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Publisher's Note
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Agam' or the compilation of the words of the savants is invaluable heritage of Jain philosophy. The literal meaning of Agam is 'the complete knowledge of the secrets of substances'. These savants are the omniscient Tirthankars who saw and knew all the attributes and modes of all substances and things existing in all the three worlds in all the three times. The corpus of the message of these savants and elaborations by their worth disciples is known as Agam.
One such Agam is Shri Bhagavati Sutra, a voluminous work having 41 Chapters and 1138 Lessons. We are filled with a spiritual elation to offer this fourth illustrated volume of this great Agam to our readers.
Agam literature is the immeasurable treasure of Jain philosophy. About twenty years back revered Gurudev Uttar Bharatiya Pravartak Bhandari Shri Padmachandra ji M. S. inspired his able disciple Pravartak Shri Amar Muni ji Maharaj for a mission to protect this treasure. In order to fulfill the desire of his guru and looking at the prevailing social conditions Pravartak Shri Amar Muni ji Maharaj thought of publishing illustrated editions of Agams with English translation. With a lot of contemplation and hard work this idea took practical shape and the first book by Padam Prakshan came out in 1992 as Illustrated Uttaradhyayan Sutra. Such illustrated edition of an Agam was published for the first time in the world. Its publication was the beginning of a new style in the field of Jain Agam literature.
This Illustrated Shri Bhagavati Sutra (IV) is the 26th book of this series. The first volume of this work was published in 2005. The second came in 2006 and the third in 2008. Now this IV volume, containing chapters 10-12 and three lessons of chapter 13, is in your hands. Following volumes are also in the pipeline and will soon be available to our readers.
English occupies an important place in modern languages of the world. This essential and much appreciated project of translating Agams into English, getting elaborative illustrations made, getting them attractively printed and ensuring that they reach universities around the world has been an unprecedented but Herculean task. Once this exemplary mission is concluded the name of revered gurudev Shri Amar Muni ji Maharaj will be written in golden letters in the history of Jain literature.
The service oriented disciple of revered gurudev Shri Amar Muni ji Maharaj and a profound scholar of Jain Agams in his own right, Shri Varun Muniji M.S., is also diligently involved with this project; we are indebted to him as well. We will never forget the active co-operation of Shri Sanjay Surana (Shri Diwakar Prakashan, Agra) in editing of the text as well as conceiving and getting the illustrations made; that of Shri Surendra Bothara, Jaipur in doing the free flowing English translation, much appreciated by foreign scholars; and that of Dr. Trilok Sharma, the artist-illustrator, in making beautiful multi-colour illustrations. We are, of course, thankful to the devotees who have liberally provided financial contributions for this mission of service to Tirthankar's sermon.
May this Illustrated Agam series gain the status of Meru Mountain in the world of Jain literature. With this hope and resolve......!
Mahendra Kumar Jain President: Padma Prakashan
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