Jain Agamas
Also called: Agamas, Angas · Topic: Buddhism, Jainism and Heterodox Traditions · NCERT: Beyond NCERT
Meaning
The Jaina Āgamas are the sacred scriptures (the canon) of Śhvetāmbara Jainism. They are written in Ardhamāgadhī Prakrit, an old spoken language of the Magadha region. At their core are the twelve Aṅgas, but the twelfth, the Dṛiṣhṭivāda, is believed to be lost. Many other texts belong to the canon as well. The Digambaras do not accept these texts. They believe the original canon was lost long ago.
Example
The Prakrit Uttarādhyayana Sutta belongs to the Śhvetāmbara canon. In one story from it, Queen Kamalāvatī urges her husband, the king, to give up worldly life. The canon was finally written down at the council of Vallabhī in Gujarat in the fifth century CE, and was kept for centuries in libraries attached to temples.
Don't confuse with
- Aṅgas: the Aṅgas are only one part of the Āgamas. They are not another name for the whole canon.
- Tipitaka: the "three baskets" form the Buddhist canon. Its oldest texts are in Pali. The Āgamas are Jaina texts.
Related concepts
- Jainism
- Tirthankara
- Rishabhanatha
- Parshvanatha
- Mahavira
- Kevala jnana
- Ahimsa
- Karma
- Five vows of Jainism
- Aparigraha