Comtemporary Jain Legends

SR No.: 007736
Original Sutra Author: N/A
Author: Atmanandji Maharaj
Publisher: Shrimad Rajchandra Ashram
Publication Year: 2015
Total Pages: 183
Language: English
Classification: Book_English, N000, & N025
File Size: 1 MB

Page 102

Shri Rayshibhai of the age of 17 was granted Dixa in the large presence of many saints, mendicants and nuns of all-around Jain Sangh. Rayshibhai established Shri Gulabchandraji Maharaj as his great teacher and adopted the name of Shri Ratnachandraji Maharaj. His formal Dixa celebrations were held at Mundra after seven days.
Deep Study and Rigorous Penance:
His feelings of detachment duly held since childhood was now becoming stronger. He kept himself fully engaged in the study of religious books and meditation. After regular Dixa at Mundra, the Sangh started to go to Mandvi (Kutchchha). He started with the study of the Sanskrit grammar at Deshalpur village on the way. This was the first day of bright half of the month Ashadh and then completed the first part of Siddhanta Chandrika by studying under the learned gentleman Shastriji who had come from Jamnagar. He completed second part of Siddhanta Chandrika in 1899 at Anjar. Alongwith this, he studied Raghuvansh, Shrutbodh, Vrutta Ratnakar and other scriptures. His power of memory was very strong. He was very intelligent. Hence during the monsoon of 1900 at Jamnagar and that of 1901 at Junagadh, he completed the study of Siddhanta Kaumudi, Shishupal Vadh, Kuvalayanand Karika and other books by studying under various learned men Shastrijis. In the next six months he studied very deeply the TarkSangrah, Nyaya Bodhini, Nyaya Dipika, Nyaya Siddhanta Muktavali, Sadhanika and Dinkari. These six great books are considered to be very difficult for study. This was not enough. He further studied grammar books of Manorama, Shabdendu Shekhar etc and many other books viz. Anuyogdwar, Chandra Pragnapti, Surya Pragnapti, Dash Vaikalik etc. During the four months of monsoon of 1904 at Anjar he studied English, Arithmetic and Astrology. He completed study of Panch Laxmi, Siddhanta Laxan, Ras Gangadhar, Sankhya Tattva Kaumudi, Nyaya, Sahitya, Darshan Shastras etc. by staying under the famous scholar Shastri SahshiNath Jha of the Mithila City before the monsoon of 1905 spent at Khedoi. While moving in villages of Kutchchha after the monsoon of 1905 at Khedoi, he was caught by the disease of small pox. He could recover from it after some months. He then studied Vyutpattivad; Shaktivad, Sadharan Hettavabhas and other scriptures under very well learned Shastri Balkrishna Mishra at Chotila. This was the last study in the Nyaya Shastra and it ended in 1908.
Thus he completed ten years of his Dixa-life at the age of 27 in hard studies but he was caught by eye-disease when he was spending his monsoon at Jamnagar in 1900 and he had now to wear spectacles. Even after this he remained sick of fever, smallpox, obsesses, ear and throat troubles of and on. Even with all these troubles, he continued his studies and other activities and thus showed his detachment towards his body. He held high character and ideal behavior at all times.
Service to Literature:
He started developing his power of concentration since 1907. He started writing Bhavna Shatak and Kartavya Kaumudi in Sanskrit during the monsoon of 1908. He was unusually intelligent, he could grasp difficult subjects very easily and he could anticipate circumstances very well. He went on earning success after success and could acquire power to perform eight avadhan, 17 avadhan and 50 avadhan during the first year itself (these are all sorts of religious rites). He could mind to several things at a time and this is an exceptional power in human beings. The man possessing extraordinary power of memory only can achieve from such a success.
He had received inspiration and encouragement from Pandit Shri Gatulalji, Pandit Shri Shankarlal Maheshwar and Shrimad Rajchandraji who had adopted a few years before. Because of his deep study, continuous thinking, repeated meditations and unusual power of understanding, he could acquire power to perform one hundred very shortly. After sometime he made experiments of this power at Gurukul Panchkula and since then he was known as Bharat Bhushan and ShataVadhani.
102