Jain Literature

By Pravin K. Shah
Jain Study Center of North Carolina

Jain Literature

Jain literature is classified into two major categories:

Agam or Canonical Literature (Agam Sutras)
Agam literature consists of many texts, which are the sacred books of the Jain religion. They are written in the Ardha-magadhi Prakrit language.

Non‑agam Literature
Non-agam literature consists of commentary and explanation of Agam literature, and independent works, compiled by ascetics and scholars. They are written in many languages such as Prakrit, Sanskrit, Apabhramsa, Old Marathi, Rajasthani, Gujarati, Hindi, Kannad, Tamil, German, and English.