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CHAPTER VI SOURCES, CONTRIBUTION AND INFLUENCE OF PAUMACARIYAM SECTION 1. SOURCES OF PAUMACARIYAM A. Critical Examination of Author's Statement. Vimalasuri, the author of Paumacariyam gives three statements in connection with the sources of his work. He tells us that he is narrating the traditional Padma or Rama-story which was narrated to Akhandalabhuti (Indrabhuti, the first Ganadhara of Lord Mahavira) by Lord Mahavira. From Indrabhuti it passed on to the posterity through his successive disciples (Paumacariya, 1.90; 118.102). The Jaina tradition holds that the discourses and preachings of Lord Mahavira have been preserved in the Jaina Agama (canonical) literature so we shall try to trace out the sources of the Rama-story of Vimala in it. He further states that his work is based on the biographies (Caritas) of Narayanas and Baladevas (Sirin) preserved in the Purvagata (Puvvagae narayanasiricariyaim 118.118). Purvagata formed the third section of Drstivada, the 12th Anga of the Jaina Agama but it is nowhere mentioned in the Jaina scriptures that Purvagata which consisted of 14 Purvas, contained any narrative material. The Nandisutra (56) tells us that the fourth section of Drstivada, called Anuyogadvara Sutra, contained biographies of Tirthankaras, Cakravartins, Baladevas, Vasudevas and other religious personages. Shri H. R. Kapadia (See A History of the Canonical Literature of Jainas, p. 11) while discussing the order of the composition of 12 Angas and various sections of the Drstivada surmises that the 14 Purvas should also mean Drstivada as a whole, in a broader sense. Prot. J. Charpentier (Uttara, Int. p. 22) also holds that the Drstivada or the Purvas is much the same thing. In that light Vimalasuri's reference to the Purvagata should mean the Drstivada as a whole and the Drstivada, says Dr. A. N. Upadhye, contained some Kathanakas as it appears from certain references in the Niryuktis (See Brhatkathakosa, Int. p. 31). We should have sought for the source of Paumacariyam in the relevant sections of Drstivada, but the Jaina tradition (See A History of the Canonical Literature of Jainas, Ch.4) holds that it was lost long ago and our author also emphasises this point (Evam paramparae parihani puvvaganthaatthanam 1.11).

SOURCES, CONTRIBUTION AND INFLUENCE OF Paumacariya 233 J. Charpentier also upholds the Jaina tradition and concludes that the Purvas gradually went into oblivion (See Uttara, Int. p. 24). There are references to Sita and Tara in the tenth Anga, namely, Prasnavyakaranasutra (No. 16). Here we can seek for the source of the Jaina Rama-story but the above Anga is regarded as a later work because its contents do not correspond to the table of contents given in the Sthananga and the Nandisutra (See A History of Indian Literature Vol. II., II. p. 452). Vimalasuri once again states that he is narrating the story of Padma that has come down traditionally in the form of 'series of names' (namavaliyanibaddham ayariyaparamparagayam 1.8). Such series of names are given given in the Samavayangasutra (157-158) and the Tiloyapannatti (4.421 ff). The points, bearing on the Padma-story, mentioned in the Samavayangasutra (158) are as follows:was one's Padma and Narayana (Laksmana) were the sons of Dasaratha born of Aparajita and Kaikeyi respectively. They were the eighth Baladeva and Vasudeva respectively. Narayana killed Ravana, the eighth Prativasudeva. Padma attained Moksa. Padma was Aparajita and Narayana was Punarvasu in their previous birth. At that time their preceptor Samudra. Punarvasu observed some prowess and made a resolution 'nidana' at Mithilapuri. Vimalasuri's Padma-story agrees with the above points except the following: The birth name of Laksmana's mother is Kaikeyi (different from Bharata's mother) but her popular name is Sumitra Padma is nowhere mentioned as Aparajita in his previous births and there is no reference to Samudra as his or Punarvasu's preceptor. Punarvasu belonged to Pratisthanapura and he had resolved (made a 'nidana³) to marry a certain girl in his next birth (See Supra, Ch. 4, story Nos. 43 and 54). names the eighth Baladeva as the brother of Krsna). Rama 17000 and 12000 years respectiThe former attained Moksa The Tiloyaparnatti (4.1411-14-38) Rama and the ninth one as Padma (i.e. and Laksmana are said to have lived vely (See Paumacariya, 118.86; 114.27, 29). and Ravana went to hell. The Paumacariya agrees with the above points except that of the name of the eighth Baladeva. Then in the Sthanamgasutra (672) there is a list of the names of the fathers of the Baladevas and There Dasaratha is Vasudevas. mentioned as the father of eighth Baladeva and Vasudeva. Thus we find that the facts noted in the Samavayanga, the Sthananga and the Tiloyapannatti are generally in agreement as far as they go in our work. Whatever variations are found, they can be explained as due to oral tradition which should have differed in its details with

234 A CRITICAL STUDY OF PAUMACARIYAM various preceptors. This fact is widely observed in the Caritas of illustrious persons of the Jaina faith, composed by various Jaina authors. The 'namavalis' were the memory verses which served as an aid to teachers in their expounding the narratives handed over to the successive pupils by the oral tradition. So far as the present evidences go Vimalasuri seems to have composed his epic on the basis of 'namavalis' and the details he traditionally inherited from his preceptor.