Aspirants Guide

Author(s): Atmanandji Maharaj
Publisher: Shrimad Rajchandra Sadhna Kendra Koba

Page 92

Once he was examining his own work "Kartavya-Kaumudi", when he was staying at Palanpur for four months of the rainy season in the year 1915 A.D..
He felt the need for an expert to go through the book and revise it, so that it might become more useful to a larger section of the society. Coincidentally, Pandit Shree Sukhlalji, another Jain scholar, was also in Palanpur.
HUMILITY
Pandit Sukhlalji was not a Jain monk but he was the well respected Jain scholar of the present century. He was born in Gujurat, India. He lost his total vision while he was sixteen years old, yet he attained to the highest scholarship which was publicly recognized by the government of India. He lived a long, simple, useful, and pious life. He gave many years of his services to Gujurat Vidyapith, an institution pioneered by Mahatma Gandhiji. He died on March 3, 1978 in Ahmedabad, the industrial capital of the state of Gujurat.
Shree Ratnaraj Maharaj requested Pandit Sukhlalji to review his book with him. Pandit Sukhlalji stayed in a house outside the town and it was not possible for him to go to the monk's residence (Upashraya) again and again for review purpose. He therefore suggested that the work be revised only at his residence. Even though Shree Ratnaraj Maharaj was a monk, he was very simple by heart as well as humble, and hence agreed to the proposal. At a fixed hour daily he went to the residence of Pandit Sukhalalji and read the book chapter by chapter. He noted all his comments on the book. The review was over within a few weeks.
If Shree Ratnaraj Maharaj had asked Pandit Sukhlalji to come to the Upashraya, then other Jain followers (Sangha) could have arranged transportation for Sukhalalji to come to Upashraya. However, Shree Ratnarajaji was very humble and had no pride of his status. How could such a great soul put Pandit Sukhalalji to inconvenience ?
VINAYA
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