The Compassionate Prince and the Murderous Wife: Some Ethical Models in Jain Narrative Literature

I will discuss how selected narratives related by medieval Jain authors aim to contribute to ethical cultivation by promoting Jain virtues in the (especially non-ascetic) reader. Jain society is traditionally divided into four groups (monks, nuns, laymen, and laywomen), on each of whom specific societal expectations are imposed. I will show how the stories of the laymen Amarasīha (in Somaprabhasūri’s Kumārapālapratibodha) and Agaḍadatta (in Devendra’s Uttarādhyayanaṭīkā) and the laywomen Rohiṇī (in Āmradevasūri’s commentary on the Ākhyānamaṇikośa) and Ārāmasohā (in Devacandrasūri’s commentary on Pradyumnasūri’s Mūlaśuddhiprakaraṇa) aim to form virtuous subjects by presenting models for different groups in engaging and memorable narrative contexts and illustrating the rewards of good behavior, while characters like Amarasīha’s violent brother Samarasīha and Agaḍadatta’s unfaithful wife, Mayaṇamañjarī, act as negative role models discouraging undesired characteristics/behavior.