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This article is part of a series on Jainism |
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| Anekāntavāda · Syādvāda · Nayavāda · Jain Cosmology · Ahimsa · Karma · Dharma · Nirvana · Kevala Jñāna · Mokṣa · Dravya · Navatattva · Asteya · Aparigraha · Dharma · Gunasthana · Samsara | |
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| The 24 Tirthankaras · Rishabha · Mahavira · Acharya · Ganadhara · Siddhasena Divakara · Haribhadra | |
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| Digambara · Śvētāmbara | |
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| Kalpa Sūtra · Āgama · Tattvartha Sutra · Sanmatti Prakaran | |
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| Namokar Mantra · Parasparopagraho_Jivanam · Jain symbol · Jain flag · Timeline · Topics list | |
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| Mahavir Jayanti · Paryushana · Diwali | |
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Jainism Portal |
Agamas are canonical texts of Jainism based on Mahavira’s teachings. Mahavira’s preaching were orally compiled by his disciples into various Sutras (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.
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While some authors date the composition of Jain Agamas starting from 6th century BCE [1], noted indologist Hermann Jacobi 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 [2] The general consensus amongst scholars is that the earliest portions of Jain canons were composed around 4th or 3rd century BCE.[3][4] 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) 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 or the ancient texts were already forgotten and lost after the famine. According to Svetambara 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 in around to 463–367 BCE.[5] However, the Digambara Jain sect maintains that after the famine, the entire Jain canonical literature became extinct.
The Agamas were composed of the following forty-five texts:
Jainism puts great value on learning. Jains have been prolific authors and avid readers for centuries. India's oldest manuscript libraries have been preserved in Jaisalmer and Patan 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.
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