In Jainism, very few monks knew the Pūrvas because:

1. Pūrvas were extremely vast and deep

- The 14 Pūrvas were the most advanced part of Jain scripture, contained in the 12th Aṅga (Dṛṣṭivāda). - To “know” them meant perfect memorization plus deep understanding – this was considered the highest level of scriptural knowledge (śruta-kevalī / caturdaśa-pūrvin).

1. Very high spiritual and mental qualifications

- Only monks with extraordinary memory, vairāgya (dispassion), and strict conduct were allowed to study them. - Just being a normal learned monk was not enough; one had to be at the topmost level of discipline and purity.

1. Fear of misuse of powers

- Many parts of the Pūrvas included knowledge of miraculous powers, special vidyās, esoteric subjects, etc. - There are traditional accounts that when such powers were misused by a monk, his teacher stopped teaching the remaining Pūrvas and forbade their further teaching to others. - To protect dharma from misuse, Acharyas themselves restricted how many could learn the full Pūrvas.

1. Oral tradition and gradual loss

- All Āgamas, including Pūrvas, were originally preserved only by memory and recitation, not written down. - Because of time, weakening memory, migrations, and calamities (like famines), fewer and fewer monks could remember them completely. - After Āchārya Bhadrabāhu Swami, the last to fully know all 14 Pūrvas, their knowledge gradually disappeared from both Digambar and Śvetāmbara traditions.

1. Result: only rare “Pūrvī Sādhus”

- Those who knew all 14 Pūrvas were called “Chaturdaśa-pūrvin sadhus” – they were very rare even in ancient times. - Later, only 10-Pūrvi ācāryas remained; after some time, even that level disappeared. Today the Pūrvas themselves are considered lost texts.

So, very few monks knew the Pūrvas not because monks were weak, but because:

• the scripture was extremely high-level,
• access was intentionally restricted to prevent misuse, and
• over centuries, oral transmission naturally decayed.

You can read a simple explanation about 14 Pūrvi sadhus here: