Satkhandagama

Satkhandagama
Ṣaṭkhaṅḍāgama with commentary Dhavalā of Acharya Virasena
Information
Religion Jainism
AuthorPuṣpadanta and Bhūtabali
LanguagePrakrit
Chapters5

The Ṣaṭkhaṅḍāgama (Prakrit: "Scripture in Six Parts") is the foremost and oldest Digambara Jain sacred text.[1] According to Digambara tradition, the original teachings of lord Mahavira were passed on orally from Ganadhar, the chief disciple of Mahavira to his disciples and so on as they had the capability of listening and remembering it for always. But as the centuries passed there was downfall in these capabilities and so Ācārya Puṣpadanta and Bhūtabali penned down the teachings of Mahavira in Ṣaṭkhaṅḍāgama. Therefore the Ṣaṭkhaṅḍāgama is the most revered Digambara text that has been given the status of āgama.

The importance of the Ṣaṭkhaṅḍāgama to the Digambaras can be judged by the fact that, the day its Dhavalā commentary was completed, it is commemorated on the Śrūta Pañcami, a day when all the Jain scriptures are venerated. The Ṣaṭkhaṅḍāgama, the first āgama, is also called the "Prathama Śrūta-Skandha", while the Pancha Paramāgama by Kundakunda are referred to as the second āgama or Dvitiya Śrūta-Skandha.

  1. ^ Singh 2001, p. 6373.