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I am the Soul
In this light, the vihar from the year 1979, of Pujya Lalitabai Mahasatiji and her disciple nuns, of the order established by Pujya Pranlalji Maharaj of the Sthanakwasi Jain sect, was definitely a boon for the Jain community in the south. Between 1979 and 1988 before again becoming north-bound, the Sangha had conducted Chaturmas observances in Chennai, Tirupur, Bangalore, and Hyderabad, thereby generating a great awareness among the Jains in this region.
The highlight of this vihar - the travel on foot -- in the south, was the Chaturmas at Chennai in 1986. Pujya Dr. Tarulatabai Mahasatiji, the senior-most disciple of Pujya Lalitabai Mahasatiji, had agreed to deliver the Chaturmas Discourses. She chose the 'Atmasiddhi Shastra' as the topic and what followed was a golden chapter in the recent history of Jain literature.
The inspiration drawn from such illustrious personalities was instrumental in getting Sri Gujarati Swetamber Sthanakwasi Jain Association. Chennai to publish the discourses in the form of a three-volume set. The immense popularity of the publication and its repeat prints inspired the Association to set up the Research Foundation in Jainology, in which led to the establishment of the Department of Jainology at Madras University.
The present English translation is a culmination of the Association's joint effort with the Foundation, to make Jain literature available in a universally used linguistic medium. It is hoped that the publication will prove useful to readers and scholars across the world as a window to the world of Jain tenets.
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