Vyakhyaprajnapti

Introduction

Vyākhyāprajñapti commonly known as Bhagavati sūtra is the fifth of the 12 Jain āgamas said to be promulgated by Māhavīra himself. Vyākhyāprajñapti translated as "Exposition of Explanations" is said to have been composed by ganadhara Sudharmasvami as per the Śvetámbara tradition. It is the largest text of the canon said to contain 60000 questions answered by Mahavira. The subject matter of the answers ranges from the Jain Doctrine to rules of ascetic behaviour.

Contents

Briefly, the answers may be categorised under the following categories:
*related to ascetic conduct
*related to the six substances
*related to the Jain Ontology
*related to Reincarnation
*related to Jain Geography
*related to Jain Cosmology
*related to Jain Mathematics
*related to Obstetrics
*brief biographies of famous contemporaries of Mahavira
*miscellaneous subjects

The Bhagavati Sutra is divided into 41 sections known as Shatakas. It follows question and answer pattern. The questions are raised by Gautama, Makandiputra, Roha, Agnibhuti & Vayubhuti,Skandaka, Jayanti, etc. It is written in Ardhamagadhi Prakrit

English Translations

Illustrated BHAGAVATI SUTRA Vol. 1, VYAKHYA PRAJNAPTI Prakrit Gatha - Hindi exposition - English exposition; with a glossary Ed. by Pravartaka Amar Muni, Shrichand Surana Saras Eng. tr. by Surendra Bothra