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Whenever he made up his mind to do a thing, nothing could obstruct him. He would not mind physical troubles. His journey from Gujarat to Benares was in no way an easy one. He had to walk all the way bare-headed and bare-footed; he had to cross forests and rivers which barred the way; he had to march through countries where the people were hostile; he had to walk sometimes the whole day to reach the next village; he had to go without food and drink sometimes. In Benares itself, the Brahmins were hostile and indifferent to him, in the beginning. But nothing could shake him. He was a true Jaina ascetic in patiently undergoing all sufferings (parishahas) for the sake of the object for which he left his home and became a Sannyasi.
AS A MONK
From the day when Vijaya Dharma Suri was initiated as a Jaina Muni till the moment of his leaving this world, he had before his mind's eye the example of Lord Mahavira and His ascetic-disciples. After becoming a monk he studied Sanskrit and Prakrit and the Jaina Canons and became a master of the Jain Literature. Having studied the religion he wanted to preach it widely to all people irrespective of caste and creed. So in addition to his sermons delivered before orthodox Jains, in the Upashrayas he also gave
lectures in the
Shree Sudharmaswami Gyanbhandar-Umara, Surat
www.umaragyanbhandar.com
