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

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the path of true knowledge and high behavior to the uncultured and wandering villagers. He preached the young and the old, the rich and the poor, Jains and non-Jains, men and women without discrimination of caste and creed and showed them the way to true knowledge and salvation.
Practices for Spiritual Meditation and Services to Society:
After adopting Dixa, he turned to do the works of public welfare after his daily routine deeds of study and religious-rites including meditation. He, therefore, became much popular among the people. Even the rulers of Vadodara, Idar, Mansa, Pethapur etc were impressed by the preachings of Shri BuddhiSagar Maharaj and they had put up ban on hunting, drinking wine, gambling, violence etc. on certain specified days. They took several vows under the advice of this great saint. The committees of learned awarded him the title of ShashtraVisharad (expert in Scriptures) A mendicant should not stay at one place and accepting this guide-line, Shri BuddhiSagarji went on moving continuously from place to place and village to village. He was, however, very much attached to three places:
Boriya Mahadev near Vijapur. Here he met a dedicated mendicant Shri Sadanand Saraswati who imparted advanced knowledge and gave better guidance to Shri BuddhiSagarji Maharaj.
· Idar- a famous and old town of Sabarkantha District. Here there are rows of small mountains, lonely caves, dilapidated and ruined temples etc which attracted this Yogi. He spent several weeks in this region for deep meditation and muttering of religious phrases and hymns on rosary.
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Shri Kesariyaji holy place of south Rajasthan. Here is also deep forestry where loneliness is very easy. He could meet here Baba Hrushbhdev-Kala Baba who was respected by the people of all the 18 castes throb whom he could get deeper experience of spiritual peace. He spent many days in this region for meditation in loneliness.
Became Acharya: Expansion of Religion:
He was awarded the title of Acharya in 1914 in the presence of hundreds of Jains and many Jain Sanghs. Acharya Shri BuddhiSagarji was mainly interested in expansion of knowledge and good behavior in society, how to increase self-confidence, create brotherhood and make the people aware of their duties towards their country, community, society, region, animals and the world at large. He had come to Ahmedabad respecting the pressure of Sheth Lalloobhai Rayji of Ahmedabad after the monsoon of 1907 and preached many groups of Jains and non-Jains. He held spiritual discourses with Lala Lajpatray, ruler of Limbdi, Collector and Commissioner of Ahmedabad and other littleattached class of people belonging to Hindu, Swami Narayan, Sthanakvasi and Arya Samaj. He cleared off their doubts and explained them the thoughts of Truth, non-violence, renunciation and liberality covering the eternal facts of this and future lives.
Expansion of Spiritual Knowledge and Service to Literature:
He established Adhyatma Gnan Prasarak Mandal-an institution for expansion of spiritual knowledge of Mansa in 1909 which is the day of special respects for knowledge (Gnan Panchmi) with a view to convey the message and preachings of Lord Mahavir to common people in distant small villages. The institution worked according to its name and has published about 125 great and small books on Gujarati, Hindi, Sanskrit and Madadhi and the special aspects of this series of books are that the books include the subjects of philosophy, history, yoga, spiritual practices like meditation, muttering of holy names, non-speaking, commentaries, translations, biographies, sketches and so on. These books are not for the people of particular or special classes or castes but are meant for the lowest to the highest persons like little learned persons, pleaders, doctors, professors, learned persons,
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