11. Conclusion

It would be apropriate now to designate the influence of Paumacariyam as the influence of the tradition of Paumacariyam because there cannot be on several works a direct influence of the Paumacariyam. Its influence has been spreading through subsequent Jaina works based on it and through the Brahmanical works which were initially influenced by either the Paumacariya or by the Jaina works based on the former. The elements of Paumacariya's tradition which have influenced non-Jaina works are generally concerned with the upgrading of the valour of characters and the elevation of characters. According to the proportion of their influence they can be arranged in the following descending order¹:- 1. Rama's success among various candidates at the 'svayamvara' of Sita. 2. Battle between Rama and his sons. 3. Disturbing of Ravana's Yajna. 4. Progeny of Hanumat. 5. Association of Kaikeyi with the war-chariot of Dasaratha, Exonerating of Kaikeyi from the charge of exiling Rama and her request to Rama to come back, Sambuka as the nephew of Ravana and his death at the hands of Laksmana, Lava as elder brother of Kusa. 1. See also the Table attached in the end of the work.

314 A CRITICAL STUDY OF PAUMACARIYAM 6. Meeting of Hanu with Bharata while bringing the medicine to cure the wounded Laksmana. 7. Hanu's meeting with Vibhisana during his mission to Lanka. 8. Bow introduced specially for the 'svayamvara' of Sita, Voluntary exile of Rama (specially a favour for Bharata), Prophecy about the destined killer of Vali (Ravana in the Paumacariya), Association of Laksmana with Rama in the episode of killing of Vali (sham Sugriva in the Paumacariya), Bringing of the medicine by Hanumat before the sun-rise, Performing of penances by Rama. 9. Bharata and Satrughna as real brothers, Elevating the character of Dasaratha (on the occasion of declaring Rama as his heir to the throne), Hanumat's love episode, Performing of penances by Sita. 10. Ravana's attempt to foil the birth of any son to Dasaratha, Kaikeyi's love marriage with Dasaratha, Initial betrothal of Sita with Rama, Taking of Shelter under Rama by Vibhisana along with his army, Appearance of Garuda in the battlefield at the request of Rama, Procuring medicinal water particularly from Bharata, Sending of a peace proposal to Rama by Ravana through his envoy, Killing of Ravana by Laksmana, Digvijaya by Rama (or Laksmana in Paumacariya), Marriages of Lava and Kusa, Narada as the instigator of thebattle between Rama & his sons, Association of water-reservoir with Sita's ordeal, Performing of penances by Hanumat, Continuation of the enmity of both Rama and Sita with Ravana from the previous births. Details as discussed in the preceding pages and Chs. 3 and 4 show that the tradition of the Rama-story of Paumacariya has been iufluencing nonJaina works up to the recent century, belonging to the Buddhist as well as the Brahmanical fold. The Buddhist work are a few i.e. the Khotani Ramayana and the Rama Jataka of Syama whereas the Brahmanical works are numerous-religious and secular or ornate. The religious ones are the Puranas, sectarian Ramayanas and other religious works whereas the ornate ones are poems, dramas and narratives composed in Sanskrit, various modern Indo-Aryan and Dravidian languages. In India the influence of Vimalasuri's tradition holds from Kashmir to Cape Comorin and from Gujarat to Bengal. Out side India also Vimalasuri's tradition has excercised influence on the works hailing from Tibet, Eastern Turkeystan, Ceylon and SouthEast Asia and even on the western accounts written by some foreign travellers.

SOURCES, CONTRIBUTION AND INFLUENCE OF Paumacariya 315 The greatest influence of the tradition of Paumacariya is 'marked on Tulasi the Padmapurana, Adhyatma Ramayana, Ramayana, Ananda Ramayana and his other works, Seri Rama of Malaya and Ramakiyen of Syama. According to the largeness of the influence they can be arranged as Ananda Ramayana, Tulasi's works on Rama-story, Seri Rama, Padmapurana, Adhyatma Ramayana and Ramakiyen. Generally such works have been influenced greatly which belong to a period later then the Trishashti Shalaka Purusha-caritra of Hemacandra. He was a great poet and scholar. His Trishashti Shalaka Purusha-caritra is composed in Sanskrit. Therefore, its popularity among the non-Jaina circle must have been wider than that of any other Prakrit work. Hence it is all the more probable that the tradition of Paumacariya has influenced non-Jaina works through Hemacandra's Trishashti Shalaka Purusha-caritra as far as the non-Jaina works composed not earlier than the 12th century A. D. are concerned and they are not small in number.