Uttaradhyayana Sutta
Topic: Buddhism, Jainism and Heterodox Traditions · NCERT: Class 12, Ch 4 "Thinkers, Beliefs and Buildings"
Meaning
The Uttarādhyayana Sutta is a Jaina religious text written in Prakrit, a language of ordinary people. It teaches Jaina ideas through stories and dialogues. It explains why one should give up worldly life. This matters because Jainism taught that monastic life is necessary for salvation (freedom from rebirth). Jaina scholars wrote in Prakrit, Sanskrit and Tamil. Their works were kept for centuries in libraries attached to temples.
Example
In one story, queen Kamalāvatī urges her husband, the king, to renounce the world. She tells him that even if he owned all the wealth in the world, it would not satisfy him or save him. Only dhamma (right conduct and truth) can save him.
Don't confuse with
- Sutta Pitaka: this is a Buddhist collection of the Buddha's teachings in Pali. The Uttarādhyayana Sutta is a Jaina text in Prakrit.
Related concepts
- Jainism
- Tirthankara
- Rishabhanatha
- Parshvanatha
- Mahavira
- Kevala jnana
- Ahimsa
- Karma
- Five vows of Jainism
- Aparigraha