''Vyākhyāprajñapti'' ( "Exposition of Explanations"), commonly known as the ''Bhagavati Sūtra'' (), is the fifth of the 12
Jain Angas
Jain literature () 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 wri ...
said to be promulgated by
Mahāvīra
Mahavira (Devanagari: महावीर, ), also known as Vardhamana (Devanagari: वर्धमान, ), was the 24th ''Tirthankara'' (Supreme Preacher and Ford Maker) of Jainism. Although the dates and most historical details of his lif ...
. The Vyākhyāprajñapti is said to have been composed by
Sudharmaswami by the
Śvētāmbara school of
Jainism
Jainism ( ), also known as Jain Dharma, is an Indian religions, Indian religion whose three main pillars are nonviolence (), asceticism (), and a rejection of all simplistic and one-sided views of truth and reality (). Jainism traces its s ...
; it is written in
Jain Prakrit. It is the largest text of the canon, said to contain 36,000 questions answered by Mahavira. The subject matter of the answers ranges from doctrine to rules of ascetic behaviour.
Contents
The Vyākhyāprajñapti is divided into 41 sections known as ''shataka''s. It follows a question and answer pattern. The questions are raised by Gautama, Makandiputra, Roha, Agnibhuti and Vayubhuti, Skandaka, Jayanti and others. Briefly, the answers may be categorised under the following topics:
* ascetic conduct
* the six substances
* ontology
* reincarnation
* geography
* cosmology
* mathematics
*
obstetrics
Obstetrics is the field of study concentrated on pregnancy, childbirth and the postpartum period. As a medical specialty, obstetrics is combined with gynecology under the discipline known as obstetrics and gynecology (OB/GYN), which is a su ...
* famous contemporaries of Mahavira
Miscellaneous subjects outside of those mentioned above are also addressed.
References
*
External links
Bhagavati-sutra (English translation)*first twelve books*, by K. C. Lalwani, 1973, includes commentary by Abhayadeva Suri
{{DEFAULTSORT:Vyakhyaprajnapti
Jain texts
Agamas
Prakrit Jain texts