Prabuddh Rauhineya Samikshatmaka Anushilan

This document is a critical analysis of the Jain play "Prabuddha Rauhineya" by Ramabhadra Muni, written by Dr. Ramjee Upadhyay. The play's author, Ramabhadra Muni, was a disciple of Jayaprabha Suri, who in turn was a disciple of Vadideva. Their time is placed in the last part of the 12th century CE.

The summary of the play's narrative unfolds as follows:

• The Protagonist and his Father's Curse: The story centers on Rauhineya, the son of a bandit named Lohkhur. On his deathbed, Lohkhur instructs Rauhineya to actively avoid the teachings of Mahavira Swami, as they would dismantle their lineage's customs.

• Rauhineya's Banditry and First Encounter: Rauhineya, embracing his father's advice, decides to abduct the most beautiful woman during a spring festival in the Makaranodhyana garden. He observes a beautiful woman named Madanvati, content with her fortune, speaking with her lover. Madanvati suggests they gather flowers before enjoying themselves in a cool banana grove. They compete to see who can gather more flowers. Rauhineya witnesses Madanvati's beauty as she picks flowers, her form described poetically.

• The Abduction: Rauhineya plans to abduct Madanvati when her lover is away. He instructs his associate Shambara to delay the lover. Madanvati tries to cry for help upon recognizing Rauhineya as a bandit, but he threatens to cut off her head if she makes a sound. He then carries her away to his mountain cave.

• Madanvati's Lover's Fear: The lover, returning and finding Madanvati missing, learns from Shambara that a fierce man is conferring with his companions near a tree. Mistaking this man for Madanvati's husband plotting to kill him, the lover flees in fear.

• The Second Abduction - The Wedding: The next day, Rauhineya plans to abduct someone in Rajagriha. Shambara, his scout, has already gathered information about the target. Rauhineya has also surveyed the location. The target is the groom, Manorath, and the bride, Manorama, the wife of Seth Subhadra.

• The Deception: Rauhineya and Shambara approach the Seth's house at night. The groom and bride are awaiting the auspicious time for their household entry, amidst a Gandharva celebration. Shambara dances among them, distracting the guests. The Sethani goes inside to make arrangements. Following a dance by Vamanika, Rauhineya, disguised as a woman resembling the Sethani, enters. He instructs the groom to sit on his shoulder for a dance. Another female attendant carries the bride on her shoulder and dances. Vamanika also dances on someone's shoulder. Rauhineya tells the Gandharvas to play music loudly.

• The Escape: Amidst the cacophony, Rauhineya secretly drops a snake (a chourika, a kind of knife) from his armpit. Mistaking it for a real snake, people flee. Rauhineya flees with the groom. After a short distance, he discards his female disguise. The groom starts crying, and Rauhineya threatens to cut off his ears with his knife if he continues. Rauhineya then heads towards his mountain cave.

• The Seth's Realization: The Seth believes the dropped item was a real snake. Upon investigation, he discovers it was artificial. He then worries about his son, but the mother states she never left the house. It dawns on him that the Seth's son (the groom) has been abducted.

• The King and the Bandit: King Shrenik of Magadha is present in Rajagriha. The city's prominent merchants inform the king about the thief who abducts beautiful men, women, animals, and wealth. The king summons the guard, who admits his efforts to catch the thief have failed. Minister Abhay Kumar arrives and is reprimanded by the king, who vows to punish the thief himself. Abhay Kumar assures the king he will catch the thief within five to six days.

• Mahavira's Arrival and Rauhineya's Internal Conflict: The king receives news that Mahavira Swami has arrived in the garden. The king takes offerings and listens to Mahavira's discourse. Rauhineya decides to steal from the king's treasury that very day, despite the king's harsh punishments. As evening approaches, Rauhineya sees Mahavira attending a council. Following his father's instruction, he covers both his ears with his hands. A thorn pricks his foot. He cannot remove it without uncovering his ears, which would expose him to Mahavira's teachings. Despite this, he removes his hand to pull out the thorn, and Mahavira's divine words enter his ears.

• The Capture and Release: A decree is issued: anyone found outside after the first watch of the night will be punished. Rauhineya attempts to steal from the royal palace but enters the Chandikayatan temple. City guards surround the temple. He hides in a corner and escapes from the guards. People chase him. He leaps over the rampart but gets caught in a net. The next day, Rauhineya is brought before the king, who sentences him to be impaled.

• Abhay Kumar's Intervention: Minister Abhay Kumar intervenes, arguing that impalement is not the appropriate punishment as no stolen goods were found on Rauhineya. He is taken down from the donkey and interrogated. Rauhineya claims to be a farmer from Shaligram, Durgancha, who came for work and slept in the Chandikayatan temple due to the absence of relatives. He states he was surrounded by guards and forced to cross the rampart, where he was caught. A messenger is sent to Shaligram, and the villagers confirm Durgancha's presence but that he was out for work that day. Rauhineya's trial is postponed.

• The Divine Illusion: Abhay Kumar arranges a play. Rauhineya is first made to drink alcohol until he is intoxicated. He is then placed in an environment designed to resemble heaven. Under the direction of the playwright Bharata, courtesans play the roles of celestial nymphs. Chandralekha and Vasantalekha sit to his right, and Jyotiprabha and Vidyutprabha to his left. Shringaraavathi begins to dance, and Gandharvas perform music. By this time, Rauhineya has regained consciousness. The actors, seeing him conscious, exclaim that the heavenly realm is blessed to have him as their lord, as they were without one. Chandralekha and Vidyutprabha express similar sentiments.

• The Revelation of Deception: A doorkeeper (pratihara) arrives and informs them that they have begun showcasing their skills without performing the heavenly rituals. He explains that any new deity created there must first recount their good and bad deeds from past lives before enjoying heavenly pleasures. He tells Rauhineya that Indra has sent him and requests details of his human life's merits and demerits. Rauhineya understands the deception: the surrounding people are not gods, as they sweat, touch the ground, and their garlands are wilting. He realizes it's all a fraud. He gives a false answer.

• Rauhineya's Innocence and the Truth: The doorkeeper asks for his bad deeds, to which Rauhineya replies he has never committed any. The doorkeeper insists that humans are prone to vices like adultery, theft, and gambling. Rauhineya counters that his "golden gait" (referring to his banditry, perhaps ironically) shows his complete avoidance of such vices.

• The King and Abhay Kumar's Intervention: King Shrenik and Minister Abhay Kumar appear. Abhay Kumar, hearing the conversation, tells the king that Rauhineya cannot be punished. He identifies him as a bandit but states that punishing him without proof would be against political strategy. He suggests releasing him with a pardon and inquiring about the truth.

• Rauhineya's Confession and Transformation: With the king's order, everyone else departs, leaving only the king and Abhay Kumar with Rauhineya. The king forgives Rauhineya and asks him to explain his actions truthfully. Rauhineya confesses that his father's curse prevented him from hearing Mahavira's words. He covered his ears, but the thorn incident made him remove his hand, allowing Mahavira's divine words to reach him. This experience revealed the falsity of the "heavenly realm" he was in. He admits that his actions were influenced by Mahavira's words and declares his intention to dedicate himself to Mahavira's service. He asks the minister to return all stolen items. Rauhineya takes them to the Chandikayatan temple, opens a hidden compartment with a carving of Katyayani, and finds Madanvati, Manorathkumar, and the vast gold hoard. The stolen items are returned to their rightful owners. Rauhineya is then honored with royal permission.

• Critical Analysis of the Play:

  • The play "Prabuddha Rauhineya" is unique in Sanskrit dramatic literature for making a bandit the protagonist and for its entertaining depiction of the world of dance and music surrounding him.
  • The drama is rich with complex events and characters, common in many plays of that era. The Seth devises elaborate plans to capture the bandit.
  • Although the author is Jain, he does not explicitly preach Jainism throughout the narrative, which allows the play's artistic merit to remain intact. The excellence of Jainism is subtly conveyed.
  • The play vividly depicts various settings, from celestial realms and mountain caves to courtrooms, spring festivals, and Samavasarana (Mahavira's assembly).
  • Ramabhadra's prose style is described as lively and dance-like, with notable alliteration and musicality.
  • The play incorporates poetic descriptions and dialogues, often with witty or humorous undertones.
  • The development of the protagonist's character is significant from a dramatic perspective. After hearing Mahavira's words, Rauhineya becomes filled with virtue. Even as a bandit, his personality possesses artistic flair.
  • The play includes a play-within-a-play in the sixth act, a feature adopted by some playwrights of that period. A character revealing their thoughts in solitude is dramatically engaging. Rauhineya, hiding, contemplates Madanvati's beauty.
  • The play features a significant and relevant program of dance, song, and instrumental music in the second act. Dramatic embellishments are extensively used, with the third act primarily serving as a showcase for these.
  • The play is visually rich throughout, with only exceptions for implied scenes in the embedded play.
  • The transformation of bandits due to the influence of virtuous saints is a theme explored. The play is seen as a precursor to modern examples of bandit reform, such as the efforts of Jayaprakash Narayan in 1972.

In essence, "Prabuddha Rauhineya" is a compelling Jain drama that explores themes of transformation, the power of divine teachings, and the interplay of human deception and enlightenment, all within a richly artistic and engaging narrative.