Prakīrṇaka-sūtras are a loose group of Jain scriptures that sit on the border of the Śvetāmbara canon. They are called “Prakīrṇaka” meaning miscellany or extra texts. Unlike the fixed set of Āṅgas and Upāṅgas, the Prakīrṇakas have varied over time and across communities, with no single agreed list.

Key points:

• They are mostly in Maharāṣṭrī Prakrit and deal with practical and devotional topics, often in verse.
• The texts are generally shorter and more miscellaneous in nature, covering subjects such as the four refuges (pagāla, i.e., the refuge of the Arihant, Siddha, Sadhu, etc.), renunciations, fasting, devotional hymns, and various practical teachings.
• In practice, many Śvetāmbara traditions recognize a core set of ten Prakīrṇakas, but other lists exist and some texts shift in status over time. The exact titles and the number of texts can differ between regions and scholarly editions.
• Digambar and Śvetāmbara communities differ in how they view and use these texts: Śvetāmbara lineages commonly list and study the Prakīrṇakas as part of their tradition, while Digambar canons emphasize other agamic groupings, and the Prakīrṇakas do not have the same canonical standing there.

If you’d like, I can share a simple overview of the commonly accepted Prakīrṇaka titles and their general themes in your preferred Jain tradition (Śvetāmbara or Digambar) and language.

You can read more about these Prakīrṇaka-sūtras here