Book Title: Comtemporary Jain Legends
Author(s): Atmanandji Maharaj
Publisher: Shrimad Rajchandra Ashram

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Page 135
________________ out. It became so much popular that its 11 editions in Gujarati, two in Hindi and one in English were published. This book was highly appreciated by many learned persons and known mendicants. Mooni Shri Punya Vijayaji who was a famous editor of Jain scriptures wrote the preface of the 11th edition of this book. This great book was completed during the monsoon at Jamnagar in 1918 and it has immortalized Mooni Shri Nyaya Vijayaji. Nationalist and Reformative Approach: Mooni Shri Nyaya Vijayaji studied deeply the Indian literature and hence his views were advanced and liberal. He was much concerned about social conditions and national problems of his time. Many non-Jains came to him in his meetings and young boys and girls also heard him with interest. The monsoon of 1931 was spent in Mumbai and he had many memorable incidents during this time. He was strong supporter of wearing hand-woven cotton clothes, simplicity and bringing up low and medium classes of people. He himself was wearing hand-woven cotton clothes and advised his disciples and followers also to wear such cloth. He preached in favor of this. He always opposed silkclothes and said that just you behave well for your food, so you must adopt good behavior in wearing clothes also. The birthday of his great teacher Acharya Vijaya Dharm Sooriji was celebrated in Fort area of Mumbai in 1931 under the Presidentship of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel on large scale celebrations. The great deeds in the fields of Jain literature, Jain community, non-violence, avoiding meat-eating etc. done by Acharya Shri Vijaya Dharm Sooriji on all India level were highly praised by all in these celebrations. At the end of the celebrations, the sale of hand-woven cotton cloth came to be of about Rs. 5,000. But a large section of the society could not approve the reformative, revolutionary, truth-telling and compromising thoughts of Mooni Shri NyayaVijayaji and as such he had to spend about 26 monsoons after the views of Mooni Shree with real and co-operated with him in his activities of making literature. ose of vin the Jain Shri Mort Monsoons at Vadodara: He passed three monsoons of 1929, 1932 and 1933 at Vadodara. He could impress Maharaja Sayajirao Gaikwar with his deep learnedness, national thinking and outstanding ability to speak. He could get opportunity to express his clear and strong ideas on Child-Dixa, hand-woven cotton cloth eradication of Untouchability etc. When public opinion was sought on the regulation about Child-Dixa, all the Sanghs except those of Vijaya Dharm Sooriji and Vijaya Vallabh Sooriji had objected this regulation very strongly. But then the Jain Shwetambar Conference, Jain Yuvak Mandal, Pandit Sukhlalji, Shri Jin Vijayaji, Shri Mahasukhbai, Shri Mohanbhai Vakil of Padra and other prominent persons had supported such a regulation. The Shree Sangh of Bhavnagar and Atmanand Jain Sabha of Lahore had also supported this regulation and at last the bill was adopted. Thus, Child-Dixa was prohibited in Vadodara State. In the work of expanding use of hand-woven cotton cloth, i.e. Khadi, Shri Manilal Kothari and other prominent persons of the society supported Mooni Shri. They had advised to use Khadi on religious occasions. Maharaj Shree was kind towards neglected and untouchable people in the society and hence he had arranged for combined dinner party of higher and lower class people including Harijans, neglected class of persons and untouchables in the Harijan Vas, (locality where lower class people etc. are residing) near the Sarasiya Pond. In this way, the desire of the great Lord Mahavir to consider all the souls to be equal was fulfilled with the efforts of Mooni Shri NyayaVijayaji. Last Days: Mooni Shri NyayaVijayaji was of 69 years of age in 1959 and he was feeling very weak. In his last sickness, his ardent devotee Shri Ratilal Mafatbhai had pressingly asked him to go for change of air and atmosphere but Mooniji had strongly objected to it and Shri Ratilalbhai had to beg his pardon. He 135

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