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

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

Page 391

02 - Virchand R. Gandhi
F06 Story - Contemporary Jain Legends
Jainism, yoga, Indian systems of philosophy, Indian culture, occultism, and spiritualism. He qualified as a barrister in London at one of the inns of the court, but did not use this qualification for monetary gain. Virchand Gandhi talked about the doctrines of Jainism in such a coherent manner that some newspapers published the texts of his lectures in full. He had the most effective way of handling the otherwise difficult terminology of Jainism. He had an extraordinary ability to clarify his statements in a consistent and logical manner. At the conference, he made a brief but striking presentation on the fundamentals of Jain religion. He expounded Jain religion in its main aspects in the categories of Jain philosophy, Jain way of life, and Jain code of conduct. Another special characteristic of Shri Virchand Gandhi's lectures on Jain religion was that they did not deal in criticism of other religions. Free from sectarian preferences and prejudices, his impartial ideology is an apt expression of the Jain who practices non-violence in life and Anekänthväd in thoughts. His discourses convinced the elite of America of the fact that Jain religion has an authentic and rational religious tradition. His speeches received extensive publication in several leading newspapers. Shri Virchand Gandhi was a great exponent of Indian culture and religion in addition to being a brilliant scholar of Jainism. His speeches at the parliament echoed the true spirit and culture of India. The prevailing belief in America was that India was a country of tigers, serpents, magicians, and kings. Christian missionaries also presented a distorted picture of the people of India. Shri Virchand Gandhi and Swami Vivekananda made a great effort to give the people abroad the true perspective on India. Explaining the importance of Indian culture to foreigners, he said, "It is an astonishing fact that foreigners have been constantly attacking India, and in the face of all those aggressions the soul of India has stood vital and watchful. Her conduct and religion are safe and the whole world looks at India with a steady
gaze."
Shri Virchand Gandhi was not a dogmatic person. He spoke as a Jain, but he forcefully defended Hinduism from the attack of Westerners at the Parliament. After all, he was first Indian, then Jain. He received a warm reception and was shown the highest appreciation from clubs, literary and church societies, philosophical branches, and spiritual associations in the U.S. and other countries. His lectures also served to educate the Western society regarding the salient features of Indian culture. Five decades before the independence of India, Virchand Gandhi had a prophetic vision. He said in one of his lectures, "You know my brothers and sisters, that we are not an independent nation. We are subjects of Her Gracious Majesty Queen Victoria the "defender of the faith", but if we are a nation in all that the name implies with our own government and our own rulers, with our laws and institutions controlled by us free and independent, I affirm that we should seek to establish and forever maintain peaceful relations with all the nations of the world." Virchand Gandhi was not only a philosophical thinker, but he also had the welfare of the nation at heart. He collected a shipload of grain and about 40,000 rupees ($10,000) in cash for famine relief in India in 1896 while he was in the U.S. In America, Virchand Gandhi founded various societies, such as
• The Gandhi Philosophical Society • The School of Oriental Philosophy
• The Society for the Education of Women of India The secretary of the latter institution was Mrs. Howard who had adopted pure vegetarianism, practiced sämäyika daily, and followed other codes of conduct of Jainism. In England, he founded the Jain Literature Society and taught Jainism there. Mr. Herbert Warren, a religious enthusiast, abandoned nonvegetarianism and adopted the Jain religion. He summarized Virchand Gandhi's lectures and published a book known as "Herbert Warren's Jainism". Literature Published by Shri Virchand R. Gandhi or complied from his Speeches:
Year Published Language Pages
Title
Compendium of Jainism - 2015
Page 391 of 398