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INTRODUCTION TO AGAMAS
Showering his infinite compassion, Lord Mahāvīra recited the Tripadi-UPPANEĪVĀ, VIGAMEĪVĀ and DHUVEĪVĀ. The disciples of the Lord then collectively scripted this in the form of Agama or divine messages for the common man to understand.
Historically, 980 years after Lord Mahāvīra attained nirvana (heavenly abode) after his Kewalgyan (enlightenment of the soul), Āchāraya Śrī Devardhigani felt that with the passage of time we may lose the teachings of Lord Mahāvīra due to deterioration of human memory. In an attempt to protect the divine legacy of Lord Mahāvīra, he called upon five hundred leading spiritual monks to transcribe from memory the preachings of Lord Mahāvīra into a readable format. This arduous task took them thirteen years.
Ancient Jain Monks have made many efforts to keep the Agamas intact and edited, researched, modified, and abridged the meanings of Agama to keep the divine knowledge abreast with times, hence making an immense contribution to humanity.
A heartfelt concern for the well-being of humanity and selfless feelings of compassion kept Lord Mahāvīra spiritually motivated to continue his preachings. As a result, not only Jain literature but also the spiritual heritage of the world received an invaluable gift.
In depth knowledge, study and research of Agamas remove the darkness of ignorance and lighten the flame of knowledge in our soul. One can call it as code of conduct of Jain philosophy.
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