The
Ajitha Purana written by Ranna in 993 CE narrates the story of Ajitnath, the
second tirthankara of Jainism. This is the shortest jinapurana in Kannada. It
narrates two stories of the previous births of the tirthankara.
About the Story
The
first part opens with a prince named Vimalavahana who is ovecome by an intense
feeling of renunciation upon beholding a few strands of gray hairs on his
cheek. The grey hair remind him of the transitoriness of life and the supreme
power and inevitability of death. He takes to a life of meditation and is born
as a Dev in one of the heavens. In his subsequent birth he becomes Ajithanatha,
the king of Ayodhya. The customary fivefold auspicious in the life of a
Thirthankara have been described at great length by Ranna with his usual gusts
and devotion and piety. He was subject to intense emotional disturbances and
did not know how to control them except by giving them to eloquent expression
in words.
The
second part deals with the story of Sagara, the second Chakravarti of Jainism
who is deeply attached to all worldly pleasures. His friend Maniketu tries his
best to turn the attention of the king towards renunciation but could not
succeed. Finally he contrived a plan by which the 60,000 sons of Sagara were
killed and in the guise of an old man with a dead son in his arms presented
himself before the king and begged of him to enliven the child by fighting with
death. Sagara felt helpless in the matter and said that death was no respecter
of persons and all must suffer sorrow and pain.
There
upon Maniketu revealed to him the simultaneous death of his sons. Sagara was
overcome with grief but bore it heroically and taking to a life of penance
realized him in the end. Ranna has depicted this story in all its pathos and
the character of Maniketu in the role of hold man bereaved of his son is the
center of interest. The above are the finest parts of his work and when
compared with the corresponding parts of the Sanskrit original the improvements
made by Ranna can be appreciated. The feature of Ajitha - Purana is the
portrait of Attimabbe painted with grateful devotion by Ranna. She was a pious
and dutiful Jaina lady famous for her generosity in extending patronage to
poets, in erecting temples to the Jina, and in the propagation of Jaina texts.
An inscription at Lakkigundi in Dharwar district, probably written by Ranna
gives a few more details concerning her religious life. It was for her sake
that Ranna wrote the Ajitapurana. Her personality was so pure and noble that
the poet has compared her to the sacred waters of the Ganges and to a leap of
Snow-White cotton.
References
Rice, Edward Peter. 1982. A history of
Kannada literature. Calcutta: Association Press.
Related:
Know about Ranna Kavi and his works
Related:
Know about Ranna Kavi and his works
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