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A call was made to preserve and safeguard the Agam knowledge. The Agams were documented by consensus. This historic work of putting the Jinvani into writing has truly proved to be an indescribable benefit for the entire knowledge-thirsty populace of today. This endeavor to keep the ancient stream of knowledge of culture, philosophy, religion, and self-knowledge flowing took place in the ancient city of Vallabhi (Saurashtra) under the leadership of Acharya Shri Devardigni Kshamasraman, 980 or 993 years after the Nirvan of the Tirthankaras. This was the second and final recitation of the Jain Agams; however, it was the first attempt to document them. The final form of the Jain Sutras that we have today was completed in this recitation.
After being documented, the form of the Agams was preserved in its original form, but due to the passage of time, internal differences of opinion among the Shraman Sanghas, weakness of memory, negligence, and the destruction of vast knowledge repositories due to foreign invasions in the land of India, and many other reasons, the vast wealth of Agam knowledge, the proper Guru-Parampara of understanding, gradually declined and did not stop from becoming extinct. Many important verses, references, and their esoteric meanings of the Agams became fragmented. Due to the lack of mature language skills, the Agams that were written by hand were not pure in text, and those who could give the correct meaning were rare. Thus, for many reasons, the sacred stream of the Agams became constricted.
In the 16th century Vikram era, Veer Lonkashah made a revolutionary effort in this direction. A bold initiative to elucidate the pure and true meaning of the Agams was started again. But after some time, obstacles arose in it as well. Communal hatred, theoretical conflict, and the limited knowledge of the scribes became a major obstacle in the attainment of the Agams and their correct understanding. It became difficult for Agam scholars to obtain pure copies.
In the first phase of the 19th century, when the tradition of printing the Agams began, educated readers got some relief. Gradually, through scholarly efforts, the ancient Churnis, Niyuktis, and Tikas of the Agams came to light, and based on them, the clear and easy understanding of the Agams was published in simple language. This benefited the Agam students and knowledge-seekers. As a result, the trend of reading and studying the Agams has increased. My experience is that today, the trend of Agam study has increased more than ever before, and there is a growing attraction and interest in the Agams among the people. The influence and contribution of many foreign Agam scholars and Indian non-Jain scholars in the service of Agam-Shruti is also a factor in this awakening of interest, which we accept with pride.
This process of Agam editing and publication has been going on systematically for almost a century. Many capable Shramans and hardworking scholars have contributed to this great service to Shruti. Their services, like the bricks of a foundation, may be invisible today, but they are by no means forgettable. In the absence of clear and sufficient mentions, we are unable to mention them in more detail, but we are humble and grateful. Nevertheless, I would like to mention the names of some specific Agam Shruti-serving Munivar of the Jain tradition.
About sixty years ago, Pujya Shri Amolkarishiji Maharaj started the work of editing the 32 Sutras of the Jain Agams in Prakrit.