Sapta Bhashi Atmasiddhi

SR No.: 002593
Original Sutra Author: Shrimad Rajchandra
Author: Pratapkumar J Toliiya, Sumitra Tolia
Publisher: Jina Bharati Bangalore
Publication Year: 2001
Total Pages: 226
Language: Sanskrit, Hindi, Gujarati,
Classification: Book_Devnagari, Spiritual, & Rajchandra
File Size: 21 MB

Page 209

(७) सप्तभाषी आत्मसिद्धि
167
SAPTABHASHI ATMASIDDHI
APPENDIX A
SRIMAD RAJCHANDRAJI Mahatma Gandhiji's Spiritual Guide
Rajchandraji at Bombay. The Postal Discussions went on. Srimadji sent him not the books of Jainism but Gandhiji's own Hinduism such as BHAGVADGITA, YOGVASISTHA MAHA RAMAYANA, PANCHADASHI, etc. and replied with analytic depth and logic, Gandhiji's important questions and doubts. These have come out in a booklet form in Gujarati and now in English.
One of the replies on God, Atman and Universe:
There in the solitary caves of ancient seekers' abode Idar in Gujarat, remained deeply absorbed in his Meditations and Self-Realisation forgetting his Physical entity, a very great but very much hidden, very much unassuming and very much publicity-evading soul, just a century before.
He used to run his practical business of Jewellery at Bombay just to fulfill his worldly obligations and duties, but
host of his time passed in solitude at Idar and other lonely places. He transformed his realisations and the spirit of Ahimsa and Anekanta into every inch of his living practice.
He was the great and unique modern Jain Seer of this age SRIMAD RAJCHANDRAJI, the spiritual Guide of MAHATMA GANDHIJI, the unequalled present pathseeker of salvation, who was living only for Self-Realisation as Gandhiji himself wrote about him in his Autobiography:
"God is Atman, free from all bonds of Karma. Atman, in its pristine state, is pure consciousness, total intelligence, all-strength, all-knowledge. There is no first cause mightier than or exterior to the Atman in its pure, pristine state.
"Both the Atman and the Universe are eternal - without beginning and without end. My reason cannot envisage either final extinction or permanent liberation of all Atmans nor dissolution, in the sense of utter annihilation, of the entire cosmos. Both Cosmos and the Atmans are in a perpetual state of flux, and will endure for all time." (Translated by Gandhiji's secretary Pyarelalji.)
"He was a man of great character and learning. He was also known as a 'SHATAVADHANI'.... The thing that did cast its spell over me I came to know afterwards. This was his wide knowledge of scriptures, his spotless character and his burning passion for Self-Realisation. I saw later that this last was the only thing for which he lived."
It was again the impartial greatness of Srimadji that he did not advise or even indicate Gandhiji to convert into Jainism, but Gandhiji himself got influenced at his hands into the main spirit of AHIMSA-the heart of Jainism.
Impartial Srimadji wrote to Gandhiji:
"I do not have any partiality, whatever religion you belong to. I only wish that you should follow such a religion, such a code of conduct, such a devotion that may lead you to eradicate the blemishes of worldly life..........!"
Such and other letters are the treasure and testimony of the Unique greatness, secular spirit and religious generousity and tolerance of Srimad Rajchandraji.
[---"The Story of my Experiments with Truth"; Part II, chapter 1, pp. 112-13]
Gandhiji was so much impressed by him that, as he himself said, he did not find any religious person of Srimad Rajchandra's status in the current times in India. He himself learnt the first lesson of Ahimsa-Non-Violence, Compassion & Mercy from him. On one occasion of Srimad Rajchandaji's Jayanti at Ahmedabad, Gandhiji publicly paid tribute to Srimadji's greatness in these words:
"For several years, I have been in search of a religious man in India, but I have so far not come across any person who could compete with Srimad Rajchandrabhai. He mostly used to say that he did not belong to any sect or tradition or fragment, nor did he intend to limit himself to them. These are all sub-religions, the "limited" ones, while religion is 'Infinite' or 'limitless', which cannot be defined at all!".
Mahatma Gandhiji's Spiritual Heir and Great Secular Scholar and Initiator of Sarvodaya-Bhoodan Movement Acharya VINOBA BHAVE has paid glowing tribute to this unparallel greatness of Srimad Rajchandraji in one of his Marathi Letters dated 17-11-1935, written from Pavnar near Wardha. He has written:
"Raichandbhai became instrumental in strengthening Bapu (Gandhiji)'s faith in Hinduism this, a service which had naturally taken shape at his hands but from the view point of public, was his best act. In my opinion, his superb service is to manifest in himself, a burning zeal for Self-Realisation".
Srimad Rajchandraji played a very great role in guiding and stablilizing Gandhiji, the then Barrister M.K. Gandhi, in his early days in East Africa, into his own fold and faith of Hinduism. Influenced and encircled by the Clergymen in Africa, the Barrister's foundation of his own faith was shaken, he had become wavering and was even going to be converted into Christianity. He wrote at length to Srimad
GANDHIJI'S FIRST ACQUAINTANCE WITH RAJCHANDRAJI
Before going in depth about Gandhiji's various impressions and writings or speeches on Srimad
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