________________
12
Pearls of Jaina Wisdom
11. Daśāśrutaskandha : This text highlights the Jaina way of life and includes a life sketch of Lord Mahāvīra and other Tīrthankaras.
12. Daśavaikālika: It contains ten chapters on a variety of subject pertaining to the life and spiritual practices of a monk. Here the whole Jaina philosophy is explained in a nutshell.
13. Uttaradhyayana : It is the most popular text on Jaina anthology and is an invaluable guide to spiritual seekers. It is claimed to be the last sermon of Lord Mahāvīra. Uttarādhyayana is a mixture of dialogues, parables and catechisms, mostly in verse. In this text the tenets of Jaina conduct, ethics, spirituality and philosophy are explained in a very lucid manner.
14. Nandi: The text explains the nature of knowledge and details of the various kinds of knowledge in a very interesting style. 15.-16. Jambūdvīpaprajñapti and Sūryaprajñapti : These two texts deal respectively with cosmology, the movement of the
sun and the moon etc.
17. Avaśyaka Niryukti: It contains details of the debates that scholars of other schools had with Lord Mahavira.
18. Avasyaka Cūrṇi: This commentary on Avaśyaka-Sūtra illustrates the various incidents that took place in Lord Mahāvīra's life.
19. Viseṣāvaśyaka Bhāṣya: It deals with philosophical principles of almost all philosophical systems.
This short account of Jaina Agamic tradition gives us some idea of the immense vitality which has pervaded this tradition throughout its history.
The Message of Inspiration
The Agamas cover a vide range of topics which serve not only an ideological purpose but are also of practical importance. The importance of vows, right faith, right knowledge, right conduct, selfrestraint, austerity, celibacy, conquest of senses, charity, compas
For Private & Personal Use Only
www.jainelibrary.org
Jain Education International
