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OCTOBER, 1971
his field was open to every one who cared to come to him for any help and guidance in the direction of his specialized study. He was generous in extending all help to all. He never had any reservation or reticence of any kind in the sphere of knowledge, Thus, by giving more and more and requiring less and less, he fulfilled the basic duties and responsibilities of a Jaina sādhu in the truest sense. Even among scholars, we find quite often a spirit of isolation, a sense of arrogance and envy and a habit of holding secrets of knowledge to themselves but Muni Punyavijayji believed in sharing of knowledge and keeping the realm of knowledge free from bounds. He was an embodiment of 'sā vidyā yā vimuktaye'. This was a rare quality which Muniji had imbibed from his Gurus and handed over to his disciples and followers. His broad and catholic outlook, his perfect devotion to the true and the good and his absolutely unassuming behaviour with both equals and unequals was exemplary and en-nobling. Inspite of his interest in and attachment to the ancient works of learning, his commentaries, introductions and other writings bear the mark of his modern outlook. His findings were arranged, organised and accomodated in such a way that they could meet the requirements of the modern scholars.
His field of work did not confine to and end with the discovery, collection, research, editing and publication of the manuscripts. As an adjunct to his involvement in this field he also developed interest in paintings, inscriptions and coins, etc. He was also a connoisseur of the Jaina paintings and numismatics and was always ready to solve the problem if and when the same arose in these fields. He was actually a versatile scholar, always keen to seek, to understand, to apply and to achieve whenever and in whatever pastures he had the chance to enter. He was in the first line of the scholars of Prakrit texts and it was on account of his knowledge and ability and devotion to the study of Prakrit texts that the Prakrit Text Society was formed by late Dr. Rajendra Prasad when he was President of India. To have a comprehensive view and make a comparative study of Indian religion and Indian culture, he went for the study of the relevant and important texts of the Hindu and Buddhist religions also. This equipped him for a real scholastic and intellectual treatment of the subjects he took for study.
Muniji who was called Manilal before he was initiated in February 1909 was born in Kapadvanj in Gujarat on 27th October 1895 but had his primary education in Bombay, where his father Dahyabhai Dosi had gone for earning his livlihood. Unfortunately his father died when Manilal was only ten years old. His mother, thus widowed at the young age of only 27 years, was left alone with this son of ten years. She was very religious minded from the very beginning but this calamity made
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