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monastic community that withdrew away alienating him from the monastic mainstream. Considering it as a blessing in disguise, he treaded the mystic path as a solitary traveller for a couple of decades. It was a difficult trail full of obstacles that all great men come across in their lives aptly echoing the sentiments of the famous lines of poet Rabindranath Tagore,
'Go forth along your chosen trail, Care not, if no one heeds your hail'.
The intelligentsia in general and Jain community in particular came to know of his intellectual brilliance and spiritual wisdom through a series of articles - a forerunner of this book - published in the prestigious 'Bombay Samachar' in 1971. As already mentioned, its present book-form that came out thereafter continues to be well-received by readers and reviewers alike till today along with his equally popular work 'Atmagnan ane Sadhanapath' already referred to above.
He never acted like a 'Guru'. He peferred to be a friend, philosopher and guide. Seekers - Jain as well as nonJain continued to visit him till his last days and benefitted from his mature guidance and inspiration. He was ever-ready to help sincere seekers.
He was not interested in traditional religiosity and kept himself away from the ritualistic mores, yet he respected the norms of ordained life and its high ideals. He insisted on putting them in practice in a rational way. As much as he was against narrow-mindedness in thinking, he was equally resolute about the place of discipline in life and strict adherence to moral code of conduct. Notwithstanding his unorthodox approach, he firmly believed in the traditional values preserved in our cultural and religious heritage.
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