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SHRIMAD RÄJCHANDRA
38 - Shrimad Räjchandra
1867 to 1901
Introduction Shrimad Räjchandra was a great seer and one of the most recognized Jain sages of modern times. He has made priceless contributions to Jain philosophy and literature. He was a great philosopher, a brilliant poet, social reformer, a thinker, and a self-realized saint. Mahatma Gandhi was highly influenced by Shrimad's spiritual life. Shrimad's writings come from his experiences of life, and his teachings are widely followed by many Jain and Hindu aspirants seeking spiritual awakening and self-realization.
Birth and Childhood Shrimad Räjchandra was born on the auspicious fullmoon (Dev-Diwali) of the month of Kärtik, 1924 V.S. (November 9, 1867) in Vävania, Morbi district, Gujarat. His parents were Ravjibhai and Devbä. He was named Laxminandan at birth, but after four years his name was changed to Raichand. Later he became famous by the name of Räjchandra. Räjchandra's father and grandfather followed the Vaishnav (Hindu) religion. They were devotees of Lord Krishna. His mother, Devbä, was from a Jain family. Thus, the child Räjchandra was brought up under the unified culture of Jainism and Hinduism. As a child, Räjchandra was deeply interested in reading various books. Once he read the Jain pratikraman sutras and was touched by the feelings of kindness to animals and the expression of sincere forgiveness from each other during daily pratikraman rituals and the paryushan festival. He was drawn closer to the Jain faith because of the emphasis it places on self-knowledge, self-control, penance, renunciation, detachment from worldly affairs, and meditation. As a seeker of ultimate truth, Shrimad came to the conclusion that the philosophy and culture of
anches the Jain religion was of the highest order of truth and equanimity. An incident took place when he was seven years old that
Shrimad Räjchandra changed the course of his life. An adult acquaintance, Shri Amichandbhai, died of a serpent-bite. Young Räjchandra asked his grandfather, "What does it mean to die?" His loving grandfather explained, "His soul has left the body and he will no longer be able to eat, talk, or move. His body will be burnt outside the village." Räjchandra saw the dead body being burnt and slipped into deep contemplation. Suddenly, as if a veil lifted, he recalled his past lives. With this experience he realized the pains of repeated births and deaths from one life to another. This incidence became a major spiritual awakening point in his life to free himself from the bondage of karma and the life cycle of pain and misery. Räjchandra started his schooling at the age of seven. With his exceptional ability to remember exactly what he saw or heard or read once, he was able to complete the seven-year elementary school education in a mere two years. The village school provided only seven years of education and hence his formal education came to an end.
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