Brief life sketch of Atmaramji Maharaj

Author(s): S P Jain
Publisher: Z_Vijyanandsuri_Swargarohan_Shatabdi_Granth_012023.pdf

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and far-sightedness. To those who opposed the foreign travelling of Shri Vir Chand R. Gandhi, Shri Atmaramji said that the time was not far when their sons and daughters would go to foreign countries simply for the sake of enjoyment, although today they were averse to sending their representative for the sake of preaching of religious gospel. How prophetic have been his words in fact one cannot but agree with the comments in the report of World Conference of Religions "No man has so peculiarly identified himself with the interests of the Jain Community as Muni Atmaramji. He is one of the noble band who from the day of initiation to the end of life work day and night for the high mission they have under-taken. He is the high priest of the Jain community and is recognized as the highest living "Authority" on Jain religion and literature by oriental scholars".
A MULTI-COLOURED PERSONALITY Shri Atmaramji Maharaj was not only a religious head who took his
on with zeal and enthusiasm. He was a persuasive speaker, an effective debator, a distinguished author, an appealing poet, an inspirer of the construction of the temples, interested in the proper up-keep of old libraries known as 'Gnan Bhandars', an educationist who dreamed of temples of learning 'Sarswati mandirs', a reformer and a revolutionary, besides interest in many other things. In fact, he kept up the tradition of Shri Heer Vijay Suri, who influeneed the great Moghul, Akbar, of Shri Hem Chandra Suri, who was known as 'kalikal sarvagya' i.e. the walking encyclopaedia of the modern times. In view of this, he too was conferred with the honour of being an Acharya i.e. the highest religious authority, at Palitana, the famous pilgrimage Centre of Jains, in the year Vikram Samvat 1943 at the age of 49. He was the author of Jain Tattvadarsh' considered by some as his magnum opus, 'Tattva nirnay prasad', 'Agnan Timir Bhaskar', besides 'Nav Tattva', 'Samyaktva Shalyoddhar', Jain Mat Vriksha' Chaturth stuti Nirnay', Jain Prashnottar Ratnavali, and 'Chicago Prashnottar'. All these books have been written by him in Hindi although he was a scholar of Sanskrit, Prakrit, Upbharansha' (for the benefit of commen man). The use of medium Hindi, the language of the common man, is in keeping with the traditions of Jainism which has identified itself, not with the elite, but with the man in the street, so that the message of Jainism reaches far and wide and filters down to the lowest level. As a devotional poet, he may well be placed in the category of Tulsidas, Surdas & Meera. His compositions can be said to be lyrics inasmuch as they can
A Brief Life Of Atma Ramji Mahraj