Short answer

• Reading the Jain Agams gives you Shruta‑jnan (scriptural right-knowledge). It teaches the full path of liberation: Right Faith, Right Knowledge, and Right Conduct.
• But reading alone is not enough. Real change comes when you add faith and practice. Study → reflect → live it. Then it purifies karma and leads you toward samyak darshan, self‑restraint, compassion, and ultimately moksha.

What do the Agams contain? (Śvetāmbara view — preserved canon)

• Angas and Anga‑bahya: teachings of Bhagwan Mahavira arranged by the Ganadharas.
• Core subjects covered:

- Philosophy and tattvas: jiva, ajiva, karma, asrava, samvar, nirjara, moksha. - Conduct: five great vows for monks/nuns; 12 vows for laypeople; daily discipline, pratikraman, fasting, sallekhana in the right way. - Ethics for daily life: ahimsa, satya, asteya, brahmacharya, aparigraha; right livelihood and truthful trade. - Meditation and inner purity: vigilance over passions, equanimity, restraint of mind–speech–body. - Cosmology: structure of loka, time‑cycles, realms of birth. - Stories and examples: lives of Tirthankaras, mendicants, and lay followers to illustrate right conduct.

• Practical outcome of sincere study: clearer conscience, less anger/pride/deceit/greed, gentle speech, compassion for all life, and firm steps on the path.

(Digambara view — textual status)

• Original Dvādaśāṅgī (12 Angas) is considered lost. Authority rests on works like Ṣaṭkhaṅḍāgama, Kaṣāyapāhuḍa, and the anuyogas, along with Tattvārtha‑sūtra. The teachings conveyed are the same path: vows, restraint, karma‑theory, meditation, and liberation.

If you “read them all,” what happens?

• You gain a complete map of Jain Dharma: what reality is, why bondage happens, and exactly how to stop it.
• You accumulate punya from svādhyāy (scriptural study), soften delusion, and strengthen right insight.
• When joined with reflection (manan) and practice (nidhidhyāsan/charitra), this knowledge becomes transformative: non‑violence deepens, possessions and passions loosen, and equanimity grows. That is the intended fruit of studying the Agams.

Helpful starters on this topic

• What are Agams?
• How many Agams (Śvetāmbara classification)?
• Uttarādhyayana Sutra (ethics and practice focus):

Note

• Study under a knowledgeable Āchārya/Upādhyāya, keep anuvrat/vrat according to your stage, and pair reading with daily pratikraman and meditation. That is the authentic Jain way to let the Agams change your life.