Brief life sketch of Atmaramji Maharaj

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

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be put to music, in fact all of them have been put to music and are still widely sung in the temples. Starting from 'Atam Bavni' which he composed in vikram Samvat 1927, he went on to 'Jin Chaubisi', 'Satran Bhedi Puja', 'Bis Sthanak Puja', 'Asht prakari puja', 'Nav pad puja' and 'Sanatra puja'. The word 'puja' should not mislead anybody. It is not taken in the narrow connotation of a ritual ceremony. In all of them, the poet feels ecstatic at the highest bliss achieved by "Vitrag' or 'Parmatma' and expresses a yearning for attainment of the same bliss. He feels sad that he is still in the bondage of 'karma' and has not attained liberation from the evil pain of birth and death. He places himself in the hands of 'Parmatma' as he is like an innocent child who needs be led, and helped. The songs of the poet have a quality of spontaniety, an effervescence of pure souh and leave the listner in to such an emotional state that he feels himself transported in some ethereal world. Singing these hymns is truly an experience. .
As an archaelogist, he looked at the old libraries situated in places like Patan(Gujrat) and Khambat, and inspired Jain laymen to keep their proper maintenance. He had some useful manuscripts copied and sent them to different places. He himself made use of them for reference purposes, as in Khambat where he completed his book 'Agnan Timir Bhaskar'. It may be mentioned here that these Jain libraries, or 'Gnan Bhandars' as they are known, not only keep Jain literature but also house what may be called secular literature or literature belonging to other sects and religions. Indeed these libraries have shed valuable light in the construction of history of the by gone times.
As already mentioned, Punjab was in the grip of 'dhundia' sect of Jainism and so the few Jain temples wore a deserted look and had become the private property of Yatis or the Poojs. Shri Atmaramji Maharaj inspired Jain layment to have new temples built and nowadays, if we see this region dotted with the temples, it is all the work of Shri Atmaramji Maharaj. He got a link established between Gujrat and Punjab and quite a number of idols were sent from Gujrat to Punjab for worship. He himself presided over the establishment of a temple for worship, which in Jain temminology is called 'Pratishtha'. The last of such 'pratishtha' by him was in Vikram Samvat 1953 at Sankhatra (now in Pakistan) when he was 59 When it was pointed out to him that a number of temples have already been constructed for worship purposes, he said that from then on he proposed to set up 'sarswati mandirs', the temples of learning. For this
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Shri Vijyanand Suri Swargarohan Shatabdi Granth