Holybook of Jainism

There isn’t a single “holy book” in Jainism. Jainism has a collection of scriptures and treatises that various traditions consider authoritative. The two broad families are:

• Svetambara (the White-clad) tradition: uses a large canon called the Agamas (12 Anga-sutras and related texts). These include works like the Acharanga Sutra, Sthananga Sutra, Nandi Sutra, Uttaradhyayana Sutra, and Kalpa Sutra, among others.

• Digambara (the Sky-clad) tradition: does not rely on the Svetambara Agamas and preserves a different set of Jain scriptures and commentaries. They emphasize certain foundational texts and later commentaries that align with their lineage, and historically some Agama texts are said to have been lost or revived differently in this tradition.

A few key texts that are widely studied across traditions for Jain philosophy and practice include:

• Tattvartha Sutra (anumbrella work on Jain philosophy, ethics, and practice, respected by both Svetambara and Digambara)
• Uttaradhyayana Sutra (narratives and teachings of Mahavira’s era)
• Kalpa Sutra (lives of the Tirthankaras, especially Mahavira, used in rituals and festivals)
• Acaranga Sutra, Sthananga Sutra (discipline and detailed topics of conduct and knowledge)

In short, Jainism centers on a corpus of sutras and commentaries rather than a single holy book, with the exact list and status of texts varying by Svetambara and Digambara lineages. If you’d like, I can outline the main texts specific to a particular tradition (Svetambara or Digambara) with brief summaries.