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The Āgamas are mainly concerned with the religious code of conduct and moral preaching. Pt. Dalasukha Malvania rightly observes that Anga Āgama deals with moral code of conduct (Caritanuyoga) rather than metaphysics (Dravyanuyoga). So far as the subject-matter of Āgamas is concerned this position remains the same up to the period of Niryuktis (c. 3rd-5th A. D.), Bhāsyas (c. 6th A. D.) and even Curnis (c. 7th A. D.). Some scattered seeds of philosophical discussions may no doubt be seen in some of the Āgamas and their commentaries; but Višesāvasyaka Bhāsy, mainly a work full of philosophical discussions, is an exception.
ĀGAMAS AND THEIR COMMENTARIES
As I have already mentioned that except Nandisātra and present edition of Praśnavyākarāṇa, most of the Āgamas were composed before c. 3rd A. D. but their final editing had been done only in the c. 5th A.D. At the time of this final editing, interpolation of many later developed philosophical concepts and informations regarding the Jaina order crept into these. The Nandisūtra, the Āgamic work composed during this period, deals with the Jaina theory of five-fold knowledge as well as contains its later developments took place in c. 4th-5th A. D. Similarly, the drastic changes in the original subject-matter of Praśnavyākarāna and partial changes in Antakritadaśāh and Anuttaraupapātikadašā also occurred during this period. Almost all the Prakrta and some of the early Sanskrta commentaries on the Jaina Āgamas were written in this period, in form of Niryuktis (c. 3rd-4th A. D.), Bhāsyas (c. 6th A. D.) and Curnis (c. 7th A, D.) This period is of great literary importance because majority of the Āgamic works were finally edited and some of them were even composed also in this period.
Besides these Niryuktis, Ogha Niryukti and Pinda Niryukti
Jainism and its History (132
