Niryuktis

The Niryuktis are short commentaries on 10 of the 12 original sacred books of Jainism. These commentaries are traditionally attributed to Bhadrabahu I, a Jain religious leader and monk who died in 298 BCE. Bhadrabahu is also associated with the Digambara sect of Jainism.1

The Niryuktis are considered the earliest commentaries on Jain canonical texts. They are written in Prakrit and are concise, metrical commentaries that led to an expanded body of texts known as Bhashyas and Churnis. These later texts, composed between the 4th and 7th centuries CE, contain ancient Jain legends, historical traditions, and popular stories that support Jain doctrine. The concept of karma, a fundamental tenet of Jain doctrine, explains how actions attach to the soul and bind it to physical bodies through many births, impeding the soul's liberation.23