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scripture in the hands of Gujarati Samaj. He, thus, followed a welcome practice. In this achievement he proved himself to be a highly learned personality as also hi skill of composing poetry.
Loneliness and Separation from Religious Trend:
Having done all these works, he was not at peace. He wanted to keep himself in loneliness. He went to the bank of river Narmada and observed absolute silence with total loneliness for about one year. He remained as if he was a piece of wood. After this, he published a statement on being inspired by the light or inherent power that he received from this penance. He expressed revolutionary ideas to create society on the basis of principles of religion. As a result, the Sangh, which had granted him Dixa, disapproved him as a mendicant and boycotted him. But Mooni Shri Santbalji was one of those Sadhus of the whole of India who wanted to change those parts of religion which were not useful to society and which were detrimental to the interests of the society, simultaneously preserving the good parts of the religion based on truth and also preserving the composite unity of Indian culture. Even though the Sangh boycotted him, he maintained peace and patience. He continued to live life on the original principles of Jainism coupled with the thoughts and behavior of his own sect of Sadhu life. He continued to move from place to place, beg for alms and unexpectedness as a Jain mendicant and yet stopping forward to his determined goal of life.
Experiments in Social Service:
His discovery of life was not to practice religion by moving away from society. He promulgated good of society with at of individual and good of self with that of the other. He was fully determined to be with the people and he moved in totally backward villages of Bhal-Nalkantha region of Gujarat where even drinking water is scarcely available and put in new thinking, new light and new courage in the ignorant people of this unproductive region. He worked with motherly love among the poor, ignorant, illiterate, rejected, neglected and helpless people. They were suffering from the cruelty of moneylenders, land brokers, coolie practices, blind faith and evil practices of the society. He made it meaningful the line of a poem: Let me be mother of the whole world and shower love over every one. He created centers for constructive work. He consolidated the villages, low caste persons and women together and drew them for self-honor and pride.
He started co-operative and drew them for self-honor and pride learning, encouraged Khadi and cottage industries, adopted improved agriculturing, led them to maintain cows, activised village panchayats, started the system of arbitration for village quarrels, pressed for Lok Adalats for dealing with some more serious disputes, committees to absolve discarded persons, mother-communities, clinics, experimental unions, farmers unions, cowherd's unions, self-labor, village industries, laborers union and several other institutions. Mooni Shri Santbalji inspired and encouraged people to keep themselves together and work with co-operation.
Villages were dependent upon others and Mooni Shri Santbalji gave them the programme for earning bread, housing, clothing, education, health, justice and security so that they might be self-supporting.
He made all possible efforts to secure democratic administrative system, non-violent and religious minded society, clean and honest dealing and hard-working attitude in the people. He created hopes and faith in these people by his own virtues, restraint and the power of penance. He took the people to stand up with faith that they could do something for others. He told them that they had to swim by their own boat. He brought then out from the beliefs of destiny. He continued to inspire these people continuously for 45 yeas and ordinary people did extra-ordinary works under the guidance and inspiration of Mooni Shri Santbalji. He poured new light in villages and the meek villagers came out with the force of their own. Mooni Shri did not confine himself within the limitations of practical behavior in society, he did not consider immediate profit or loss like a trader but thought with long
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