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Of the 32 available Agamas, 9 Sutras are Utkalika, namely:
1. Uvvaisutr, 2. Rayapaseniyasutra, 3. Jivajivabhigamsutra, 4. Prajnapanasutra, 5. Suryaprajnaptisutra, 6. Dasavaikalikasutra, 7. Nandisutra, 8. Anuyogadwarasutra, 9. Avasyakasutra. The remaining 23 Agamas, including the eleven Angas, are Kalikasutra.
The Nandisutra lists the names of 29 Utkalika Sutras and 42 Kalika Sutras. Including the Avasyakasutra, the total number of Sutras is 72.
The Avasyakasutra is referred to as an Utkalika Sutra in the Anuyogadwarasutra. The Nandisutra classifies 5 out of the 12 Upanga Sutras as Utkalika and seven as Kalika. Similarly, it classifies one each as Kalika and Utkalika from the Chandraprajnapti and Suryaprajnapti respectively. Therefore, a definitive definition cannot be established from this.
Agamas composed by Ganadharas are considered Kalika. The Pragamas, which are quoted verbatim from the Angasutra without any modification, are also considered Kalikasruta, as they represent the original form of those Angasutras. However, Agamas composed by other Purvadharas in their own style should be considered Utkalikasruta. This is because they may retain the original meaning but not the original form of the Sutra.
The tradition of considering the number of Agamas to be 32 or 45 should be understood as a mere assumption based on different perspectives and a specific time and place. In reality, the list of 72 Sutras mentioned in the Nandisutra represents the Agamas available at the time of its composition. It also includes the Nandisutra itself, which was composed by a Purvadhara named Sri Devarddhigani Kshama Shraman (Devavachaka). The list also includes the names of numerous other Agamas composed by different Purvadharas.
There is no authentic historical record of the time of composition or the authors of many Agamas. The fragmented sections of the Mahanishoth and other Sutras mentioned in the Nandisutra have been completed with supplementary texts. The definition of Agamas in the scriptures is as follows:
Suttam Ganahar Raiyam, Taheva Pattey Buddhar Raiyam Cha. Suy Kevalina Raiyam, Abhinna Das Pugvina Raiyam ||154||
- According to this verse from the Brihatsangrahani, the compositions of every Buddha, Ganadhara, 14 Purvas, and all ten Purvadharas can be called Sutras or Agamas.
According to the Nandisutra, the Shruta of different ten Purvadharas can be both Samyag and Asamyag. However, the Shruta of those who have fully embraced the ten Purvas (when applicable) is always Samyag.
_ The authors of four Chedasutras, Dasavaikalikasutra, and Prajnapanasutra are known and are considered to be ten Purvas and fourteen Purvadharas. The Avasyakasutra and eleven Angasutras are considered to be composed by Ganadharas. However, in the Prashnavyakaranasutra, etc., the entire subject matter composed by Ganadharas has been removed and replaced with other topics, which are not mentioned in the Nandisutra. The authors of many other available Sutras are unknown.