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I give all these details to indicate that the community - bonds were not loose in those days. One can understand that a part of the community was ready to punish even a person like Virchandbhai; but the conditions then were such that even those who kept up their relations with him would have to suffer from social boycott. All the same, when the Bombay Jain Sangh went against Virchandbhai's trip to Chicago, Shri Maganlal Dalpatram gave an amount he could not well afford as a financial help to fulfill the desire of hie Guru(Rev. Atmaramji). He also negotiated with the Sangh and saw that the plan went ahead. During the difficult days after Virchandbhai's return, he didnot break his relations with Virchandbhai but openly continued to dine with him, displaying great moral courage. He actually invited 200 guests for a public dinner with Virchandbhai and thus publicly kept up his relations with Virchandbhai.
The atmosphere becomes tenser. If a person doing his duty towards his religion and thus harassed, the true Dharma would be sullied and in future it might create an unhealthy precendent for others trying to sacrifice themselves for the true Dharma. To avoid this, some practically wise members of the community approached Rev. Atmaramji. and suggested that he should ask Virchandbhai to go through a penance or should suggest some other practical solution.
How could the revolutionary Acharya accept such a proposal? How could he punish the one who had performed his religions duty? A penance was supposed to be given to someone who was guilty of blemishes in character or in the knowledge of the darshana. That Virchandbhai had preserved all the rules the daily behaviour as a Jain (particularly regarding eating and drinking) was obvious from the contemporary newspapers of America.
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