Jain Agamas
Encyclopedia
Jainism
Jainism is an Indian religion that prescribes a path of non-violence towards all living beings. Its philosophy and practice emphasize the necessity of self-effort to move the soul towards divine consciousness and liberation. Any soul that has conquered its own inner enemies and achieved the state...
based on Mahavira
Mahavira
Mahāvīra is the name most commonly used to refer to the Indian sage Vardhamāna who established what are today considered to be the central tenets of Jainism. According to Jain tradition, he was the 24th and the last Tirthankara. In Tamil, he is referred to as Arukaṉ or Arukadevan...
’s teachings. Mahavira’s preaching were orally compiled by his disciples into various Sutra
Sutra
Sūtra is an aphorism or a collection of such aphorisms in the form of a manual. Literally it means a thread or line that holds things together and is derived from the verbal root siv-, meaning to sew , as does the medical term...
s (texts) which were collectively called Jain canonical or Agamic literature. Traditionally these sutras were orally passed on from teachers (acaryas or gurus) to the disciples for several centuries. The scholars date the composition of Jain agamas at around 6th to 3rd century BCE.
Date of composition
While some authors date the composition of Jain Agamas starting from 6th century BCE , noted indologist Hermann JacobiHermann Jacobi
Hermann Georg Jacobi was an eminent German Indologist.-Education:Jacobi was born in Köln on 11 February 1850...
holds that the composition of the Jaina canon would fall somewhere about the end of the fourth or the beginning of the third century BCE The general consensus amongst scholars is that the earliest portions of Jain canons were composed around 4th or 3rd century BCE. This is also in agreement with Jain tradition according to which the agamic literature and the Purvas were passed from one heads of the order to his disciples for around 170 years after the Nirvana (Jainism)
Nirvana (Jainism)
' in Jainism means final release from the karmic bondage. When an enlightened human, such as an Arihant or a Tirthankara extinguishes his remaining aghatiya karmas and thus ends his worldly existence, it is called . Technically, the death of an Arihant is called of the arihant, as he has ended...
of Mahavira. However with time, it became difficult to keep the entire Jain literature committed to memory. According to tradition, there occurred a twelve years of famine around 350 BC where it was extremely difficult for the Jain ascetics to survive during this time. Under such circumstances they could not preserve the entire canonical literature. The Purvas
Purvas
The Fourteen Purvas, translated as ancient or prior knowledge, are a large body of Jain scriptures that was preached by all Tirthankaras of Jainism encompassing the entire gamut of knowledge available in this universe. The persons having the knowledge of purvas were given an exalted status of...
or the ancient texts were already forgotten and lost after the famine. According to Svetambara
Svetambara
The Śvētāmbara is one of the two main sects of Jainism, the other being the Digambar. Śvētāmbara "white-clad" is a term describing its ascetics' practice of wearing white clothes, which sets it apart from the Digambara "sky-clad" Jainas, whose ascetic practitioners go naked...
tradition, the agamas were collected on the basis of collective memory of the ascetics in the first council of Pataliputra under the stewardship of Acarya Sthulibhadra
Sthulabhadra
Sthulabhadra was a disciple of Acharya Bhadrabahu. The Swetambar tradition of Jainism trace their lineage through Sthulabhadra.He was a son of the Nanda's minister Sakadala. He became a disciple of Sambhutavijaya. Later he became a disciple of Bhadrabahu to learn the Purvas...
in around to 463–367 BCE. However, the Digambara
Digambara
Digambara "sky-clad" is one of the two main sects of Jainism. "Sky-clad" has many different meaning and associations throughout Indian religions. Many representations of deities within these traditions are depicted as sky-clad, e.g. Samantabhadra/Samantabhadrī in Yab-Yum...
Jain sect maintains that after the famine, the entire Jain canonical literature became extinct.
Contents
The Agamas were composed of the following forty-five texts:- Twelve Angās
- Ācāranga sūtraAcaranga SutraThe Acaranga Sutra is the first of the eleven Angas, part of the agamas which were compiled based on the teachings of Lord Mahavira.The Acaranga Sutra discusses the conduct of a Jain monk...
- SūtrakrtangaSutrakritangaSutrakritanga Sutra is the second agama of the 12 main angās of the Jain canons. According to the Svetambara tradition it was written by Gandhara Sudharmasvami in Ardhamagadhi Prakrit...
- SthānāngaSthananga SutraAs per the Śvetāmbara belief, Sthananga Sutra forms part of the first eleven Angas of the Jaina Canon which have survived despite the bad effects of this Hundavasarpini kala. This is the reason why, under the leadership of Devardhigani Ksamasramana, the eleven Angas of the Svetambara canon were...
- SamavāyāngaSamavayanga SutraThe Samavayanga Sutra is the 4th amongst the 12 Angas of the Jaina canon. The sutra is believed to have been composed by Gandhara Sudharma Svami. This ancient manuscript is the holy book of the Svetambara sect. This text contains the essence of Jain religion, defined and catalogued systematically....
- Vyākhyāprajñapti or Bhagavati sūtraVyakhyaprajnaptiVyākhyāprajñapti commonly known as Bhagavati sūtra is the fifth of the 12 Jain āagam said to be promulgated by Bhagwan Mahavara. Vyākhyāprajñapti translated as "Exposition of Explanations" is said to have been composed by Sudharma Swami Gandhara as per the Svethambara tradition. It is the largest...
- JnātrdhārmakathāhJnatrdharmakathah-Introduction:Jnātrdhārmakathāh is the sixth of the 12 Jain āgamas said to be promulgated by Māhavīra himself. Jnātrdhārmakathāh translated as "Stories of Knowledge and Righteousness" is said to have been composed by Ganadhara Sudharmasvami as per the Śvetámbara tradition.-Subject matter of the...
- UpāsakadaśāhUpasakadasahUpāsakadaśāh is the seventh of the 12 Jain āgamas said to be promulgated by Māhavīra himself. Upāsakadaśāh translated as "Ten Chapters on Lay Attenders" is said to have been composed by Ganadhara Sudharmasvami as per the Śvetámbara tradition....
- AntakrddaaśāhAntakrddaasahAntakrddaaśāh is the eighth of the 12 Jain āgamas said to be promulgated by Māhavīra himself. Antakrddaaśāh translated as "Ten Chapters on End-Makers" is said to have been composed by Ganadhara Sudharmasvami as per the Śvetámbara tradition....
- AnuttaraupapātikadaśāhAnuttaraupapatikadasahAnuttaraupapātikadaśāh is the ninth of the 12 Jain āgamas said to be promulgated by Māhavīra himself. Anuttaraupapātikadaśāh translated as "Ten Chapters about the arisers in the Highest Heavens" is said to have been composed by Ganadhara Sudharmasvami as per the Śvetámbara tradition.-Subject matter...
- PraśnavyākarananiPrasnavyakarananiPraśnavyākaranani is the tenth of the 12 Jain āgamas as per Śvetámbara tradition said to be promulgated by Māhavīra himself and composed by Ganadhara Sudharmasvami....
- VipākaśrutaVipakasrutaVipākaśruta is the eleventh of the 12 Jain āgamas as per Śvetámbara tradition said to be promulgated by Māhavīra himself and composed by Ganadhara Sudharmasvami...
- DrstivādaDrstivadaDrstivāda is the last of the 12 Jain āgamas as per Śvetámbara tradition said to be promulgated by Māhavīra himself and composed by Ganadhara Sudharmasvami. Drstivāda translated as “Disputation about views” was said to contain entire knowledge of 14 Purvas or prior knowledge that is now considered...
(now extinct)
- Ācāranga sūtra
- Twelve Upanga āgamas (Texts that provide further explanation of Angās)
- Aupapātika
- Rājapraśnīya
- Jīvājīvābhigama
- Prajñāpana
- Sūryaprajñapti
- Jambūdvīpaprajñapt
- Candraprajñapti
- Nirayārvalī
- Kalpāvatamsikāh
- Puspikāh
- Puspacūlikāh
- Vrasnidaśāh
- Six Chedasūtras (Texts relating to the conduct and behaviour of monks and nuns)
- Ācāradaśāh
- Brhatkalpa
- Vyavahāra
- Niśītha
- Mahāniśītha
- Jītakalpa
- Four Mūlasūtras (Scriptures which provide a base in the earlier stages of the monkhood)
- Daśavaikālika
- Uttarādhyayana
- Āvaśyaka
- Pindaniryukyti
- Ten Prakīrnaka sūtras (Texts on Independent or miscellaneous subjects)
- Catuhśarana
- Āturapratyākhyanā
- Bhaktaparijñā
- Samstāraka
- Tandulavaicarika
- Candravedhyāka
- Devendrastava
- Ganividyā
- Mahāpratyākhyanā
- Vīrastava
- Two Cūlikasūtras (The scriptures which further enhance or decorate the meaning of Angas)
- Nandī-sūtra
- Anuyogadvāra-sūtra
Languages of Agamas and literature
JainismJainism
Jainism is an Indian religion that prescribes a path of non-violence towards all living beings. Its philosophy and practice emphasize the necessity of self-effort to move the soul towards divine consciousness and liberation. Any soul that has conquered its own inner enemies and achieved the state...
puts great value on learning. Jains will
have been prolific authors and avid readers for centuries. India's oldest manuscript libraries have been preserved in Jaisalmer
Jaisalmer
Jaysalmer , nicknamed "The Golden City", is a town in the Indian state of Rajasthan. It is located west from the state capital Jaipur. It was once known as Jaisalmer state. The town stands on a ridge of yellowish sandstone, crowned by a fort, which contains the palace and several ornate Jain...
and Patan
Patan
Patan may refer to places in Afghanistan, India and Nepal:Afghanistan*Patan, AfghanistanIndia*Patan district, in the state of Gujarat**Patan, Gujarat, the main city of the same district*Patan, Rajasthan, an historical city in Rajputana...
by Jain scholars. According to the 2001 census, the Jains are the most literate community in India.
The Jain literature includes both religious texts and books on generally secular topics such as sciences, history, and grammar. The Jains have used several languages at different times and in different regions of India.
- PrakritPrakritPrakrit is the name for a group of Middle Indic, Indo-Aryan languages, derived from Old Indic dialects. The word itself has a flexible definition, being defined sometimes as, "original, natural, artless, normal, ordinary, usual", or "vernacular", in contrast to the literary and religious...
- Prakrit literature includes the Agamas, Agama-tulya texts, and Siddhanta texts. The dialect used to compose many of these texts is referred to as Jain PrakritJain PrakritJain Prakrit is a term loosely used for the language of the Jain Agamas . The books of Jainism were written in the popular vernacular dialects , and therefore encompass a number of related dialects...
. Composition in Prakrits ceased around 10th cent AD.- SanskritSanskritSanskrit , is a historical Indo-Aryan language and the primary liturgical language of Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism.Buddhism: besides Pali, see Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit Today, it is listed as one of the 22 scheduled languages of India and is an official language of the state of Uttarakhand...
- Sanskrit
- Writing in Sanskrit became common after about the 1st century CE beginning with the Tattvartha SutraTattvartha SutraTattvartha Sutra is a Jain text written by Acharya Umaswati. It was an attempt to bring together the different elements of the Jain path, epistemological, metaphysical, cosmological, ethical and practical, otherwise unorganized around the scriptures in an unsystematic format...
of UmaswatiUmaswatiUmaswami is the author of Tattvartha Sutra, the best-known Jaina text. The details of his life are controversial. He is claimed by both the Digambara and Svetambara sects. He is known as Acharya Umaswami , which is a title prefixed to the names of learned men.A mathematician, he is thought to...
. Jain Sanskrit literature includes PuranasPuranasThe Puranas are a genre of important Hindu, Jain and Buddhist religious texts, notably consisting of narratives of the history of the universe from creation to destruction, genealogies of kings, heroes, sages, and demigods, and descriptions of Hindu cosmology, philosophy, and geography.Puranas...
, KoshaKoshaA Kosha , usually rendered "sheath", one of five coverings of the Atman, or Self according to Vedantic philosophy. They are often visualised like the layers of an onion. Belling states:...
s, śrāvakācāras such as the Ratnakaranda śrāvakācāraRatnakaranda śrāvakācāraRatnakaranda śrāvakācāra is a Jain text composed by Acharya Samantabhadra of the Digambara tradition of Jainism, who lived around 3rd century CE and was originally from Kanchipuram, Tamil Nadu. It is the earliest and the best-known śrāvakācāra....
, mathematical works, and nighantuNighantu' is a Sanskrit term for a traditional collection of words, grouped into thematic categories, often with brief annotations. Such collections share characteristics with glossaries and thesauri, but are not true lexicons, such as the kośa of Sanskrit literature...
s.- Apabhraṃśa
- Produced from about 10th to 15th cent CE, these texts include Kahas, rasas, and grammars. Most known Apabhraṃśa texts are of Jain origin.
- TamilTamil languageTamil is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly by Tamil people of the Indian subcontinent. It has official status in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu and in the Indian union territory of Pondicherry. Tamil is also an official language of Sri Lanka and Singapore...
- Tamil
- Some of the early Tamil classics such as ValayapathiValayapathiValayapathi is a fragmentary Tamil Jain epic. Tamil literary tradition places it among the five great epics, alongside such works as the Manimekalai and Cilappatikaram.-Sources:...
, Silappatikaram and Civaka CintamaniCivaka CintamaniCivaka Cintamani is a classical epic poem. It is a Jain religious epic authored by Tirutakkatevar.It belongs to the Sangam tradition of Tamil literature, and is considered one of the five great Tamil epics. In its form, it anticipates the Ramayana of Kambar. Cīvaka Cintāmaṇi was much appreciated...
are Jain or Jain-affiliated works.- Hindi-Urdu
- In the past 8-9 centuries numerous Jain texts were written in Hindi-Urdu, including Ardha-kathanaka, Chhah-dhala, and Moksh Marg PrakashakMoksh Marg PrakashakMoksh Marg Prakashak is a book written by Pandit Todarmal. The book could not be completed by Todarmal due to his death and is thus incomplete after the middle of the ninth chapter. "Moksha marg prakashak" means the illuminator of the path to liberation. It is a polemic book written from the...
.- Kannada
- The earliest texts in Kannada, such as ShivakotiacharyaShivakotiacharyaShivakotiacharya , a writer of the 9th-10th century, is considered the author of didactic Kannada language Jain text Vaddaradhane . A prose narrative written in pre-Old-Kannada , Vaddaradhane is considered the earliest extant work in the prose genre in the Kannada language...
's VaddaradhaneVaddaradhaneVaddaradhane by Shivakotiacharya is the earliest extant prose work in Kannada. It is a didactic work consisting of nineteen stories and is based on Harisena's Brhatkathakosa. It gives a detailed description of the life of Bhadrabahu of Shravanabelagola. The work is dated to the 9th century but...
, are works by Jains.- Gujarati languageGujarati languageGujarati is an Indo-Aryan language, and part of the greater Indo-European language family. It is derived from a language called Old Gujarati which is the ancestor language of the modern Gujarati and Rajasthani languages...
- Gujarati language
- Śālibhadrasūri's Bhārateśvarabāhubali (1085), the first Gujarati book, was by a Jain author.
External links
- www.AtmaDharma.com/jainbooks.html Original Jain Scriptures (Shastras) with Translations into modern languages such as English, Hindi and Gujarati. Literature such as Kundkund Acharya's Samaysaar, Niyamsaar, Pravachansaar, Panchastikay, Ashtphaud and hundreds of others all in downloadable PDF format.
- Jain Agams
- Clay Sanskrit Library publishes classical Indian literature, including a number of works of Jain Literature, with facing-page text and translation. Also offers searchable corpus and downloadable materials.
- Jainism in Buddhist Literature