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commencement of vihara (moving out) from the 1968 Madras chaturmasa onwards. The Madras chaturmasa was unique in more than one respect. It became well-known and influential. His name and fame spread thru'out South India. The updhan penance at Kesarvadi, Madras was conducted under his spiritual guidance. He had more leisure there and used to recite the stotras on Rsabhadeva. He was reciting the Rsabha pancasika of Dhanapala.
One day Sadhvi Vacamyama Sriji requested our Pujya gurudev to recite Bhaktamara in the temple in the presence of the God. The congregational prayer of Bhaktamara started that day. Yes, the congregational recitation has come to stay. His sweet tone, clear and perfect pronunciation, pure devotion all changed the atmosphere during the recitations. When he was doing the consecration (anjan salaka) of Kunthunatha at Secundrabad at the time of application of anjan, Bhaktamara was heard in his ringing voice suddenly, like sudden ringing of bell. He proclaimed victory to Bhaktamara and Jainism. He undertook a one hundred and ninety one days of pilgrimage (a mahasangha yatra) to Sammetasikhara from Secundrabad, Andhra Pradesh with five hundred people. It was an adventurous venture indeed. Gradually The Bhaktamara turned for him the answer for every question and crisis. The meeting and journey of the day started with the recitation of The Bhaktamara. Bhaktamara thus reverberated from village to village, city to city, forest to forest and mountain to mountain. He had not concentrated on Bhaktamara literature especially kalpas till that time. Then he did a study of the kalpas. But he did it without expecting anything else. It was his daily sadhana. The auspiciuos Bhaktamara started echoing through out India.
Another pilgrimage was arranged to Palitana from Calcutta. During the pilgrimage The Bhaktamara resonated in the auspicious place of birth of Sri Adinatha at Ayodhya and in the most sacred tirtha of Satrunjaya. He completed the pilgrimage there, recited Bhaktamara and offered his devotion at the holy feet of Bhagvan. People used to travel hundreds of miles to hear and participate in the prayer, to get drenched in the rain of Bhaktamara. It is the medicine for many many sufferings. It flowed like high voltage current.
The power of Bhaktamara was manifest in the chaturmasa at Ahmedabad, Capital of Jainism. Guruji arranged the first worship (pujan) of Bhaktamara at Shantinagar, Ahmedabad and a sadhvi who was suffering from paralysis was asked to attend the worship after two days of ayambil and she was miraculously cured. Entire Ahmedabad drowned in the jinabhakti. The first puja of Bhaktamara conducted under the shadow of Lord Sumatinatha be recorded in golden letters in the history of Jainism. Pujya gurudev wanted to do all of it for himself. But the pujan attracted all the people well versed the rules of worship (puja pathaks). They started popularising the pujan in their own way. His fame spread far and wide. Later the worship was done at Bombay, Bangalore, Madras and Secundrabad. During the chaturmasa at Palitana a good young artist was spotted. His name was Sri Virendra. He was given the ideas and he submitted a few outline sketches at Bijapur chaturmasa. The pictures will help any devotee to understand Bhaktamara better. The outline sketches alone could
be completed by 1977 Madras chaturmasa. Years passed by. As rare gem COCOOOOOOOOOOOOOO93 Jain Education International 2010_04 spin Education international 2010_04)
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