Uttaradhyayana

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Uttaradhyayana
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Religion Jainism
Language Prakrit
A King and a Monk (recto); Text (verso); Folio from an Uttaradhyayanasutra, LACMA AC1993.225.1 A King and a Monk (recto); Text (verso); Folio from an Uttaradhyayanasutra LACMA AC1993.225.1.jpg
A King and a Monk (recto); Text (verso); Folio from an Uttaradhyayanasutra, LACMA AC1993.225.1

Uttaradhyayana or Uttaradhyayana Sutra is one of the most important sacred books of the Svetambara Jains. It consists of 36 chapters, each of which deals with aspects of Jain doctrine and discipline. It is believed by some to contain the actual words of Bhagwan Mahavira (599/540 - 527/468 BCE).

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A full statement of the theory of lesya occurs in chapter 34 of the Uttaradhyayana, one of the fundamental sutras of the scriptural canon. Inspection of the metrical structure there, which consists of a cluster of old sloka verses amplified by twice as many verses in the arya metre, makes clear that a great deal of ancient editorial care was taken to ensure that an original rudimentary description of this dimension of karma became fully cogent.

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