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in Agamas about 800 years after Lord Mahavira's attainment of Nirvana. Many of them are now preserved in India. Shwetamber Jains accept them as authentic but Digamber Jains do not. Swetamber tradition consists of 45 Agamas pertaining to Jain beliefs on mathematics, astronomy, astrology, and code of conduct, etc. Kalp Sutra and Tatvarth Sutra are among the sacred texts. RELIGIOUS SYMBOLS (PRATIK): JAIN UNIVERSE:
The Jain religious symbol. It consists of a crescent (moon) on top with one dot inside of it and three dots underneath it, the Swastik or Om in the middle, and the palm of a hand with a chakra (wheel) with 24 spokes in it.
The dot inside the crescent signifies Siddhashila (abode of the liberated souls). The three dots underneath the crescent signify the three major paths to shed Karma (the three jewels as mentioned previously) to achieve liberation, The three paths are right knowledge, right faith, and right conduct (collectively called Ratna Travi). Just below the three dots is the Swastik (see below for significance of Swastik). The palm underneath the Swastik signifies friendly reassurance and the ethical responsibility of every individual. It bears the word Ahimsa (non-violence). The 24 spokes inside the palm represent preaching of the 24 Tirthankars. The overall outline of the symbol represents the universe and shows the three locations of living beings - Urdhvalok (or Devlok) the abode for celestial beings, MadhyaLok the abode for humans, animals and plants and AdhoLok the abode for hellish beings. The words written below the symbol, "Parasparopagraho Jivanam” call for the mutual assistance of all beings.
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