04/03/2019 Jain literature - Wikipedia

Jain literature
Jain literature comprises Jain Agamas and subsequent commentaries on
them by various Jain asectics. Jain literature is primarily divided between
Digambara literature and Svetambara literature. Jain literature exists mainly
in Magadhi Prakrit, Sanskrit, Marathi, Tamil, Rajasthani, Dhundari, Marwari,
Hindi, Gujarati, Kannada, Malayalam, Tulu and more recently in English.

Contents
Canonical
Jain Agamas
Digambara literature
Shatkhandagama
Kashaya‑pahuda or Kashaya-prabhrta
Acharya Kundakunda
Gommatsara
Non-Canonical
Theological The Tattvārthsūtra is regarded as
Narrative literature and poetry the most authoritative book on
Jainism, and the only text
Languages authoritative in both the Svetambara
See also and Digambara sects
References
Citations
Sources

Canonical

Jain Agamas
The canonical texts of Jainism are called Agamas. These are said to be based on the discourse of the tirthankara,
delivered in a samavasarana (divine preaching hall). These discourses are termed as Śrutu Jnāna (Jinvani) and
comprises eleven angas and fourteen purvas.[1] According to the Jains, the canonical literature originated from the first
tirthankara Rishabhanatha. The Digambara sect believes that there were 26 Agam‑sutras (12 Ang‑agams + 14
Ang‑bahya‑agams). However, they were gradually lost starting from one hundred fifty years after Lord Mahavir's
nirvana.[2] Hence, they do not recognize the existing Agam-sutras (which are recognized by the Svetambara sects) as
their authentic scriptures.

Digambara literature

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In Digambara tradition, two main texts, three commentaries on main texts,

and four Anuyogas (exposition) consisting of more than 20 texts are
followed.[3] These scriptures were written by great Acharyas (scholars) from
100 to 1000 AD using the original Agama Sutras as the basis for their work.[4]
According to Vijay. K. Jain:

“ Āchārya Bhutabali was the last ascetic who had

English translation of the
Ratnakaranda śrāvakācāra (1917)
partial knowledge of the original canon. Later on,
some learned Āchāryas started to restore, compile
and put into written words the teachings of Lord
Mahavira, that were the subject matter of Agamas.
Āchārya Dharasen, in first century CE, guided two
Āchāryas, Āchārya Pushpadant and Āchārya
Bhutabali, to put these teachings in the written
form. The two Āchāryas wrote, on palm leaves,
Ṣaṭkhaṅḍāgama- among the oldest known
Digambara Jaina texts. Around the same time,
Āchārya Gunadhar wrote Kaşāyapāhuda. [5] ”
The prathmanuyoga (first exposition) contains the universal history, the
karananuyoga (calculation exposition) contains works on cosmology and the
charananuyoga (behaviour exposition) includes texts about proper behaviour
for monks and Sravakas.[3]

Shatkhandagama
The Shatkhandagama is also known as Maha‑kammapayadi‑pahuda or Maha‑karma‑prabhrut. Two Acharyas;
Pushpadanta and Bhutabali wrote it around 160 AD. The second Purva‑agama named Agraya‑niya was used as the basis
for this text. The text contains six volumes. Acharya Virasena wrote two commentary texts, known as Dhaval‑tika on the
first five volumes and Maha‑dhaval‑tika on the sixth volume of this scripture, around 780 AD.

Kashaya‑pahuda or Kashaya-prabhrta
Acharya Gunadhara wrote the Kasay-pahud on the basis of the fifth Purva‑agama named Jnana‑pravada. Acharya
Virasena and his disciple, Jinasena, wrote a commentary text known as Jaya‑dhavala‑tika around 780 AD.[6]

Acharya Kundakunda
Jain text composed by Acharya Kundakunda in the first century B.C. are:[7]

Samayasāra (The Nature of the Self)

Niyamasara (The Perfect Law)
Pancastikayasara

Gommatsara
Gommatsāra is one of the most important Jain texts authored by Acharya Nemichandra Siddhanta Chakravarti.[8] It is
based on the major Jain text, Dhavala written by the Acharya Bhutabali and Acharya Pushpadanta.[9] It is also called
Pancha Sangraha, a collection of five topics:[10]

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1. That which is bound, i.e., the Soul (Bandhaka);

2. That which is bound to the soul;
3. That which binds;
4. The varieties of bondage;
5. The cause of bondage.

Non-Canonical

Theological
Bhadrabahu (c. 300 BCE) is considered by the jains as last sutra-kevali (one who has memorized all the scriptures). He
wrote various books known as niyukti, which are commentaries on those scriptures.[11] He also wrote Samhita, a book
dealing with legal cases. Umaswati (c. 1st century CE) wrote Tattvarthadhigama-sutra which briefly describes all the
basic tennets of Jainism. Haribhadra (c 8th century) wrote the Yogadṛṣṭisamuccaya, a key Jain text on Yoga which
compares the Yoga systems of Buddhists, Hindus and Jains. Siddhasena Divakara (c. 650 CE), a contemporary of
Vikramaditya, wrote Nyayavatra a work on pure logic.

Hemachandra (c. 1088-1072 CE) wrote the Yogaśāstra, a textbook on yoga and Adhatma Upanishad. His minor work
Vitragastuti gives outlines of the Jaina doctrine in form of hymns. This was later detailed by Mallisena (c. 1292 CE) in his
work Syadavadamanjari. Devendrasuri wrote Karmagrantha which discuss the theory of Karma in Jainism. Gunaratna
(c. 1400 CE) gave a commentary on Haribhadra's work. Dharmasagara (c. 1573) wrote kaupaksakausi-kasahasrakirana
(Sun for the owls of the false doctrine). In this work he wrote against the Digambara sect of Jainism. Lokaprakasa of
Vinayavijaya and pratimasataka of Yasovijaya were written in c. 17th century CE. Lokaprakasa deals with all aspects of
Jainism. Pratimasataka deals with metaphysics and logic. Yasovijaya defends idol-worshiping in this work. Srivarddhaeva
(aka Tumbuluracarya) wrote a Kannada commentary on Tattvarthadigama-sutra. This work has 96000 verses.
Jainendra-vyakarana of Acharya Pujyapada and Sakatayana-vyakarana of Sakatayana are the works on grammar
written in c. 9th century CE. Siddha-Hem-Shabdanushasana" by Acharya Hemachandra (c. 12th century CE) is
considered by F. Kielhorn as the best grammar work of the Indian middle age. Hemacandra's book Kumarapalacaritra is
also noteworthy.

Narrative literature and poetry

Jaina narrative literature mainly contains stories about sixty-three prominent figures known as Salakapurusa, and people
who were related to them. Some of the important works are Harivamshapurana of Jinasena (c. 8th century CE),
Vikramarjuna-Vijaya (also known as Pampa-Bharata) of Kannada poet named Adi Pampa (c. 10th century CE),
Pandavapurana of Shubhachandra (c. 16th century CE).

Languages
Jains literature exists mainly in Jain Prakrit, Sanskrit, Marathi, Tamil, Rajasthani, Dhundari, Marwari, Hindi, Gujarati,
Kannada, Malayalam,[12] Tulu and more recently in English.

Jains have contributed to India's classical and popular literature. For example, almost all early Kannada literature and
many Tamil works were written by Jains. Some of the oldest known books in Hindi and Gujarati were written by Jain
scholars.

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The first autobiography in the ancestor of Hindi, Braj Bhasha, is called Ardhakathānaka and was written by a Jain,
Banarasidasa, an ardent follower of Acarya Kundakunda who lived in Agra. Many Tamil classics are written by Jains or
with Jain beliefs and values as the core subject. Practically all the known texts in the Apabhramsha language are Jain
works.

The oldest Jain literature is in Shauraseni and the Jain Prakrit (the Jain Agamas, Agama-Tulya, the Siddhanta texts, etc.).
Many classical texts are in Sanskrit (Tattvartha Sutra, Puranas, Kosh, Sravakacara, mathematics, Nighantus etc.).
"Abhidhana Rajendra Kosha" written by Acharya Rajendrasuri, is only one available Jain encyclopedia or Jain dictionary
to understand the Jain Prakrit, Ardha-Magadhi and other languages, words, their use and references within oldest Jain
literature.

Jain literature was written in Apabhraṃśa (Kahas, rasas, and grammars), Standard Hindi (Chhahadhala, Moksh Marg
Prakashak, and others), Tamil (Nālaṭiyār, Civaka Cintamani, Valayapathi, and others), and Kannada (Vaddaradhane and
various other texts). Jain versions of the Ramayana and Mahabharata are found in Sanskrit, the Prakrits, Apabhraṃśa and
Kannada.

Jain Prakrit is a term loosely used for the language of the Jain Agamas (canonical texts). The books of Jainism were
written in the popular vernacular dialects (as opposed to Sanskrit which was the classical standard of Brahmanism), and
therefore encompass a number of related dialects. Chief among these is Ardha Magadhi, which due to its extensive use has
also come to be identified as the definitive form of Prakrit. Other dialects include versions of Maharashtri and
Sauraseni.[13]

See also
Champat Rai Jain
A.N. Upadhye
Bal Patil

References

Citations
1. Champat Rai Jain 1929, p. 135.
2. Melton & Baumann 2010, p. 1553.
3. Dundas 2002, p. 80.
4. Vijay K. Jain 2012, p. xi-xii.
5. Vijay K. Jain 2012, p. xii.
6. "Digambar Literature" (http://www.jainworld.com/literature/jainagamliterature/chapter4.asp), jainworld.com
7. Vijay K. Jain 2012.
8. Jaini 1927, p. 5.
9. Jaini 1927, p. 3.
10. Jaini 1927, p. 2.
11. von Glasenapp 1999, p. 175.
12. Banerjee, Satya Ranjan (2005). Prolegomena to Prakritica et Jainica (https://books.google.com/books?id=cnxjAAAA
MAAJ). The Asiatic Society. p. 61.
13. Upinder Singh 2016, p. 26.

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Sources
Jain, Vijay K. (2012), Acharya Amritchandra's Purushartha Siddhyupaya: Realization of the Pure Self, With Hindi and
English Translation (https://books.google.com/books?id=4iyUu4Fc2-YC), Vikalp Printers, ISBN 978-81-903639-4-5, "
This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain."
Melton, J. Gordon; Baumann, Martin, eds. (2010), Religions of the World: A Comprehensive Encyclopedia of Beliefs
and Practices (https://books.google.com/books?id=v2yiyLLOj88C), One: A-B (Second ed.), ABC-CLIO, ISBN 978-1-
59884-204-3
Dundas, Paul (2002) [1992], The Jains (https://books.google.com/books?id=X8iAAgAAQBAJ) (Second ed.), London
and New York City: Routledge, ISBN 0-415-26605-X
Jain, Champat Rai (1929), Risabha Deva - The Founder of Jainism (https://archive.org/details/RisabhaDeva-TheFoun
derOfJainism), Allahabad: The Indian Press Limited, " This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the
public domain."
Jaini, Jagmandar-lāl (1927), Gommatsara Jiva-kanda (https://archive.org/download/sacredbooksofthe029558mbp),
archived from the original (https://books.google.com/books?id=qN82XwAACAAJ) on 2006
Singh, Upinder (2016), A History of Ancient and Early Medieval India: From the Stone Age to the 12th Century (http
s://books.google.com/books?id=Pq2iCwAAQBAJ), Pearson Education, ISBN 978-93-325-6996-6
von Glasenapp, Helmuth (1999), Jainism: An Indian Religion of Salvation (https://books.google.com/books?id=WzEz
XDk0v6sC) [Der Jainismus: Eine Indische Erlosungsreligion], Shridhar B. Shrotri (trans.), Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass,
ISBN 81-208-1376-6

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