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F06 Story - Contemporary Jain Legends
01 - Shrimad Räjchandra - 1867 to 1901
01 - 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, thinker, and 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 full-moon (Dev-Diwali) of the month of Kärtik, 1924 V.S. (November 9, 1867) in Vaväniä, Morbi district, Gujarat. His parents were Ravajibhai and Devabä. 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, Devaba, 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 Jain religion was of the highest order of truth and equanimity. An incident that took place when he was seven years old that 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 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. However, he continued to learn and read many books on his own. After his elementary education, he worked in his father's shop and conducted the business honestly and sincerely. He composed his first poem at the age of eight and started writing poems and articles related to social issues for publication in the local newsletters. Despite his young age he wrote serious articles on social reform subjects like the need for improving female literacy rates, child marriages, and the display of wealth by the rich. He also composed poems with nationalistic zeal. At a very young age, he had the supernatural ability to foresee what was likely to happen and he helped some people by saving them from possible disasters. By the time he was 18, he had become a very proficient astrologer. He was able to identify books merely by touching them and know the taste of food without tasting it. Along with developing all these extraordinary abilities, he became very compassionate towards all living beings and a was strong promoter of non-violence.
Compendium of Jainism - 2015
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