A Study on the Jaina‑Purāṇas
By Sankar Prasad Bandyopadhyay
Summary
This scholarly survey examines the Jain Purāṇas, a corpus of narrative works that reframe popular epics within Jain philosophy. Unlike the Hindu Purāṇas, Jain Purāṇas are considered anuyogas—didactic texts based on scriptural themes rather than canonical Agamashttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Puranas#:~:text=. The article classifies them into three groups: Ramāyaṇa‑story Purāṇas, Mahābhārata‑story Purāṇas, and those that recount the lives of tīrthaṅkaras or pious kings. It describes the earliest Jain Ramāyaṇa, the *Paumacariyam* of Vimalasūri (1st–3rd century AD), written in Mahārāṣṭrī Prākrit. This work departs from the Hindu narrative by depicting Lakṣmaṇa (not Rāma) killing Rāvaṇa; Rāma later becomes a Jain monk and attains nirvāṇahttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vimalsuri#:~:text=Vimalsuri%20was%20a%20Jain%20monk,4https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vimalsuri#:~:text=Mahavira%27s%20%20nirvana%20happened%20in,14. The *Padmapurāṇa* of Ācārya Ravisena (c. 678 AD) elaborates this theme: Rāma is a non‑violent Baladeva, Lakṣmaṇa slays Rāvaṇa, and Rāma eventually renounces the worldhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ravisena#:~:text=wrote%20Padmapurana%20,2. Turning to Mahābhārata‑story Purāṇas, the essay discusses Jinasena’s *Harivaṃśapurāṇa* (783 AD), a Sanskrit epic of 12,000 verses divided into 66 cantos. It narrates the lives of the 22nd tīrthaṅkara Neminātha and Kṛṣṇa, offering an alternative to Vyāsa’s Mahābhārata in which Draupadī is married only to Arjunahttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hariva%E1%B9%83%C5%9Bapur%C4%81%E1%B9%87a#:~:text=,129. The article reviews other important works such as *Ādipurāṇa* and *Uttarapurāṇa* by Jinasena and Guṇabhadra, *Mahāpurāṇa*, *Vasudevahindī*, and regional Purāṇas in Apabhraṃśa and Kannada. Tables list their authors, languages and approximate dates. Throughout the survey the author analyses the moral and philosophical themes of these texts. Jain Purāṇas use familiar characters to propagate doctrines of non‑violence, austerity and renunciation. By portraying heroes like Rāma and Kṛṣṇa as Jain exemplars who ultimately renounce worldly power, they illustrate the transience of worldly glory. The texts also emphasise karmic causality and the equality of souls, countering caste hierarchies. The essay notes that these narratives influenced regional literatures and preserved historical information about Jain communities and patronage. It concludes that the Jain Purāṇas, though non‑canonical, are crucial for understanding Jain ethical ideals and their interaction with broader Indian narrative traditions.
Conclusion
The essay classifies Jain Purāṇas into Ramāyaṇa‑, Mahābhārata‑ and other narrative traditions and summarises major works like Vimalasūri’s *Paumacariyam*—where Lakṣmaṇa kills Rāvaṇa and Rāma becomes a Jain monkhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vimalsuri#:~:text=Vimalsuri%20was%20a%20Jain%20monk,4https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vimalsuri#:~:text=Mahavira%27s%20%20nirvana%20happened%20in,14—Ravisena’s *Padmapurāṇa*https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ravisena#:~:text=wrote%20Padmapurana%20,2 and Jinasena’s *Harivaṃśapurāṇa*https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hariva%E1%B9%83%C5%9Bapur%C4%81%E1%B9%87a#:~:text=,129. It argues that these texts are didactic rather than canonical and were written to propagate Jain values of non‑violence, renunciation and equalityhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Puranas#:~:text=. By retelling popular epics from a Jain perspective, they preserved historical details and shaped regional literatures. The article concludes that Jain Purāṇas are indispensable for understanding how Jainism engaged with and transformed India’s epic heritage.