________________
23. Agamoddharak Shri Ghasilalji Maharaj
Introduction:
Jain Acharya and a literary giant Shri Ghasilalji Maharaj was a great intellectual in Sthanakvasi Jain community. He was truly detached with worldly affairs and was famous for his deep study of Jainism. Major part of his life was engaged in writing commentaries on Jain scriptures and various literary activities. There is hardly a mendicant who has worked so much as Shri Ghasilalji Maharaj in the near past for literary creations and scriptural writings. He was a beloved disciple of the great Acharya Shri Jawaharlalji Maharaj. He has enlightened several key-issues in Jainism and Jain literature and has established his profound ability and very deep thinking. His literary creations reflect his holy, restrained and vowful life. His personality is evident from his thinking and his way of life.
Birth and Caste:
Shri Parasram and Shrimati Chaturabai were his grandparents; while Shri Kaniramji and Shrimati Vimlabai were his parents. The family had good agricultural land and property. The family was very happy and known well in the village. He was very simple at heart. They were eager to help others. He earned money by honest and truthful ways. The family was devoted to god. Shrimati Vimlabai was duly faithful to her husband; she was good-natured and was loved by everybody. Pandit Ghasilal was born in 1885 at Banol village near Jashwantgadh in Mewar region, which is well known for giving great warriors to the country. Shri Ghasilal's personal appearance was impressive. He was fair with shining face. Anybody who saw him predicted that the boy would be a great man in future. The astrologers said that the boy would have extra-ordinary fame in all matters of life. The parents fixed his name as Ghasilal, which was as per his birth-time stars.
Education and Culture:
Ghasilal did not go to any school for learning. He learnt everything from nature only. Every place was a spiritual school for him and all moments were his study-time. The world is an open book for great men and every event, every change and every thought brings new teaching for them. The child Ghasilal, thus, studied in the lap of nature. He learnt the virtues of tolerance, real, renunciation, satisfaction, and appreciation of other's virtues, fearlessness, simplicity, equal feelings for all and selfsupport from nature itself. The people of the village were also giving him their love naturally as if they knew the future of this boy.
Ghasilal used to think deeply on all events of his life as also of others. He was playing usual games with other boys but his attitude was exclusive. He went away in nearby forests to think about life and nature. He would sit under a tree for hours together. He lost his father at the age of ten and mother at the age of 12. As if the nature wanted him to be self-supporting from his early life.
Great men look at miseries with interest. They think that some way will emerge from these difficulties. Ghasilal also cultivated the virtues of patience and tolerance from his boyhood. He was staying with one of his relatives at Jashwantgadh. Acharya Shri Jawaharlalji Maharaj came in the nearby village Tarpal in those days after completing his monsoon at Udaipur. He had a small group of his disciples with him. The boy Ghasilal happened to meet him there. Ghasilal was deeply influenced by his preachings even though he heard religious sermons for the first time in his life. Seeing all these detached persons with Acharya Shri Jawaharlalji Ghasiram also turned to adopt the life of renunciation. Ghasiramji expressed his desire to adopt Dixa and then Acharya Shri told him how the life of a mendicant was full of pains and troubles. Acharya Shri told him, "It is very difficult and painful to follow vows but that is the only way to be free from the bondage of deeds". Ghasilalji atonce replied, "I shall suffer all pains with total determination to follow the restrained life because restraint
122
