What is the Jalpa sutra
Jalpa sutra is not a well-known or standard Jain scripture in the traditional canons. “Jalpa” means argument or dispute, but there is no widely recognized Jain sutra by that exact name in the main Jain śāstras.
If you meant Kalpa-sūtra, that is a famous Śvetāmbara Jain text. It deals with the lives of the 24 Tirthankaras (especially Mahāvīra and Parshvanātha), the line of the Jain teachers, and rules for monks during festivals. It is traditionally read during the Paryuṣaṇa period. Digambara Jain literature does not include Kalpa-sūtra in the same way, and the two Śvetāmbara/Digambara traditions have different canons and emphasis in their texts.
Short, clear points:
- Jalpa sutra: not a standard Jain scripture.
- Kalpa-sūtra (Śvetāmbara): biographies of Tirthankaras, monks’ rules, read during Paryuṣaṇa.
- Digambara tradition has different canonical texts and does not treat Kalpa-sūtra as a central scripture in the same way.
You can read more about Kalpa-sūtra in Jain literature contexts.