Jain Journal 1968 01

Author(s): Jain Bhawan Publication
Publisher: Jain Bhawan Publication

Page 28

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JAIN JOURNAL
Hemacandracarya's 'Pramāņa Mimānsa' and Umaswati's 'Tattvärtha Sutra'. His various essays and articles written from time to time in Gujarati and Hindi have been compiled in three volumes under the title 'Darsan aur Cintan'.
2. Muni Jinavijayji: He was born as a Hindu Rajput in Rajasthan but was initiated into Jainism by a local Yati when he was in his teens. His original name was Kishan Singh, but after his initiation as a Jaina śādhu, he came to be known as Jinavijaya. His insatiable quest for knowledge took him to many places and many men. Everywhere he went with an open mind. He had no prejudices whatsoever. He had an innate desire and tendency for research. He became active in this field as early as 1914-15. He spent a long time in Baroda, carrying on research into the history and antiquity of Jainism. While working in this field he became conscious of his limitation for want of knowledge of English. He applied himself to the study of English and soon acquired a working knowledge of that language, which stood him in good stead. His devotion to research made him travel far and wide. He took arduous journeys to far off places to see and study the old works stored in Jaina Bhandaras which had valuable collections of books of philosophy, history, linguistics, etc. Wherever he went, his sole aim was to bring out the hidden works of great scholars. He received great impetus and help from Mahatma Gandhi also in this direction. Indefatigably he went on plodding in this rare field and this brought him soon the recognition from Western scholars. Prof. Hermann Jacobi invited him to Germany for his help in the study of some important works in Apabhramsa. Going across the seas, which could be possible only by a boat, was not permissible for a Jaina sadhu but the revolutionary spirit in Muniji could not be kept confined within the so-called rules of conduct prescribed for the munis and he decided to avail of the opportunity thus offered to him. He went to Germany in 1929 and stayed there for one year during which he learned the German language and studied the Jaina works he came across while in that country. It was a great experience for him. In Germany, he came in contact with scholars who had revolutionary ideas about society and its laws and he returned from Germany not only as an experienced scholar but also as a social revolutionary. In his speeches, he criticised some of the ideas and ways of life the Jainas were ordained to follow under the religious authority.
In 1931, he went to Santiniketan as Director of Singhi Jaina Jnanapitha and during the four years of his stay there, he organised the Singhi Jaina Series which was endowed by the late Bahadur Singh Singhi. He also served an imprisonment as a satyagrahi in 1932 for six months.