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Purvas
The Fourteen Purva translated as ancient or prior knowledge, are a large body of Jain scriptures that was preached by all Tirthankaras (omniscient teachers) of Jainism encompassing the entire gamut of knowledge available in this universe. The persons having the knowledge of purvas were given an exalted status of ''Shrutakevali'' or "scripturally omniscient persons". Both the Jain traditions, Svetambara and Digambara hold that all the fourteen purvas have been lost.Jaini, Padmanabh (1998). ''The Jaina Path of Purification''. New Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass. . According to tradition, the Purvas were part of canonical literature and deposited in the third section of Drstivada (the twelfth and last canon). Knowledge of Purvas became fairly vulnerable after Mahavira's nirvana (liberation) and on account of effects of famine, such that, eventually only one person— Bhadrabahu Svami had a command over it. In accordance with the prophecy of Mahavira, the knowledge of Purvas died within 1 ...
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Drstivada
Drstivāda is a legendary lost text in the Jain religion. It is the last of the 12 Jain āgamas as per Śvetámbara tradition, said to be promulgated by Māhavīra himself and composed by Ganadhara Sudharmaswami. Drstivāda, translated as “Disputation about views”, was said to contain the entire knowledge of the Fourteen Purvas or prior knowledge that is now considered to be totally lost, in part because the tradition holds that the Drstivāda itself is also completely lost. However, its contents have been referred and explained in Nandi and ''Samavāyānga Sūtra''. Subject Matter of the Agama Dristivāda was divided into five parts :- #Parikarma #Sūtra #Pūrvanayoga #Purvgata #Chūlikā Parikarma contained Jaina calculatory science and the Sutra included discussions about creeds and doctrines. Pūrvanayoga contained Puranic narratives, religious biographies as well as illustrative tales. Purvagata contained fourteen subdivisions and contained discussions about ...
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Jain Agamas
Jain literature (Sanskrit: जैन साहित्य) refers to the literature of the Jain religion. It is a vast and ancient literary tradition, which was initially transmitted orally. The oldest surviving material is contained in the canonical ''Jain Agamas,'' which are written in Ardhamagadhi, a Prakrit ( Middle-Indo Aryan) language. Various commentaries were written on these canonical texts by later Jain monks. Later works were also written in other languages, like Sanskrit and Maharashtri Prakrit. Jain literature is primarily divided between the canons of the ''Digambara'' and '' Śvētāmbara'' orders. These two main sects of Jainism do not always agree on which texts should be considered authoritative. More recent Jain literature has also been written in other languages, like Marathi, Tamil, Rajasthani, Dhundari, Marwari, Hindi, Gujarati, Kannada, Malayalam and more recently in English. Beliefs The Jain tradition believes that their religion is eternal, an ...
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Tattva (Jainism)
Jain philosophy explains that seven ''tattva'' (truths or fundamental principles) constitute reality. These are:— #'' jīva''- the soul which is characterized by consciousness #''ajīva''- the non-soul #''āsrava'' (influx)- inflow of auspicious and evil karmic matter into the soul. #''bandha'' (bondage)- mutual intermingling of the soul and ''karmas''. #''samvara'' (stoppage)- obstruction of the inflow of karmic matter into the soul. #''nirjara'' (gradual dissociation)- separation or falling-off of part of karmic matter from the soul. #''mokṣha'' (liberation)- complete annihilation of all karmic matter (bound with any particular soul). The knowledge of these reals is said to be essential for the liberation of the soul. However, as per one sect of Jain i.e. Shwetamber (Sthanakwasi), there are total nine tattva (truths or fundamental principles). Seven tattva are same as above but 2 more tattva are there namely: Overview The first two are the two ontological catego ...
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Acharya Hemachandra
Hemachandra was a 12th century () Indian Jain saint, scholar, poet, mathematician, philosopher, yogi, grammarian, law theorist, historian, lexicographer, rhetorician, logician, and prosodist. Noted as a prodigy by his contemporaries, he gained the title ''kalikālasarvajña'', "the knower of all knowledge in his times" and ''father of Gujarati language''. Born as Changadeva, he was ordained in the Śvētāmbara school of Jainism in 1110 and took the name Somachandra. In 1125 he became an adviser to King Kumarapala and wrote ''Arhanniti'', a work on politics from a Jain perspective. He also produced ''Trishashti-shalaka-purusha-charita'' (“Deeds of the 63 Illustrious Men”), a Sanskrit epic poem on the history of important figures of Jainism. Later in his life, he changed his name to Hemachandra. Early life Hemachandra was born in Dhandhuka, in present-day Gujarat, on Kartika Sud Purnima (the full moon day of Kartika month). His date of birth differs according to source ...
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Hermann Jacobi
Hermann Georg Jacobi (11 February 1850 – 19 October 1937) was an eminent German Indologist. Education Jacobi was born in Köln (Cologne) on 11 February 1850. He was educated in the gymnasium of Cologne and then went to the University of Berlin, where initially he studied mathematics, but later, probably under the influence of Albrecht Weber, switched to Sanskrit and comparative linguistics, which he studied under Weber and Johann Gildemeister. He obtained his doctorate from the University of Bonn. The subject of his thesis, written in 1872, was the origin of the term "hora" in Indian astrology. Jacobi was able to visit London for a year, 1872–1873, where he examined the Indian manuscripts available there. The next year, with Georg Buehler, he visited Rajasthan, India, where manuscripts were being collected. At Jaisalmer Library, he came across Jain Manuscripts, which were of abiding interest to him for the rest of his life. He later edited and translated many of them, ...
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Hemachandra
Hemachandra was a 12th century () Indian Jain saint, scholar, poet, mathematician, philosopher, yogi, grammarian, law theorist, historian, lexicographer, rhetorician, logician, and prosodist. Noted as a prodigy by his contemporaries, he gained the title ''kalikālasarvajña'', "the knower of all knowledge in his times" and ''father of Gujarati language''. Born as Changadeva, he was ordained in the Śvētāmbara school of Jainism in 1110 and took the name Somachandra. In 1125 he became an adviser to King Kumarapala and wrote ''Arhanniti'', a work on politics from a Jain perspective. He also produced ''Trishashti-shalaka-purusha-charita'' (“Deeds of the 63 Illustrious Men”), a Sanskrit epic poem on the history of important figures of Jainism. Later in his life, he changed his name to Hemachandra. Early life Hemachandra was born in Dhandhuka, in present-day Gujarat, on Kartika Sud Purnima (the full moon day of Kartika month). His date of birth differs according to source ...
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Jambuswami
Jambuswami (543-449 BCE) was the spiritual successor of Sudharmaswami in Jain religious order reorganised by Mahavira. He remained the head for 39 or 44 years, after which he is believed to have gained '' Kevala Jnana'' (omniscience). He is believed to be the third and last '' kevali'' (omniscient being) after Mahavira in Jain tradition. He is believed to have attained ''moksha'' (liberated) at the age of 84 in Mathura. Jambu was succeeded by Prabhava (443-338 BCE), who was converted from a bandit Banditry is a type of organized crime committed by outlaws typically involving the threat or use of violence. A person who engages in banditry is known as a bandit and primarily commits crimes such as extortion, robbery, and murder, either as an ... by him. Prabhava was succeeded by Shayyambhava (377-315 BCE). Shayyambhava composed ''Dasavaikalika sutra'' after studying the fourteen ''purvas'' (pre-canonical texts). He was initiated as a Jain monk. He initiated his son as a monk ...
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Sudharma Swami
Sudharmaswami ( sa, Sudharmāsvāmī or Sudharman; 607 BC – 507 BC) was the fifth ganadhara of Mahavira. All the current Jain acharyas and monks follow his rule. Life Sudharmaswami was the spiritual successor of Indrabhuti Gautama in religious order reorganised by Mahavira. He is traditionally dated from 607 to 506 BCE. He is believed in Jain tradition to have obtained omniscience after 12 years in 515 BC. He is believed to have attained nirvana in 507 BC at the age of 100. The leadership of religious order was then transferred to Jambuswami who served for 44 years and was the last Ghandhara who survived after kaal(death) of Mahavira For Jains, their scriptures represent the literal words of Mahavira and the other tirthankaras only to the extent that the agama is a series of beginning-less, endless and fixed truths, a tradition without any origin, human or divine, which in this world age has been channelled through Sudharmāsvāmī. See also * Jain monasticism Jain mo ...
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Gautam Swami
Gautam Swami was the ''Ganadhara'' (chief disciple) of Mahavira, the 24th and last Jain Tirthankara of present half cycle of time. He is also referred to as Indrabhuti Gautam, Guru Gautam, Gautam Swami Ganadhara and Gautam Swami. Life Gautama was the senior-most of 11 ''ganadharas'' (chief disciples) of Mahavira. He had two brothers Agnibhuti and Vayubhuti who also became ''ganadhara'' of Mahavira. Other ''ganadhara'' were Vyakta, Sudharmaswami, Mandikata Mauryaputra, Akampita, Acalabharata, Metarya and Prabhasa. A stone pillar of Utaroda mentions Mahagiri as one of Ganadharas of Mahavira who had Utara as his chief disciple. In Jain traditional accounts, Gautama is believed to have gained '' Kevala Jnana'' (omniscience) immediately after the ''moksha'' (liberation) of Mahavira. He was succeeded by Sudharmaswami who is believed to have gained omniscience after a further 12 years. According to the elaboration of ''Debate with the Ganadhara'' by Jinabhadra, the learned Brahmin G ...
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Ganadhara
In Jainism, the term Ganadhara is used to refer the chief disciple of a ''Tirthankara''. In ''samavasarana'', the ''Tīrthankara'' sat on a throne without touching it (about two inches above it). Around, the ''Tīrthankara'' sits the ''Ganadharas''. According to Digambara tradition, only a disciple of exceptional brilliance and accomplishment (''riddhi'') is able to fully assimilate, without doubt, delusion, or misapprehension, the '' anekanta'' teachings of a ''Tirthankara''. The presence of such a disciple is mandatory in the ''samavasarana'' before ''Tirthankara'' delivers his sermons. ''Ganadhara'' interpret and mediate to other people the divine sound (''divyadhwani'') which the Jains claim emanates from Tirthankara's body when he preaches. The monastic sangha Sangha is a Sanskrit word used in many Indian languages, including Pali meaning "association", "assembly", "company" or "community"; Sangha is often used as a surname across these languages. It was histor ...
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