Jain Study Center NC Raleigh 1997 11 YJA Regional Convention

Author(s): Jain Study Center NC Raleigh
Publisher: USA Jain Study Center NC Raleigh

Page 67

Jain Agam Literature
Pravin K. Shah Jain Study Center of NC
Background
Lord Mahavir's preaching was orally compiled into many texts (Sutras) by his disciples. Collectively these texts are called Jain canonical or Agam literature.
The Agam Sutras show great reverence for all forms of life and strict codes of vegetarianism, asceticism, nonviolence, and opposition to war.
Traditionally these sutras were orally pass on from teachers (acharyas or gurus) to the disciples for several centuries. Also, during the course of time many learned acharyas (elder monks) compiled commentaries on the various subjects of the Agam literature. In olden times, the books were hand-written and rare. Also the religious books and scriptures were considered possessions and attachments for ascetics. Therefore Agam sutras were rarely documented and not widely distributed for or by ascetics.
During the course of time, it became extremely difficult to keep memorizing the entire Jain literature (Agam sutras and Commentary literature) compiled by the many scholars. Also there occurred a twelve years of famine around 350 BC. It was extremely difficult for the Jain ascetics to survive during this time. Under such circumstances they could not preserve the entire canonical literature. In fact, a significant number of Agam sutras were already forgotten and lost after the famine.
Later, when the Jain congregation relaxed the vow of non-possession with regards to religious scriptures for ascetics, they had already forgotten much of the oldest canonical literature such as twelfth Ang-agam known as Drastiwad, which included fourteen Purvas. The rest of agams were polluted with some modifications and errors.
The Digambar Jain sect maintained that after the famine, the entire Jain canonical literature (Agam Sutras) became extinct. However the Swetambar sect believed that only fourteen Purvas were forgotten but the significant portion of the remaining Agam Sutras were remembered by their ascetics and hence they documented the Agam Sutras (canonical literature) as remembered by them at various time.
Jain history indicates that during the course of time, Swetambar ascetics held three conferences for the preservation of the Jain canonical, commentaries on cannonical, and noncanonical literature. The documentation occurred during second and third conferences.
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