A Narrative from Jaina Literature

This article by Dr. Fuginaga Sin first discusses contribution of Jainism to literature in Prakrit and then in modern Indian languages, namely, Gujarati, Kannada, Marathi and Tamil. This literature contributed to the literary development of these languages in their own unique literary styles. Dr. Sin presents the Jaina narrative of Viṣṇukumāra, used to illustrate the virtue of vātsalya (loving respect towards fellow Jains), the seventh out of eight elements of samyagdṛṣṭi (Right Belief) as outlined by Samantabhadra. A) Plot Summary: i) The Jain monk Akampana and his 700 disciples arrive in Ujjain but remain silent, angering King Śrīvarman's ministers. ii) A confrontation leads to public humiliation of the ministers, who later become ministers to King Padma. iii) One of them, Bali, tricks the king into granting him full control for a week, during which he attempts to annihilate the monks. iv) A celestial monk, Viṣṇukumāra, intervenes through a miracle to save the monks and punishes Bali by mimicking the famous three strides of Viṣṇu myth (symbolically stepping across the world). v) In repentance, the ministers embrace Jain monastic life. B) Analysis: i) The story combines Jain ethical messaging with Hindu mythological motifs (e.g., Bali, Viṣṇu). ii) It demonstrates moral dilemmas, the nature of true devotion, and Jain responses to aggression through restraint and divine intervention. iii) The story exists in both Digambara (e.g., Prabhācandra) and Śvetāmbara traditions and reflects a long-standing narrative tradition, found in sources like Bṛhatkathākośa and Yaśastilaka.

Summary reviewed by a volunteer editor.