Question

Which of the following is not a holy book of Jainism?
A. Anga sahitya
B. Upang sahitya
C. Sutta pitaka
D. Kalpasutra

Answer 1

Hint: The text that contains the teachings of Mahavira are known as Agamas. They are the literature and the scriptures of Svetambara Jainism. These texts or religious books had to be memorized since they were not allowed to be possessed even by Jain monks and nuns. These books are written for future generations.

Complete answer: Around 500 A.D when lord Mahavira died, Jain Aacharya realized that it was extremely difficult to memorize the entire Jain literature which was compiled by various scholars of past and present. The literature had already been lost or polluted with modifications and errors hence they decided to document the Jain literature which was known to them.
Jain literature is divided into two major categories: Agam literature and non-Agam literature.
-Agam literature consists of the original scriptures which are written in Prakrit language while the non-Agam literature consists of the explanation of Agam literature and is an independent work compiled by nuns, monks and scholars. They are written in various languages such as German, Gujarati, Prakrit, Sanskrit and English etc.
Agam literature is further divided into:
-Ang Agams or Ang Pravista Agams: these texts include the direct preachings of Lord Mahavira. They are orally compiled into 12 main texts or sutras and these texts are regarded as Ang Agams.
Further, it includes Ang bahya Agams which is the expansion of Ang Agams.
The Ang Bahya Agams contain the Upang Agams. These are the texts which also provided the explanation of Ang Agams and there are 12 Upang agams.
Now we will discuss the remaining two books that are Sutta Pitaka and Kalpasutra.
-Sutta Pitaka is a body of text containing the Buddhist doctrines and principles. The content of Sutta Pitaka is attributed to Gautam Buddha himself. The Sanskrit work in the body of literature is divided into four collections known as Agamas. The Nikayas section in the literature comprises the Pali text.
-Kalpasutra is one of the most important texts of Jain tradition. The first part narrates the early lives of Jainism about how they renounced their worldly pleasures and seek enlightenment. The second part praises the early Jain teachers. The text exists in various regional languages such as Gujarati and Hindi and is often used by monks in daily practices.
Therefore Ang Sahitya, Upang Sahitya and Kalpa sutra are the Jain literature while sutta Pitaka belongs to the Buddha literature.
Hence, the correct answer is option- C.

Note: Mahavira teachings compiled and transferred from gurus to the disciples. Sahitya in Jainism is known as Agamas, under this, it has 12 Anga and 12 Upang. The religion scriptures were considered as holy literature therefore they had to memorise the knowledge and it was never documented.