 5.
2. PCV, 118. 111.
3. See Infra ch. 11 Sec. 3B.
4. See Infra. Ch. 11. See, 1; See Variant Readings and Orthographic-Scribal
tendencies of the PC, Paumacariyam, Pt II, Prakrit Text Society, 1968. pp.13-.
