In Jain traditions, “scriptural authority” (śruta-pramāṇa) refers to the status, reliability, and interpretive weight of canonical and post-canonical texts used to understand the path to liberation. Jainism maintains a long, multi‑layered textual heritage, beginning with the teachings attributed to the tīrthaṅkaras, preserved through oral transmissionDraft overviewOral transmissionIn Jain traditions, oral transmission refers to the processes by which teachings, narratives, disciplinary rules, and philosophical doctrines were preserved, memorized, and conveyed before the widespread use of written m…, codified in canonical compilations, and elaborated through commentariesDraft overviewCommentariesIn Jainism, “commentaries” (often termed **ṭīkā**, **vṛtti**, **bhāṣya**, **vārttika**, or **niryukti**) are systematic explanations of earlier authoritative texts, especially sūtras and āgamas. They form a crucial bridg…. Scriptural authority is not monolithic: Digambara and Śvetāmbara traditions preserve different canons, classify texts differently, and debate the boundaries of authenticity.
Within classical epistemologyDraft overviewEpistemologyIn Jain philosophy, epistemology (pramāṇa-śāstra) is the disciplined study of valid knowledge, its sources, limits, and conditions. It is foundational to Jain metaphysics and ethics because right knowledge (samyag‑jñāna)…, śruta-pramāṇa is one of the valid means of knowledge, grounded in the words of the omniscient (kevalins) and their immediate disciples. However, because no canonical text is believed to be the verbatim speech of a kevalin, authority is mediated through lineage, preservation, and interpretive tradition. The Śvetāmbara canon (Āgamas) is considered a surviving portion of the original teachings, while Digambaras maintain that the original canon was lost and rely on later but authoritative works such as the Ṣaṭkhaṇḍāgama and Kaṣāyapāhuda.
Scriptural authority also involves hermeneutics: how texts are interpreted, how contradictions are resolved, and how practices are justified. Commentarial traditions—such as AbhayadevaDraft overviewAbhayadevaAbhayadeva, more fully known as Acharya Abhayadeva Suri, was a prominent Śvetāmbara Jain monk and Sanskrit commentator who flourished roughly between the late 10th and the mid‑11th century CE. He belongs to the medieval …’s exegesisDraft overviewExegesisExegesis, in the context of Jainism, is the disciplined interpretation, explanation, and systematization of scriptural and doctrinal texts. It encompasses both the close reading of canonical Agamas and the extensive comm… for Śvetāmbaras or Virasena’s Dhavalā for Digambaras—play a crucial role in stabilizing meaning. Modern scholarship adds historical-critical perspectives, but within Jain communities, scriptural authority remains anchored in lineage-based transmission, sectarian canons, and the ethical aims of right knowledgeDraft overviewRight knowledgeRight Knowledge (samyag‑jñāna) is one of the three jewels (ratnatraya) of Jainism, alongside Right Faith (samyag‑darśana) and Right Conduct (samyak‑cāritra). Together, these form the essential path to liberation (mokṣa) … (samyag‑jñāna).