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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ECONOMIC, POLITICAL & RELIGIOUS CONDITIONS 495 Now let us examine how far the charges levelled against the
followers of Vedic rituals are justified in view of the sacrifices advocated
by the Vedic literature and other historical evidences about the perform-
ing of the above mentioned sacrifices.
First of all we find that some hymns of the 峁歡veda have been asso-
ciated with the horse-sacrifice. In the latter Samhitas and Brahma峁嘺s,
The
animal and Soma sacrifices are found to be very common虏.
Br膩hma峁嘺 explain the complicated procedure of the Yaj帽as. The
艢rautas奴tras and the Grhyas奴tras give us details about the method of
performing various sacrifices. The Smrtis also refer to the daily
domestic sacrifices.
The Yaj帽aparibh膩峁Ｄ� s奴tra鲁 of Apastamba clearly lays down in
support of the contention of the Paumacariya峁� that animals, besides
other things also, were offered in the sacrifices, that the sacrifices were
prescribed to be performed by the first three Var峁嘺s, that the three
Vedas prescribe sacrifices and that they were presided over by
叠谤腻丑尘补峁嘺蝉.
As regards the offering of goats, the Sankhayana Srautas奴tra refers
to the immolation of goats (14.2.14; 14.6.2; 14.7.3-4: 14.13.1; 15.1.21-
22). The Paraskara Grhyas奴tra (4.13.1) refers to the offering of meat of
red goat during the 艢r膩ddha ceremony and that of goat and sheep in
Pit峁泃arpa峁嘺 (4.12.5). Further according to the Grhyasutras goats offered
to guests is said to be a sacrifice to the Gods. The Manusmrti also
refers to the offering of the meat of goat for the libation of the manes
on the occasion of monthly 艢raddha (3.268-70).
About the offering of various other animals in the sacrifices, the
Sankhayana Srautas奴tra (6.1.20) refers to the Nir奴岣峢apa艣u sacrifice
which was performed for the purpose of fulfilling some special wish.
In the 艢r膩ddha ceremony the offering of meat of various animals have
been prescribed in the Paraskara G峁沨yas奴tra (4.12.6-12) and the Manusmrti
(3.268-270). The animals mentioned in that connection are the fish,
deer, ram, boar, bison, hare, tortoise, sheep etc. The Taj帽aparibh膩峁Ｄ�-
s奴tra (154) refers to various utensils used for preparing the meat of
different animals. Manu (15.39) lays down that animals have been
created by Svayambhu for sacrifice and their killing in a Yaj帽a is
not killing. But he does not permit their killing for other purposes.
I. Rgveda, 1.162.
2. SRL. Gr, p. 205.
3. Sut, 1-3.21.
4.
See CHI, I. p. 208.
