$JES 904 Compendium of Jainism (Jain Academic Bowl Manual 3rd Edition)

Author(s): JAINA Education Committee
Publisher: JAINA Education Committee

Page 386

F06 Story - Contemporary Jain
Legends
01 Shrimad Räjchandra - 1867 to 1901
Family
At the age of 20,Räjchandra married Zabakben in 1888 A.D. Zabakben was the daughter of Shri Popatlalbhai Jagjivandas, the elder brother of Shri Revashankarbhai who later became Shrimad's business partner. They had four children. Their two sons were Shri Chhaganlal and Shri Ratiläl. Their two daughters were Smt. Javalben and Smt. Käshiben. Shrimad had a younger brother named Shri Mansukhbhai.
Shrimad Räjchandra became a partner in a gemstone business in Mumbai at the age of 20. He was absolutely ethical, honest, and compassionate in all his business dealings. In a very short time his business flourished because of his wisdom and business insight. His regard for truth, adherence to high moral values, and firmness to do what was right inspired many others. In 1899 A.D., he totally retired from business at the age of 31.
Power of Avadhän (Multi-Tasking)
At the age of 17, Shrimad had observed someone performing eight different tasks simultaneously, known as Ashtä-vadhäni, in Gujarati. He studied the method, and the next day he was able to perform twelve tasks. He soon improved his performance to be able to manage 52 avadhäns. When he was 19, he was invited to perform his avadhäns at a public meeting in Mumbai in the presence of the Bombay Chief Justice and other dignitaries. He successfully performed 100 avadhäns, known as Shatävdhän.
The 100 tasks included a variety of activities like playing cards, playing chess, counting the bell chimes, completing mathematical calculations, composing poems with different themes and specified sets of words, and arranging the order of words from 16 different languages which included English, Greek, Latin and Arabic (note that Shrimad's formal study included only Gujarati up to Grade 7 of elementary school).
This was an unbelievable feat, and the performance was given much publicity in all the major newspapers like the "Times of India" and "Pioneer". Shrimad was invited to go to Europe and demonstrate his extraordinary talents. This would have meant more fame and substantial material gain. However, he declined the offer because it would be extremely difficult to stay in Europe as per Jain religious standards. He would also be distracted from his main objective of spiritual progress.
By the time he was 20,his fame had spread throughout India, and he realized that he was achieving only material benefits for his amazing powers, which was not what he wanted from his life. He gave up all such activities completely and only concentrated on self-restraint, detachment from worldly matters, contemplation, and meditation to progress spiritually so that he could free himself from the cycle of birth and death.
Shrimad's Writings
In his early years, Shrimad composed poems and articles on social reforms, arousing nationalistic passion. When he was working in his father's shop, he had done an in-depth study of the Jain Ägams and scriptures after having learnt Sanskrit and Präkrit languages on his own at the age of 14.
At the age of 16, he wrote "Moksha-mälä" and its compendium "Bhävanä-bodh", which literally means "garland of liberation". True to its name, it deals with subjects that lead towards the path of liberation. It is written in a simple and easy to understand language, but explains the Jain religion in finest detail. Its 108 lessons were composed in three days!
Ätmasiddhi-shästra is an epic poem and the prime jewel composed by Shrimad in Gujarati in 1896 while he was in Nadiad, a town near Ahmedäbäd. On one auspicious evening, he composed 142 stanzas of Ätmasiddhi-shästra in one sitting of less than 90 minutes. The fact that Shrimad composed such comprehensive and all inclusive work within such a short time can only give us a clue of the depth of spiritual wealth he possessed.
The subject matter of Ätmasiddhi-shästra is the scientific characterization of the six fold truths of soul: its existence, its eternity, doer of its karma, the impact of karma on it, the nature of the pure consciousness, and its potential for attaining liberation from karma. It describes the Jain philosophy comprehensively and also shows how Anekänthväd allows Jainism to encompass all other Indian faiths. Many scholars have written an elegant commentary on the "Ätmasiddhi-shästra".
Page 386 of 398
Compendium of Jainism - 2015