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Mahābhārata motifs in the Jaina Pāṇḍava-Purāṇa

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  24 December 2009

Padmanabh S. Jaini
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Extract

Judged in the context of the 18 Purāṇas, or even the 180 Upa-, or Subsidiary Purāṇas, the title, Pāṇḍava-Purāṇa, must seem unusual, since the Pāṇḍavas are neither gods nor avatāras, nor sages; for it is the exploits of these divine or semi-divine figures that form the subject matter of the traditional Purāṇas. The Jainas' choice of this title would therefore appear to be a deliberate effort to present a Jaina version of the Mahābhārata story, a version which would show how the virtuous Pāṇḍavas and the rather harmless Balarāma are reborn in heaven, whereas Kṛṣṇa, the ‘nārāyana’, and Jarāsandha, the ‘pratinārāyaṇa’, are consigned to hell.

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Articles
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Bulletin of the School of Oriental and African Studies , Volume 47 , Issue 1 , February 1984 , pp. 108 - 115
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Copyright © School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London 1984

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References

1 The Jaina Purāas describe Balarāma, Jarāsandha, and Kṛṣṇa, respectively, as a hero (balabhadra), leading an ideal Jaina life; a villain (Pratinārāyaṇa), evil personified; the hero's companion or ally (nārāyaṇa), representing as it were the force of righteous indignation and carrying out the destruction of the villain. In the (Jaina) (Rāmāyaṇa) and Lakṣmaṇa (nārāyaṇa). The balabhadra is reborn in heaven (or may even attain moksa) but the nūrāyaṇa and pratinārāyaṇa are fated to be reborn in a hell (naraka). Eventually they are reborn as humans and attain mokṣa. See Jaini, P.S., The Jaina path of purification, Berkeley, 1979, 305Google Scholar

2 For a comprehensive bibliography of the Jaina Purāṇas, see Jain, Hiralal, Bhāratiya Samṃskriti mē Jaina-dharma Kā yogadān (in Hindi), Bhopal, 1962, 412–16Google Scholar.

3 Pāṇḍavacaritaṃ Mahākāvyam, ed. Kedarnath, and Panshikar, , Kavyamālā Series, 93, Bombay, 1962Google Scholar. (Henceforth referred to as PM.)

4 Triṣaṣṭiśalākāiriṣacaritra, V, tr. into English by JOhnson, Helen M., Oriental Institute, Baroda, 1962Google Scholar. (Gaekwad's Oriental Series, No. 139.)

5 Pāṇḍava-Purāṇam, ed. and tr. into Hindi by Shastri, J. P., Jivaraj Jain Granthamâlā, 3, Sholapur, 1954Google Scholar. (Henceforth referred to as PP.)

6 Harivaṃś-Purāṇa of Punnāṭa Jinasena, ed. and tr. into Hindi by Jain, Pannalal, Bhāratīya Jnānapiṭha, Varanasi, 1962Google Scholar.

7 Probably identical with Śataki mentioned in the Uttara-Purāṇa: Śakti nāma mahīasya Śatakyāś ca Parāţaraḥ/ tasya matsyakulotpannarājaputryāṃ suto 'bhavat/ / 70#102 Satyavatyāṃ sudhīr V yāsaḥ punar V yāsa-Subhadrayoḥ/ Dhṛtarāṣṭro mahān Pāṇḍur Viduraś ca sutās trayaḥ/ / 70–103 Uttara-Purāṇa of Guṇabhadra, ed. and tr. into Hindi by Pannalal Jain, Bhāratīya Jnānapīṭha, Varanasi, 1954

8 Devaprabha devotes only sixteen verses to what may be callde the Jaina version of the Bhagavadgītā. See PM, xiii, 24ģ34. Śubhacandra, however, dismisses the entire episode of Arjuna's hesitation to fight but puts the following words in the mouth of Kṛṣṇa (consoling Arjuna lamenting the death of the young Abhimanyu): vidyate 'vasaro nātra śṛṇu vairiṇaḥ/ saṃyuge jahi, dhīratvaṃ dhara dharmaviśārada/ / jahi putrasya hantāraṃ, tatphalaṃ ca pradarśaya/ PP, xx, 52–3. rājyalobhena Vaikuṇṭho melayitvā bahūn paśūn/ vāṭake bandhayāmāa Nemivairāgyasiddhaye/ į vivāhārthaṃ jino gacchan vīkṣya baddhān bahūn paśūn/ pṛṣṭvā tadrakṣakān prāpa vairāgyaṃ rāgadūragaḥ/ / PP, xxii, 42#3

10 This edition of Vādicandra's Pāṇḍava-Purāa (henceforth referred to as VPP) is based on two palm-leaf manuscripts, one from the Digambara Jaina Matha, Mudabidre (Karnataka State), and the other from the Bibliothèque Nationale at the University of Strasbourg. For a description of these manuscripts, see Tripathi, C.B., Catalogue of the Jaina manuscripts at Strasbourg (serial No. 199), Leiden, 1975Google Scholar

11 At the beginning of the story, however, the author of the VPP refers to the Bhārata as the source for the Brahmanical version: King Śreṇika of Magadha asks Mahāvira's disciple Indrabhūti: Kuru-Pāṇḍavayoḥ svāmin kathaṃ vairam abhūd iha/ yuddhena kulanāśaś ca kathaṃ jaya-parājayau/ / yathākathancic chrīnātha mithyādṛṣṭimukhān mayā/ ṛrūyate tena me cetaḥ satataṃ saṃśayāyate/ / Bhārataṃ yan mayā'śrāvi … vijjātam apy alam/ / VPP, i, 72–3

12 The Mahābhārata, ed. Sukthankar, V.S., I, Adhyāya 57, 1–55, Poona, 1933Google Scholar.

13 Births of Matsyagandhā and Veda-Vyāa: babhūva nṛpatiḥ khyātaḥ Śantanuḥ Puru-vaṃśabhūḥ/ ekadā vasudhāṃ so 'pi sādhanārthaṃ viniryayau/ / ṛtukālaṃ sāmālabhya gṛhasthā tasya bhāminī/ viryaṃ sā bhartur ānetuṃ rājīvaṃ prāhiṇod drutam/ / …tat smṛtes tasya saṃjāto viryadrāvo madotkaṭaḥ/… tāmre pātre svavīryaṃ ca nidhāya nṛpatis tadā/ / pārāpatagale tadd hi pātreṇāmā babandha saḥ/ / …Gaṅgāyām apatad reto mīnī tatrāgalac ca tat/ ādhatta mīnī tadyogād garbhabhāram anākulam/ / prayāti kāle tāṃ mīnīm avadhīd dhivaro Dharaḥ/ apaṛyat kanyakāṃ tatra Matsyagandhābhidhāṃ manaḥ/ / …atha taṃ yauvanonmattāṃ vikṣya Pārāśaro muniḥ/… garbhas tadyogato jātaḥ Śaivaśāstresv idaṃ vacaḥ/ / kutra vīryaṃ kva vā mini kathaṃ vā garbhadhāriṇī/ kva kanyā kva munir nātha kathaṃ saṃyogapaddhatiḥ/ / pūrṇe garbhe hi sā kanyā Veda-Vyāsābhidhaṃ sutam/ asūtaṃ tāpasākāraṃ śaiśave vedavādinam/ / VPP, i, 72–93

14 King Śantanu marries his own daughter Matsyagandhā: saṃsādhya vasudhāṃ sarvāṃ parāvṛtya nadiṃ itaḥ/ śrīŚantano 'tha tat kanyām apaśyan nijavīryajām/ / sugandhāṃ rūpasampannāṃ prekṣya so 'pi smarāśayaḥ/ nikaṣā nāvikaṃ gatvā yācate sma ca tat sutām/ / vpp, i, 95–6. The Jaina authors probably confuse the mahābhārata story of the King Vasu-Uparicara who also impregnates a fish in the manner narrated above with that of Śantanu; it is not unlikely, however, that the confusion was deliberate. No other version makes Śantanu the father of Satyavatū

15 nāṅgahīno jano rājā naivam antaḥsutodbhavaḥ/ vitarkyeti pitur bhaktyā sa ciccheda svaliṅgakam/ / bhīṣmaṃ karma kṛtaṃ tena tato Bhīṣmo janair mathaḥ/ yādṛk karma kṛk karma kṛtaṃ tādṛk prāpat khyātiṃ jane 'khile/ / VPP, i, 105–6

16 Death of Citra and Vicitra (step-brothers of Bhīṣma): yāti kāle tayor jātau sutau Citra-Vicitrakau/ … sapatnījanito yasmāt tasmād dveṣavidūṣitau/ / purvodāntam ajānantau svamātur mastake mudā/ / kalaṅkam vratino kārṣṭāṃ tāvan mantrī vaco 'vadat/ … yuvayos tena bhavitā pāpabandho niraṅkuśaḥ/ / ittham ākarṇya tad vākyaṃ tat pāpavinivṛttaye/ praveśaṃ cakratur vahnau niryadbhūri sphuliṅgake/ / aputrau tau dharādhīśau mṛtim āpatur āpadā/ arājakaṃ tato rājyaṃ samabhūc Ṛāntanīyakam/ / VPP, i, 113–18

17 Gāndhārī copulates with 100 goats: … paścāt sthirāyuṣaṃ cāndhaṃ samprāpyā 'py asutā tarām/ śatachāgaiṛ ca sā reme, kiṃ kuryān na sutārthinī/ / yāti kāi hi te chāgā Dhṛtarāṣṭreṇa bhūbhujā/ sarve ca yajnasamaye māritā svargavānchayā/ / yajnakuṇḍe hatā chāgāḥ svargavāsam agus tataḥ/ saṃsmṛtvā prāktanaṃ snehaṃ te smarārtā ajāmarāḥ/ / Gāndhāryā gṛham āgatya bhajante tām anāratam/ tebhyas tasyāṃ samutpannāḥ ṣaṇmāseṣu ca nandanāḥ/ / Duryodhanādināmānaḥ iti ke 'pi jagur vidaḥ/ … kva chāgāḥ kriḍanaṃ rājnyā kva vā svarganivāsabhūḥ/ āgamo hi kathaṃ teṣāṃ kutas tebhyaḥ sutodbhavaḥ/ / kathaṃ te kudhiyaḥ Ṛaivāḥ satyam etat bruvanti ca/ dṛḍhamithyātvam āpannāḥ kiṃ kiṃ jalpanti no narāḥ/ / VPP, i, 137–45

18 Śiva-Purāṇa, ed. by Ramateja Shastri Pandeya, Pandita Pustakalaya, Varanasi

19 Śiva-Purāṇa, Saṃhitā II, adhyāyas 37–41 (pp. 654–68)

20 The editor of the Śiva-Purāṇa introduces this section under the following heading: Tripuradānavamohanārthaṃ Viṣṇunā Jinasyotpādanaṃ tad dvārā Ārhatyadīkṣayā Tripurasya Arhaddharmāṅgīkaraṇam; Jinadharmakathanaprasaṅge devūnāṃ grāmyadharmādyaniyamavarṇanam Sanatkumāra uvāca: asṛjac ca mahātejāḥ puruṣaṃ svātmasambhavam/ ekaṃ māyāmayaṃ teṣāṃ dharmavighnārtham Acyutaḥ/ / muṇḍinaṃ mlānavastraṃ ca gumphipātrasamanvitam/ dadhānaṃ punjikāṃ haste cālayantaṃ pade pade/ / vastrayuktaṃ tathā hastaṃ kṣīyamānaṃ mukhe sadā/ dharmeti vyāharantaṃ hi vācā viklavayā munim/ / … Viṣṇuḥ …vacanaṃ cedam abravīt/ yad arthaṃ nirmito 'si tvaṃ nibodha kathayāmi te/ Arihaṃ nāma te syāt tu hy anyāni ṛubhāni ca/ … Apabhraṃṛamayaṃ śāstraṃ karmavādamayaṃ tathā/ śrautasmārtaviruddhaṃ ca varṇāśramavivarjitam/ / gantum arhasi nāśārthaṃ muṇḍas Tripuravāsinam/ tamodharmaṃ saṃprakāśya nāśayasva puratrayam/ / tataś caiva punar gantvā Marusthalyāṃ tvayā vibho/ sthātavyaṃ ca svadharmeṇa kalir yāvat samāvrajet/ / tataḥ sa muṇdī paripālayan Harer, ājnāṃ tathā nirmitavāṃś ca śiṣyān/ yathāsvarūpaṃ caturas tadānīṃ māyāmayaṃ śāstram apāṭhayat svayam/ / Śiva-Purāṇa, II (Rudrasaṃhitā), v (Yuddhakāṇḍa), 4th Adhyāya, 1–24

21 Ādi-Purāṇa (Parts 1–2), ed. and tr. in Hindi by Pannalal Jain, Bharatiya Jnanapitha, Varanasi, 1963–5, Parvas 38–40. Bhāgavata-Purāṇa, V, iii-vii, Gitā Press. See also Jaini, P. S., ‘Jina Ṛṣabha as an avatāra of Viṣṇu ’, BSOAS, XL, 2, 1977, 321–37CrossRefGoogle Scholar

22 For a description of the missionary activities of Jaina monks and the conversion of a large number of the Rajasthani and the Marwadi clans to Jainism, see Nahta, Agarchand and Nahta, Bhavarmal, Kharatara Gaccha ke pratibodhita gotra aur jātiyāṃ(in Hindi), Shri Jinadattasuri Sevasangha, Calcutta, 1973Google Scholar