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________________ 58 GANADHARS AND ACHARYAS 12 Acharya Hemchandra Acharya Hemchandra was born in 1088 A.D. in the Modha Vanik (merchant) caste in the town of Dhandhuka, sixty miles from the city of Amdavad in Gujarat State, India. His parents were Chachadev and Pahini. While Pahini was pregnant, she had a beautiful dream. She narrated her dream to Jain Acharya Devasuri who was in Dhandhuka at that time. The Acharya predicted that Pahini would give birth to a son who would make great progress in the areas of spiritual knowledge, conduct, and logic. When her son was born, she named him Changdev. Jain Eucation International 4.0 CELLE Various incidences from Acharya Hemchandra and King Kumarpal's life JAIN STORY Book
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________________ ACHARYA HEMCHANDRA The next time Acharya Devasuri was in Dhandhuka, he saw Pahini carrying her son. He said to Pahini, "Let me take care of this brilliant son. He has the potential of being a great spiritual leader." Pahini refused to relinquish her son to him. The Acharya persisted and reminded her that her son would become a famous monk and would glorify the Jain order. He requested her to sacrifice self-interest and love for the child for the good of the people at large. Finally, Pahini surrendered and gave her son to the Acharya. He initiated Changdev into Jain monkhood and renamed him Somchandra. Somchandra was very intelligent and very quickly mastered various philosophies, logic, scriptures, Nyaya, grammar, and more. Simultaneously, he cultivated excellent virtues like forbearance, tolerance, holiness, simplicity, discipline, chastity, and generosity. Somchandra was incomparable in administration and efficiency. Acharya Devasuri made Somchandra an Acharya when he was only twenty-one years old and called him Hemchandra Acharya. The fame of Hemchandra's knowledge gradually spread everywhere. A higher and noble form of culture was established due to the efforts of Hemchandra and the cooperation of King Siddharaj of Gujarat. When King Siddharaj died, Kumarpal succeeded him. King Kumarpal and Hemchandra Acharya were to enjoy a life long relation of teacher and disciple. The seeds of this spiritual relation had already been sown. Acharya Hemchandra had predicted seven years back that Kumarpal would become king and he had once saved the future king's life. Kumarpal considered Hemchandra his spiritual teacher (Guru) and benefactor and gave him exceptional honor. Kumarpal sought Hemchandra's advice in shaping his kingdom, and in a very short time Gujarat became a center of non-violence, learning, and good culture. In his efforts, Hemchandra did not think of the development of his own career but always of the welfare of all citizens. However, some Brahmins were very jealous of Hemchandra Acharya's influence over the king and they tried to disgrace him and Jainism. They approached King Kumarpal and criticized, "Hemchandra Acharya is a very egoistic person and has no respect for Hindu Gods." King Kumarpal was not ready to accept these accusations against his spiritual guru. To prove their point, the Brahmins requested King Kumarpal to invite the Acharya to the temple of Lord Shiva. They sought to humiliate the Acharya in front of the king since they believed that he would not go to the temple and bow down to Lord Shiva. When Hemchandra Acharya appeared, King Kumarpal said, "We will go to the temple of Lord Shiva." He accepted the offer without any hesitation. The Brahmins, barely able to conceal their joy, were delighted that their plan was working. To the surprise of the Brahmins, Hemchandra Acharya bowed down in front of Lord Shiva and said, "Bhavbijankura janana Ragadyaha Kshaymupagata Yasya; Brahma Va Vishnurva Haro Jino Va Namastasmai." "I am bowing down to that God who has destroyed passions like attachment (Raga) and aversions (Dvesha) which are the cause of worldly life whether he is Brahma, Vishnu, Shiva, or Jin." By this modest act, Hemchandra Acharya proved his noble attitude in his willingness to respect other faiths and pray to the virtues of other deities. This generous attitude is inherent in Jain philosophy. Jainism does not hold itself superior to other religions, but as peacefully coexisting with them. Under Acharya Hemchandra's influence King Kumarpal accepted Jainism. He prohibited violence and the killing of any animals in his kingdom. King Kumarpal made many laws that nurtured Jain religion. Vegetarianism was found not only in Jains but also in all the people of Gujarat. JAIN STORY BOOK 59 www.lainelrary.org
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________________ GANADHARS AND ACHARYAS Acharya Hemchandra composed several literary works consisting of many verses. He was the first to put non-violence on a political platform and he was the architect of the greatness and unification of Gujarat. In the field of metaphysics, he was a Yogi. His work Yoga-shastra, a treatise on yoga, is very famous. People called him 'Kali-kal Sarvajna' meaning 'all knower in the present era of darkness'. He died in 1173 A.D. at the age of eighty-four. Jain culture still shines bright in Gujarat due to the influence of the literary works contributed by the great Acharya Hemchandra. Mother Pahini's sacrifice of her love for her son is very praiseworthy. It is a great gift to the Jain religion. It is because of Hemchandra Acharya that Kumarpal accepted Jainism and became a Jain. It is because of this that Jainism and vegetarianism flourish in Gujarat. Hemchandra Acharya's contribution of numerous literary masterpieces is a treasure for us. Only by studying these books, we can pay tribute to him. 60 JAIN STORY BOOK Jain Education international