Gandhi Before Gandhi

Author(s): Bipin Doshi, Priti Shah
Publisher: Jain Academy Educational Research Center Promotion Trust Mumbai

Page 187

A GANDHI BEFORE GANDHI
Followers And Foreign Friends
Herbert Warren : This noble personality, initiated by Virchandbhai can be called an ideal Jain
Mrs. Howard: Just as sister Nivedita was follower of Swami Vivekananda, Mrs. Howard was initiated into the Jain religion by Mr. Virchand Gandhi. It was his virtuous contact that turned Mrs. Howard into a pure vegetarian and a strict Jain.
As Shri Mohanlal Dalichand Desai writes: To see an English gentlemen giving up eating meat totally, heartily following the Jain rites, in a limited but truthful manner, having complete intellectual faith in the Jain philosophy and getting deep into religious study is a matter of great joy.
Shri Virchandbhai had inaugurated an organization in England called 'Philosophical Society. Through this Society, he had run classes to impart comparative knowledge of Jainism, Hinduism Yoga and Buddhist Philosophy. Herbert Warren attended these classes. He had kept notes of Virchandbhai's lectures at these classes. Whatever he imbibed from those lectures was enough to keep his faith steady in the Jain Darshan, he published a book called 'Jainism' based on these notes. Pandit Fatehchand Lalan wrote the forward and blessed this book
Shri Gulabchandji Dhaddha has made few entries in his diary about Virchandbhai's activities in America, He writes: 'After Shri Gandhi returned from America. I met him at Ajmer. We were both there to deliver a speech. During this meeting, Shri Gandhi showed me a letter from a senior officer of the postal department in Chicago.
The letter said, "I had been cured of my headache by chanting the Navkar Mantra, in a ritualistic manner as directed by Mr. Gandhi. Due to some mistake on my part, the headache has reappeared. Please give me proper guidance." This is an excellent example for those who do not believe in the propensity of a Mantra Shri Gulabchandji Dhaddha further writes: 'At that time Shri Gandhi showed me the photograph of an American lady (who was perhaps Mrs. Howard). She was performing "Samayika", dressed in the Indian attire, sitting on a mat (technical term "Katasan.") with the Mahaputti (a strip of cloth to cover the mouth) in her hand. She had a rosary in her hand. Shri Gandhi told me that when this lady chanted the Neckar Mantra for a month, according to the special instructions of Shri Vijayanandsuri, she remembered her previous birth and told us about several incidents of life during her previous birth in India'
After the demise of Virchandbhai, this society was closed down. Mr. Warren was, however the real seeker. So, whenever he had a doubt on any religious question, he used to correspond with the Jain Shravaks in India and get his doubt cleared. He thus came in contact with Pandit Lalan, Shri Hiralal Jhaveri, Shri Govindji Mulji Mahewani and Shri Makanji Juthabhai
Mr. Warren was eager to see that Jainism was propagated on a large scale in UK so that his countrymen would appreciate the ideals of Jainism. So he started in London a Jaina Literature Society. Through that Society, he took up the activity of getting appraisal of Jain Philosophy books written by English scholars and publishing them. In order to practice the Jain way of life, he also started an organization called' Mahavira Brotherhood'or Universal Fraternity
Virchandbhai had founded an organization called The Society for the Education of Women of India. The secretary of this society was Mrs. Howard. She wrote to VRG in 1896, "But I am more concerned for poor India. Why should Christianity, which is a failure here, be thrust upon India.?"
These attempts invoke the memories of the intense attempts of Virchandbhai to propagate Jainism
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