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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16. Literary Critic Shri Jugalkishore Mukhtar "YugVeer"
Introduction: Shri Jugalkishore Mukhtar-YugVeer has served the Jain culture, Jain literature and Jain society in the beginning of this century. He was a learned literature, and literary critic. He has left an indelible impression in the Jain community by his good deeds and service to the society. He did not mind much for wealth or honor. He served the Jain society taking it to be his first duty. This was really remarkable. His book "Meri Bhavna"-my desires, intentions, - will remain in the minds of the people eternally. There is no doubt in it. He was a foremost research scholar in indology, a successful critic, a composer and a writer. He has obliged the Jain culture in many ways. He was a great lover of great Digambar Acharya Shri Samant Bhadra of second century and he has contributed very much to bring to light the literature and life of Shri Samant Bhadra. He created literature for about seven decades and has fulfilled his nickname of YugVeer in all respects.
Birth, Childhood and Learning: He was born in 1878 at Sarsava (District. Saharanpur of Uttar Pradesh). Chaudhary Natthumal Jain Agrawal was his father and Shrimati Bhoidevi Jain Agrawal was his mother. He started to study Urdu and Persian at the age of only five years. Alongwith this, he was learning Sanskrit and Hindi in Pathshala. His teacher Maulvi Saheb was also surprised to see the intelligence of the child Jugalkishore and he thought that this must be due to extra-ordinary grace of the goddess of learning-Saraswati. Ordinarily, it was to be ten years to learn Urdu and Persian languages but Jugalkishore learnt it within a few years. The teacher used to quote the example of Jugalkishore while teaching other students. The young boy Jugalkishore was so much interested in turning that Shri Balmukund, the postmaster of the town used to teach him English in his spare time. He studied Jain scriptures in Jain Pathshala also alongwith all these study. He studied at Sarsava upto standard five and then, was admitted to the Government High School at Saharanpur where he studied upto standard nine. He passed standard ten by private study. Jugalkishore was studying Jain scriptures with deep interest very regularly. At Sarsava, he was reading Dash Laxani Parva-a religious chapter from his childhood. He was married at the age of 13 or 14 when he was yet studying and thus, he was a family holder even at his young age. While studying in Jain Pathshala at Sarsava, he had started writing and in the beginning he wrote in Jain Gazette. By and by, he began to compose poems. He liked "Anitya Panchashat" book published from Sholapur very much. He read it repeatedly with interest and then translated it in Hindi in poetic form. Jugalkishore was much interested to learn and after his wife was with him, his personality came to limelight. His wife contributed very much in his achieving advanced learning. He studied Hindi and Sanskrit in Hakim Ugrasen Pathshala at Sarsava. He mastered these languages very shortly because of his unusual ability of grasping what the teacher taught. As soon as he was well in Sanskrit language, he turned to study Jain scriptures. He committed to memory the Ratnakarand, Shravakachar, Tattvarth Sootra, Bhaktamar Stotra and other preliminary scriptures of Jainism. With the reading of old books on religion, he had desires to study more and more into these subjects and this lead him to go for research in ancient scriptures. His knowledge of Jain scriptures went on increasing day by day so that he had deeper and deeper faith in Jainism. When he was studying English in Std. IX at the Government school at Saharanpur, an incident took place and he had to suddenly leave the school. Jugalkishore was reading Jain scriptures very regularly on all days. He had written, "None is allowed to enter with shoes" at the door of the room of the boarding house in which he was staying and he did not allow any one to enter his room with shoes
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