Agam literature comprises various manuscripts, which are the sacred scriptures of the Jain religion. They are written in the Prakrit language of Ardha-magadhi. They are sacred scriptures that are supposed to contain the Jain tirthankaras' teachings. They are claimed to have been compiled by the Gandharas, Mahavira's closest students. Svetambaras places a high value on these scriptures. This article will explain to you the Agam or Canonical Literature (Agam Sutras) which will be helpful in Ancient History preparation for the UPSC Civil service exam.

Agam Literature

• Lord Mahavir's disciples orally synthesised his discourse into several manuscripts (scriptures).
• These scriptures are known as Agam Sutras or Jain Agam.
• The Agam Sutras teach profound respect for all forms of life, as well as severe vegetarianism, asceticism, compassion, nonviolence, and anti-war stances.
• Religious texts and scriptures were once seen to be belongings and attachments by Jain ascetics.
• As a result, the scriptures were not written down in any form and were instead learned by ascetics and passed down to subsequent generations of ascetics by oral tradition.
• The collection includes twelve Angas, twelve Upangas, ten Prakirnakas, four mulasutras, six Chedasutras, and two Chulika Sutras.
• They were written in the Prakrit language Ardha-Magadhi.
• There are a total of 12 Angas.
  • Acharanga Sutra: Oldest agama.
  • Sutrakritanga: describes code of conduct for Jain monks,
  • metaphysics etc
  • Sthananga Sutra.
  • Samavayanga Sutra: discussion on essence of Jainism,
  • astronomy, mathematics, etc.
  • Vyakhya Prajnapti or Bhagavati Sūtra:
  • Jnat Dharma Katha.
  • Upasakadasa
  • Antardasha
  • Anuttaraupapatikadasah.
  • Prasnavyakaranani: Description of sins.
  • Vipakasruta: stories and illustrations.
  • Desativada: contem 14 Purvas.
• The literature of Agam is also classified into two categories:
  • Ang‑agama / Ang‑pravista‑agamas
  • Ang‑bahya‑agams (outside of Ang‑agams)

Ang‑Agama

• The Ganadharas were Lord Mahavir's greatest followers.
• At the end of their human lives, all Ganadharas had complete knowledge (kevalgyan) and reached nirvana.
• They orally condensed Lord Mahavir's direct preaching into twelve key manuscripts (sutras).
• Angagams are the names for these manuscripts. As a result, the Angagams are the earliest holy texts and the foundation of Jain literature.
• Drastivad is the name of the eleventh Angagam.
• The Drastivad is made up of fourteen Purva scriptures (also known as Purvas or Purvaagamas) that make up the Drastivad.
• Purvas were the oldest religious scriptures among the Angagams. All Jain sects believe that knowledge of the Purvas (Drastivad) progressively faded following Lord Mahavir's nirvana around 150 years ago (death).
• However, the Purvas' theme is mentioned in various Jain texts and literature.
• The remaining eleven Angagams, according to the Digambar Jain sect, were eventually lost.
• The eleven Angagams, according to the Svetambar Jains, were recalled and accurately documented by their ascetics during the final two conferences, which were held in Mathura and Valabhi roughly one thousand years after Lord Mahavir's nirvan.

Ang‑bahya‑agams

• Srut-kevlis were monks who had a minimum of 10 Purvas under their belt. They studied texts to get a complete understanding of reality (soul, matter, and their interrelation, for example).
• The Srutkevlis authored various books (sutras) that expanded on the Angagams' subject matter.
• These manuscripts are known as Angbahyaagams, which means "outside of Ang-agams."
• The amount of Angbahya scriptures accepted by different Jain sects varies.
• All Ang-bahya-agams, according to the Digambar sect, were progressively lost starting around two hundred years after Lord Mahavir's Nirvan.
• As a result, it believes that the whole Jain agam literature would be lost within a few hundred years of Lord Mahavir's nirvan.
• Ang-bahya-agamas are categorised into four categories by the Shwetambar sect:
  • Upang-sutras
  • Chhed‑sutras
  • Mool‑sutras
  • Chulika‑sutras
  • Prakirna‑sutras
• Upang-sutras: Upang-agams are scriptures that give more explanation of Ang-agams.
• Chhed Sutras: The subjects discussed in the Chhed Sutras are solely for ascetics and not for lay people.
• They are about monks' and nuns' behaviour and behaviour. They also describe how they can atone for their crimes and errors.
• Moolsutras: The texts that ascetics must read in the early phases of their monkhood are known as Moolsutras.
• Chulikasutras are scriptures that further enrich or beautify the meaning of Angagams.
• Prakirna Sutras are texts that describe separate or diverse aspects of the Jain religion.

Conclusion

Agam literature is made up of several manuscripts that contain the sacred writings of the Jain religion. The Agam Sutras teach deep reverence for all forms of life, as well as strict vegetarianism, asceticism, compassion, nonviolence, and anti-war views. Jain ascetics used to see religious writings and scriptures as property and attachments.