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The **Śrī Sūtrakr̥tāṅga Sūtra**, under the **Caraṇakaraṇānuyoga**, includes the **Ācārāṅga**, **Praśnavyākaraṇa**, **Daśavaikālika**, **Niśītha**, **Vyavahāra**, **Vṛhatkalpa**, and **Daśāśruta-skandha**.
The **Dharma Kathānuyoga** category includes Āgamas that primarily discuss the limbs of Dharma, such as **dāna**, **śīla**, **kṣamā**, **ārjava**, **mārda**, **dayā**, etc., through narratives and stories. This category includes **Jñātādharmkathā**, **Upāsakadāśā**, **Antakṛtadāśā**, **Anuttaroppapātidāśā**, **Aupapātika**, **Rājapraśnīya**, **Niryāvalī**, **Kalpāvatansīkā**, **Puṣpikā**, **Puṣpa-cūlikā**, **Vṛṣṇidāśā**, **Vipāka**, and **Uttarādhyayana**.
The **Gaṇitanuyoga** category includes Āgamas that discuss mathematical topics or topics based on mathematics. This category includes **Jambūdvīpa Prajñapti** and **Sūryacandra Prajñapti**.
The **Dravyānuyoga** category includes Āgamas that provide detailed and subtle discussions of the 66 substances (**dravya**), including **jīva**, **ajīva**, and their related narratives. This category primarily includes **Sūtrakr̥tāṅga**, **Sthānāṅga**, **Samavāyāṅga**, and **Vyākhyā Prajñāti** (**Bhagavatī**).
Jain Āgamas provide detailed discussions of Jain philosophy, ethical guidelines, analysis of principles, detailed explanations of vows, practices of austerity, spiritual practices, and topics related to the self-respect of every individual. This is their inherent importance. However, they also provide valuable evidence of ancient Indian society, laws, regulations, customs, traditions, social life, agriculture, commerce, governance, and other social topics. This evidence is crucial for understanding the long history of human development.
Among Indian literature, the **Ardha-māgadhī Āgamas** and the **Pāli Tripitaka** are the only texts that do not solely focus on the grandeur of the state and the power of rulers. Instead, they also include events related to the lives of ordinary people. Among these, the Jain Āgamas hold exceptional significance. They provide detailed descriptions of farmers, laborers, merchants, administrators, security forces, soldiers, culinary arts, clothing, utensils, art, writing, scripts, paintings, music, and other fine arts. This evidence provides a glimpse into human culture and history. Therefore, the study of Jain Āgamas is not only beneficial for those who believe in Jainism but also for those who study culture, religion, history, philosophy, sociology, linguistics, and other subjects.
Until now, scholars and learned individuals have not paid much attention to this subject. However, there has been a growing interest in studying these texts from a broader perspective. Indians, in particular, became interested in this subject when renowned German scholar Dr. Hermann Jacobi and others engaged in deep and meticulous studies of Jain Āgamas and Ardha-māgadhī. They made scholars aware of the vast usefulness of these texts.
I was fortunate to have dedicated a significant part of my life to studying Prakrit, Jain philosophy, and Jain Āgamas. I had the opportunity to study, research, and teach at the Vaiśālī Research Institute, a prominent center for research on Prakrit, Jain philosophy, and non-violence in India. Subsequently, the young Ācārya, **Śrī Vardhamāna Sthā. Jain Śramaṇa Saṅgha**, **Saumya-cetā**, **Vidvan-mūrdhanya**, **Prabuddha Āgama-jña**, **Svāmi Śrī Miśrīmal Jī 'Madhukara'**, planned to translate and annotate the 32 Āgamas into Hindi and publish them. I continuously contributed to the implementation of this plan. I translated, analyzed, and annotated the **Upāsakadāśāṅga Sūtra** and three other Āgamas, including **Jambūdvīpa**. Most of the Āgamas were published during the lifetime of the young Ācārya. The remaining Āgamas were published soon after his passing. This collection of 32 Āgamas, including Hindi translations, became a beautiful edition that scholars have deemed very useful and beneficial to the world.