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ŚVETĀMBARA CANONICAL LITERATURE
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edge of the Pūrvas went on decreasing and it was completely forgotten by vs 1000.5
It is clear from the above account that at least the eleven Angas were extant during the council which was held some 160 years after Mahāvīra's nirvāṇa. However, during the course of our discussion of the Anga texts, we will see that portions of those texts were added after the fourth century BC. It should further be remembered that there were three more Jaina councils in which the Āgama texts were subjected to further revision and alteration. A few of the later additions to the Agamic texts will be discussed in connection with the scrutiny of the individual texts. Let us now turn our attention to the Anga texts, most of which were composed in pre-Mauryan times. The following eleven Anga texts are known: Ācārānga, Sūtrakstānga, Sthānānga, Samavāyānga, Bhagavatī or Vyākhyāprajñapti, Jñātrdharmakathā, Upāsakadaśā, Antakyddaśā, Anuttaropapātikadašā, Praśnavyākaraṇa, and Vipākaśruta.
The Ācārāngas undoubtedly is one of the oldest and most authoritative Jaina Āgamic texts. The language and spirit of this work indicate that a major part of it was composed within 50 years of Mahāvīra's demise. A few section, especially those dealing with the birth of Mahāvīra, were added probably a couple of centuries later. The work is divided into two major sections called Srutaskandha and it appears that the earlier Srutaskandha was composed long before the second. This is also vouched for by the evidence of its Niryukti," which suggests that this portion was composed by the theras who were śrutakevalins. The style too of the second part is radically different front that of the first.
The names of the nine chapters (adhyayana) of the first Śrutaskandha are as follows: Sastraparijñā, Lokavijaya, Sītoşniya, Sanvyaktva, Lokasāra, Dhūta, Mahāparijñā, Vimokșa, and Upadhāna. Of these, the seventh Mahāparijñā, is now no longer extant. The second section contains five cūlās (cūlikā), of which the fifth, called Nisītha, is now a separate Āgamic text. The first two cūlās contain seven chapters each, and the third and the fourth one each. We have a niryuktio on this work by Bhadrabāhu, a cūrņilo by Jinadāsagani (seventh century) and also a ţikā" by Šīlānka (c. AD 850). Šīlānka in his commentary has referred to an earlier commentator of the Acārānga called Gandhahastin.
In the earlier parts of the Acārānga there is a distinct emphasis on ahimsā. A few sentences from that part are reproduced below:
