________________
250
INTRODUCTION
preceptor died on Făgan Vad 12th 1860 at Ahmedabad Pandit Sri Vīravijaya was greatly devoted to his Guru. His major works are Prasna-Cintamanix in Sanskrta (1868) and Surasundari Rāsa (1857), Dhammila Kunvara Rāsa (1896) and Candrasekhara Rasa (1902) and commentary on Adhyātmasāra of Upādhyāya Sri Yasovijaya in Gujarāti. Amongst his minor works are Subhaveli being the biography of his Guru in verse, Pūjās, Sajjāyas and Stavanas. The hymn of Sri Mahaviraswami's 27 births is of fine lyric quality. His Pūjās specially Panca Kalyāņaka Pūjā (1889) contain pieces of beautiful lyric poetry. There is a Viravijaya Nirvāņa Rāsa written by his pupil Rangavijaya which gives authoritative information about his life. He lived at Surat during the monsoon of 1871. There yatis quarrelled with him apparently on the question of Tithi-Date i. e. which dates should be considered authoritative by the Jains and contended that Viravijaya was wrong. They even went the length of going to Court on such a flimsy pretext, but there Sri Vīravijaya successfully proved that his opinion was correct. Now this dispute arose really because Pandit Sri Vīravijaya was a Samvegi or Reformist Sadhu in the line of the great Reformist Sri Satyavijaya Pannyāsa (Pandit). In 1878 a member of the Dhundhiā or Sthānakavāsi section which was opposed to idol-worship filed a suit against the members of Visā Srimāli caste of Ahmedabad and V vijaya was the leading Sadhu cited there as a witness. The sādhus of the other sect were also cited. There Vīravijaya successfully proved that idol-worship was in accordance with the Jain sacred scriptures. He was very learned in canonical literature and publicly expounded such abstruse philosophical work as Sri Višeşāvaśyaka Bhāsya with commentary. Since 1865 when an Upāśraya was built at Bhatthini-Pole Ahmedabad, Viravijaya whenever he came to Ahmedabad stayed there, and it came to be known after his name.
See V. 6 which shows his having successfully performed Sadhana of Sarasvati;"
"श्री शारदा शरदशर्वरीशविभाविराज्यज्ज्वलकायकांतिः। ममोज्ज्वलध्यानपथावतीर्णा वाणीमपूर्वी विमलां तनोतु ॥"
Jain Education International 2010_03
For Private & Personal Use Only
www.jainelibrary.org
