Drstivāda is a legendary lost text in the
Jain
Jainism ( ), also known as Jain Dharma, is an Indian religion. Jainism traces its spiritual ideas and history through the succession of twenty-four tirthankaras (supreme preachers of ''Dharma''), with the first in the current time cycle being ...
religion. It is the last of the 12
Jain āgamas as per
Śvetámbara tradition, said to be promulgated by
Māhavīra
Mahavira (Sanskrit: महावीर) also known as Vardhaman, was the 24th ''tirthankara'' (supreme preacher) of Jainism. He was the spiritual successor of the 23rd ''tirthankara'' Parshvanatha. Mahavira was born in the early part of the 6t ...
himself and composed by
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 ''Ganad ...
Sudharmaswami
Sudharmaswami ( sa, Sudharmāsvāmī or Sudharman; 607 BC – 507 BC) was the fifth ganadhara of Mahavira. All the current Jainism, Jain acharyas and monks follow his rule.
Life
Sudharmaswami was the spiritual successor of Indrabhuti Gautama ...
. Drstivāda, translated as “Disputation about views”, was said to contain the entire knowledge of the Fourteen
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 pers ...
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
Jaina doctrines and principles. As the name suggests,
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 pers ...
contain the knowledge prior to
Mahavira
Mahavira (Sanskrit: महावीर) also known as Vardhaman, was the 24th ''tirthankara'' (supreme preacher) of Jainism. He was the spiritual successor of the 23rd ''tirthankara'' Parshvanatha. Mahavira was born in the early part of the 6t ...
which was preserved only in oral form.
Jain texts
Agamas
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