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 76

He wrote his autobiography "Meri Jivangatha" and it has been much popular. Every devotee and mendicant needs to read it. The style of expression in this book is very simple but instructive. It preaches the reader in many ways. He has included many events of his life so effectively in this autobiography that it is read with interest by all and everybody. He began to write comments on Shlok-vartik very nicely but it could not be completed. His speeches are deeply meaningful and inspiring. These are useful for every mendicant and devotee. Varniji advised the prominent persons of the society to make donations for educational and religious institutions. He believed that the local persons should administer and maintain such institutions. The people will do a great service to society by such donations. He inspired rich persons to donate in very large sum of rupees. He has, yet, never taken money in his own hand. He always left the collection, security and use of money to the managers of the institutions. A Man of Determination: Varniji always maintained self-respect. Once Varniji was going from Drongiri to Sagar by public bus. He was on the front seat but after sometime a police officer came and wanted to sit on the front seat in the place of Varniji. Varniji was asked to move to back seat by the bus conductor. He observed that one becomes slave to these vehicles, thus he gave-up use of any vehicles for good. He stopped traveling by such vehicles after that incident and travelled by foot only. Varniji, thus, wanted that everyone must maintain his own personality, status, and respect. When Varniji came to Sagar from Isari in 1944, he had himself adopted the vows of tenth status. He had moved at several places around Sagar and created deep attraction and attachment for religious education.
While travelling on foot from Sagar, Varniji reached Baruasagar at a time when big religious celebrations were going on. Here he adopted minor Dixa on the seventh day of bright half of the month of Falgun in V.S. 2007 before the idol of Jain god and became "kshullaka". He traveled in Uttar Pradesh and Delhi in this condition itself. His diamond jubilee was celebrated with great pomp and enthusiasm at Firozabad on his return journey from Delhi region.
Shanti-Niketan, Isari (Parasnath): Varniji reached Sagar by travelling on foot after his diamond jubilee celebrations at Firozabad. He spent his four months of rainy season here. His preaching-lectures in these days were like the drops of nectar. He desired to be steady in holy and peaceful atmosphere in his advanced age. He wanted to live restrained life full of meditations, deep thinking and high reading. He started for the pilgrimage of Samet-shikhar after that monsoon with these thoughts in mind. On his way, he spent the monsoon of 1953 at Gava and after that he turned to Isari. He mostly stayed here till the end of his life. He deeply desired that he must lay his life at the foot of Lord Parshvanath in Isari and after his almost continuous stays at Isari, there was very good development. Many inns, Upashrayas-hall for meditation, worship and religious study, residences for Jain nuns, a Jain temple and a big lecture-hall were built up. Isari, thus, became an important place of pilgrimage for Jains with Varniji residing there. Many saints and mendicants stayed here for months and lived penanceful life. Many mendicants stayed here even after Varniji's death. Celibate Surendra-nathji was conducting selfstudy and other religious rites here. Number of celibates live here even today. Shravakas-Jain family-holders that go to the pilgrimage of Samet-shikhar drop here for a day or two to respect Varniji and haver Darshan (seeing) of saints and mendicants and for worship. Many religious souls like Baba Bhagirathji, Acharya Nemisagarji, celibate Nandlalji have adopted meditation unto death on this holy land and this place has become a place of worship for devotees and disciples of Jainism. People get peace of mind and inspiration to do good deeds with the Darshan of this place.