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F06 Story - Contemporary Jain Legends
01 - Shrimad Räjchandra - 1867 to 1901
"Apurva Avasar" was his last major compilation. It is the most divine poem in which Shrimad expresses the fourteen stages of spiritual progress for ultimate liberation. Apurva Avasar was incorporated into the prayer book in Gandhiji's Ashram. The complete works of Shrimad contain more than thirty five poems and almost 950 letters which were written to various people who came in contact with him. They are compiled in a text called "Vachanamrit". A high level of spirituality is evident in his writings. If one delves deeper into his literature, one will notice that his writings provide excellent discourses for attaining self-realization leading to liberation. Mahatma Gandhi was very impressed by Shrimad's spirituality and lifestyle. He accepted Shrimad as his spiritual guide with great respect and reverence. When Gandhiji was in South Africa, he was under intense pressure from his Christian and Muslim friends to adopt their faith. He wrote to Shrimad for guidance. Shrimad's guidance convinced him of how his own faith, Hinduism, would ensure his spiritual progress. Gandhiji has written reverently about Shrimad in his autobiography and has paid glorious tribute to him on several occasions. He often revealed that he learnt compassion for all beings and nonviolence from Shrimad. According to him, Shrimad's life and spiritual writings impacted him more than Tolstoy and Ruskin. Spiritual Progress Shrimad did not have a spiritual teacher in his life. At the age of seven, when he was able to recall his past lives, he clearly remembered his association with Lord Mahavir in a previous life. In 1891 A.D., at the age of 23, Shrimad realized samyag darshan. He continued to enhance his progress by slowly detaching himself from the material world, deeply studying scriptures, strengthening virtues, refraining from worldly pleasures, and remaining in meditation for longer durations. He started to stay at lonely places outside Mumbai for more than a month at a time. In the beginning, there were many obstacles in his way because he needed to perform his duties as a house holder and as a businessman. From 1896 A.D., he often spent several months in isolation in the woods of Uttarsanda, Idar, and Kavitha, where he would eat only one meal during the day and sleep very little. He spent his time in deep meditation and attained a highly enlightened state of self-realization at the age of 28. He retired totally from business at the age of 31 in 1899 and requested his mother to permit him to renounce the worldly life permanently to become a monk. Unfortunately, his mother denied him out of love and affection. However, after two years of clever persuasion, he was hopeful of his mother's permission, but by this time his health had deteriorated, and he could not recover. He died in 1901 A.D. in Rajkot at the very young age of thirty three. Followers Though Shrimad tried to keep his spiritual personality completely private, several people accepted him as their guide to achieve ultimate liberation and devoted their lives to him. Some of his closest followers were:
Shri Sobhagbhai Almost 350 of the 950 letters of Shrimad Räjchandra were written to Shri Sobhagbhai, who was about 40 years older than him. In the very first meeting, Sobhagbhai recognized Shrimad as a highly self-realized person and accepted him as his true guru. He was simple in his behavior and serious in devotion. He was a native of Saila, a town near Rajkot. Based on his request, Shrimad composed the epic poem "Atmasiddhi-shästra" so that it would be easier to memorize. Shri Sobhagbhai attained self-realization and died in deep meditation (samadhi). Shri Laghuräj Swami Shri Laghuraj Swami was a Sthänakaväsi Jain monk and one of most devoted disciples of Shrimad. As a monk, his devotion to Shrimad caused him great problems from the Jain community. Shri Laghuraj Swami attained self-realization during Shrimad's presence and then established the Ages Ashram near Vadodara. The ashram can take credit for preserving Shrimad's writings and making it available to the Jain community at large. Ages is an important place for Shrimad's
Compendium of Jainism - 2015
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