Acharya Ravishena was a Digambara monk-poet of the 7th century, and little is known of his life beyond his great work. Scholars date the completion of his Padmapurana, also called Padmacharita, to about 676–678 CE. It is the oldest Jain Ramayana in Sanskrit. It follows the earlier Prakrit Paumachariya of Vimalasuri, though it departs from it in places. In Jain tradition Rama is also called Padma, which gives the work its name.
In this telling Rama is one of the 63 illustrious persons, the shalakapurushas, a Balabhadra devoted to non-violence. It is Lakshmana who kills Ravana, and Ravana himself is a learned king brought down by desire, not a demon. After ruling wisely, Rama renounces the world, becomes a muni and attains nirvana. The Padmapurana is read and discussed in Digambara homes and religious gatherings, and it inspired many later Jain retellings of the Rama story.
