The Bibliography of the Svetambara Canon

Summary

Royce Wiles’ article “The Bibliography of the Svetāmbara Canon” is a meticulously organised catalogue of published materials relating to the Śvetāmbara Jain scriptures. Recognising that the Śvetāmbara canon is vast, textually layered and transmitted through multiple recensions, Wiles structures his bibliography into thematic sections that help researchers navigate the corpus. An introductory note clarifies the meaning of “canon” and explains that the term encompasses both the eleven primary Aṅgas and the ancillary Upāṅgas, Chedasūtras, Mūlasūtras and Prakīrṇas, along with later commentaries. The bibliography first lists “complete editions”, identifying series such as the Jināgama Granthamālā published by the Āgama Prakāśana Samiti of Byāvra. Each entry provides detailed publication information including editors, translators, date, size and sometimes the degree of translation (Hindi, Gujarati or English), making it easy to locate authoritative texts. Wiles then turns to partial editions of individual scriptures. For each Aṅga he cites Hindi and Gujarati translations with critical notes, often prepared by editors such as Śrīmisrīmalajī Mahārāj “Madhukara”, Śrīcandra Sūrānā “Sarasa”, Hīrālālajī Śāstrī and Muni Kanhaiyālāl “Kamala”. Under each heading he includes bibliographic details for editions published by organisations such as the Śrī Āgama Prakāśana Samiti (Byāvra), the Jaina Sāhitya Vikasa Mandala (Solapur) and private presses, spanning the late nineteenth to late twentieth centuries. Upāṅgas like the Aupapātika and Ṛṣibhaśruta are similarly documented. The section on Chedasūtras lists numerous translations and commentaries on the rules of monastic discipline, while the section on Mūlasūtras and Prakīrṇas records didactic texts, narrative collections and doctrinal handbooks. In addition to canonical scriptures and their translations, Wiles includes bibliographic entries for dictionaries and indices, an area crucial for philological work. Works such as Vijayavallabha Sūri’s Abhidhānacintāmaṇi and later lexicons are described with their publication history and contents. A separate section gathers “studies” – modern scholarly monographs on Jain history and doctrine, such as K.K. Dixit’s Early Jainism, studies on King Bimbisāra, A.N. Upādhyāye’s analysis of the Śvetāmbara canon and numerous dissertations catalogued by the University of Chicago library. These references alert researchers to secondary literature that analyses the canon’s transmission, socio‑historical context and philosophical content. Throughout, Wiles annotates entries with occasional comments on available plates, illustrations or the presence of indices, thereby indicating the academic utility of particular editions. Although the bibliography is presented as a draft meant for the benefit of scholars, its comprehensive scope makes it an invaluable resource. By systematically mapping the textual landscape of the Śvetāmbara canon—including vernacular translations and modern studies—Wiles not only charts what has been published but also highlights lacunae where critical editions and translations are still lacking. The article underscores the collaborative nature of Jain scholarship, drawing attention to the work of monks, scholars, librarians and presses over more than a century.