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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A CRITICAL STUDY OF PAUMACARIYA峁�
Country or State is generally denoted by De艣a (11.108; 33.23;
38.57; 98.61), Vi峁ya (Avanti-visaya 33.11) or Janapada (Magah膩ja-
峁嘺vaya 2.1). Janapada is used in the sense of the people also (puraja-
navaya the citizens of the capital 11.107). Vide艣a (39.117: 37.19)
denoted the foreign country or other state. Then there are references
to some particular people who were some ancient tribes and the region
where settled in came to be known after their names. Thus the countries
such as Yavana, 艢aka etc. (98.64) denote the places of their habitation.
The PCV says "it is also true that some peoples are named after regions
to which they belong." The Asuras, Yak峁s, Kinnaras, Gandharvas
etc. are such instances (7.49-50).
The unit of people's habitation is generally termed as Nive艣a (3.114)
or Sannive艣a (5.249). Various types of settlements such as Nagara,
Pura, Pattana, Kheta, Karvata, Ma岣峚mba, Dro峁噄mukha, Gr膩ma and
Palli (2.1,2; 11.103: 32.9; 39.63) are mentioned. The PCV does not
differentiate between a Nagara, Nagar墨 and a Pura or Pur墨 (20.10;21.
6; 8.156; 11,5; 35.26). Sometimes Gr膩ma and Pura are identical
(Kun岣峚g膩mapura 2.21; Kundapura 20.50), Except Nagara, Pura, Gr膩ma
ane Palli there is no reference to any habitation, the name of which
ends in Pattana, Kheta, Karvata, Madamba or Dro峁噄mukha. For their
significance other works鹿 can be referred to. There are references to
a number of Dvipas A Dvipa in the Indian literature always does not
mean that it should have waters surrounding it. There are several
references to Saka and Yavana dvipas which were not islands but the
inland-regions of the Sakas and the Yavanas in the North-West India.
For example the PCV refers to V膩峁嘺radvipa (6.34) and many others
(6.31-33) The V膩naradvipa can be indentified with the high lands
of Ki峁indhi mountains near Raichur in the Deccan plateau.
The geographical places and peoples mentioned in the
PCV can be dealt under five separate heads viz., (1) Those
associated with R膩ma (including the route of his exile);
(2) Those conquered by Lavana and Anku艣a; (3) Those associated with
the great persons of the Jaina faith; (4) Those referred to in the
intervening stories; and (5) Unidentified places.
Besides that we shall take up the Aryan and the non-Aryan peoples
referred in the PCV. It should be noted that some clans and countries
are identical as the PCV reveals. Some of them are specifically
1. TP, 4. 1398-1490; The Jinist Studies by Otto Stein, pp. 9.12 & 19; Kaut, 2.1.
2-4; Shama, p.45.
2. JP, 53. p. 217; Ava Cu, p. 191; VH, p. 146; JPS 7. 104 calls Magadha country
a dvipa.
