Aspect of Jainology Part 2 Pandita Bechardas Doshi

Author(s): M A Dhaky, Sagarmal Jain
Publisher: Parshwanath Vidyapith

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grown up boy, Bechardas's educational career began at first at Sanosarā and continued next at the Jaina Pāțhaśālā at Māņdal. Bechardas had a desire to study Sanskrit at Kasi; but the mother could not bear this separation and had feared that he might possibly join the order of the monks there. Under very trying conditions he next started studying Jaina works at Pālitāṇā under the guidance of Muni Siddhicandra-vijaya and next the preliminary Sanskrit at Mehsāņā. Ultimately he managed to reach Vārānasi, the Seat of Samskrta learning. There he eventually studied works on grammer, logic, literature and the Sanmatiprakarana of Siddhasena Divākara, a notable work on Jaina epistemology. He also studied Prākşta and its different forms such as the Ardhamāgadhi, the Šauraseni, the Paiśāci and the Apabhramśa. On returing to Gujarat, by his learned essays read at the academic conferences and by his published notes, he impressed such stalwarts as Anandshankar Bapubhai Dhruv and Sir Manubhai Mehta, the Divān of Baroda State. He was offered a position which once C.D. Dalal occupied at the Oriental Institute; however, being a notionalist, he decided to join Gujarāt-Vidyāpith, the institution that was founded by Mahatama Gandhi.
After this he revisited Benares. this time to study the Nyāya-darśana in depth and also the other ancient Indian philosophical systems such as the Sankhya, the Vaišeşika and the Vedānta. Alongside these studies, he collaborated with the great Prakritist Pt. Hargovindas Sheth in editing the Yasovijayaji Jaina Granthamālā. Alongwith Pt. Sheth and Dr. Satish Chandra Vidyabhusan Pt. Bechardas next went to Sri Lanka to study Pāli and the Buddhist Tripitaka. This further expanded his horizons of perception and of doctrinal and philosophical learning. Pt. Sheth and Pt. Doshi then returned to Benares and resumed editing the Yasovijayaji Granthamālā. After further mastering the Prākstas there, he next seriously took up the study of the Jaina agamas and began translating these into Gujarati in the Punjābhāi Granthamālā in Ahmedabad. This activity met with stiff oposition by the orthodox Jaina clergy and their stubborn sectarian layfollowers. His bold article in Gujarāti entitled "A Propos of the harm done due to the deformation of the Jaina Canon" generated an unprecedented unheaval in Śvetāmbara Jaina Church. Ignoring all resistence he recklessly wrote a next article titled "Angry eyes of the Ecclesiastical world". As a result, he was excommunicated from the Jaina Church ! He consequently lost his position at the Mahavir Jain Vidyalay, Bombay. His next article the "The swimming in Darkncss by the Jaina world" further jeopardized his career. His rebellion cost him enormously. At this juncture Mahatma Gandhi supported his side by saying that one must not forsake truth if he is so convinced about his stand. Then on, Pt. Doshi joined hands with Pt. Sukhlal Sanghvi in the memorable editing of the Sanmatiprakaraña of Siddhasena with the monumental commentary of Abhayadeva Sūri at the Gujarat Vidyapith. From 1922 onwards, this was to continue for several years.