The Kalpa Sūtra (Sanskrit: कल्पसूत्र) is a Jain text containing the biographies of the Jain Tirthankaras, notably Parshvanatha and Mahavira.[1] Traditionally ascribed to Bhadrabahu, which would place it in the 4th century BCE,[2] it was probably put in writing 980 or 993 years after the Nirvana (Moksha) of Mahavira.
| Kalpa Sūtra | |
|---|---|
 Detail of a leaf with, The Birth of God Mahavira (the 24th Jain Tirthankara), from the Kalpa Sutra, c.1375–1400. | |
| Information | |
| Religion | Jainism |
| Author | Bhadrabahu |
History
editWithin the six sections of the Jain literary corpus belonging to the Śvetāmbara school, it is classed as one of the Cheda Sūtras. This Sutra contains detailed life histories and, from the mid-15th century, was frequently illustrated with miniature painting. The oldest surviving copies are written on paper in western India in the 14th century.[3]
The Kalpa Sutra is ascribed to Bhadrabahu, traditionally said to have composed it some 150 years after the Nirvāṇa (samadhi) of Mahavira.[2] It was compiled probably during the reign of Dhruvasena, 980 or 993 years after Mahavira's death.[4]
Importance
editThe book is read and illustrated in an eight-day-long festival of Paryushan by Jain monks for general people. Only monks can read the scriptures, as in Jainism, this book has very high spiritual values.
Contents
editKalpasutra mentions nine Ganas and 11 Ganadharas of Mahavira.[5] Gautama Swami is mentioned as prime Ganadhara of Mahavira.[5] Bhadrabahu's disciple Godasa is mentioned to have founded Godasa Gana.[5]
See also
editReferences
editCitations
edit- ^ Jacobi, Hermann (1884). Müller, F. Max (ed.). Kalpa Sutra, Jain Sutras Part I, Sacred Books of the East. Vol. 22. Oxford: The Clarendon Press.
- ^ a b "Mahavira". Britannica Concise Encyclopedia. 2006. Archived from the original on 19 October 2009 – via Answers.com.
- ^ Budny, Mildred O. (18 April 2018). "Sanskrit and Prakrit Manuscripts -". Retrieved 16 June 2024.
- ^ Kailash Chand Jain 1991, p. 75.
- ^ a b c Vyas 1995, p. 27.
Sources
edit- Dundas, Paul (2002) [1992], The Jains (Second ed.), Routledge, ISBN 0-415-26605-X
- Jain, Kailash Chand (1991), Lord Mahāvīra and His Times, Motilal Banarsidass, ISBN 978-81-208-0805-8
- Vyas, R. T., ed. (1995), Studies in Jaina Art and Iconography and Allied Subjects, The Director, Oriental Institute, on behalf of the Registrar, M.S. University of Baroda, Vadodara, ISBN 81-7017-316-7
- "The Kalpa Sûtra" translated in English by Hermann Jacobi is published by Motilal Banarsidass Publishers in Delhi in " The Sacred Books of the East" (Vol 22) (1989) ISBN 81-208-0123-7
External links
edit
- Translations
- Kalpa Sutra text (1884 English translation) (sacred-texts.com)
- Kalpa Sutra text (1884 English translation) (Wisdom Library)
- The Kalpa sutra, and Nava tatva (1848 English translation)