Disclaimer: This translation does not guarantee complete accuracy, please confirm with the original page text.
## The Three Divisions of Karmaśāstra
Though the knowledge of the Angas (canonical texts) of the Tirthankara lineage is considered to be eternal, it has taken on new forms from time to time. Hemchandracharya, in his *Pramana Mimamsa*, states: "The eternal knowledge of the Angas, due to the desire for brevity or expansion, takes on new forms, and is revealed by different authors. The knowledge of the Angas is never lost."
This Karmaśāstra, which has been passed down in the form of *Prayahara* (oral tradition) since time immemorial, can be divided into three parts from the time of Bhagavan Mahavira to the present:
(1) **Pūrvatmaka Karmaśāstra:** This is the largest and oldest part. Its essence is considered to have existed until the time of the *Pūrva-vidya* (ancient knowledge). After Bhagavan Mahavira, the *Pūrva-vidya* existed for about 600 or 1000 years in a gradual form. The eighth *Pūrva* (ancient text) out of the fourteen *Pūrvas* was primarily concerned with Karma. Similarly, there was a section called *Karma-prabha* in the second *Pūrva* of the *Agravaniya* (ancient text). However, the complete portion of the *Pūrvatmaka Karmaśāstra* is not found in the present-day Śvetāmbara and Digambara literature.
(2) **Pūrvohṛta Karmaśāstra:** This division is much smaller than the first, but it is considered quite large from the perspective of present-day practitioners. Therefore, it is also called "Ākara Karmaśāstra." This part is directly quoted from the *Pūrvas* and is considered to be present in the Karmaśāstra of both the Śvetāmbara and Digambara traditions. Due to the division of the traditions during the time of the compilation of the literature, the quoted portions are known by different names. For example, in the Śvetāmbara tradition, they are known as (1) *Krama-prakriti*, (2) *Śataka*, (3) *Patra-sangraha*, (4) *Sapta-tika*, and in the Digambara tradition, they are known as (1) *Mahakarma-prakriti-prabha*, (2) *Kavya-bhūta*. Both traditions consider their respective texts to be *Pūrvohṛta* (quoted from the *Pūrvas*).
(3) **Prākaraṇika Karmaśāstra:** This is the result of the third compilation. It includes numerous large and small chapters related to Karma.