Jain Journal 1972 10

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

Page 14

OCTOBER, 1972
through the Sangha for the acquisition and preservation of old manuscripts which were in danger of being lost or destroyed. The true scholar that he was, the Acarya loved ancient literary works and spared no pains to rescue them from oblivion.
In 1926 (V. S. 1982) at Buhari, he composed his Vairāgyarasa-manjarī in Sanskrit containing about 700 couplets. In these inspired slokas he exposed the selfishness of all worldly relations and the impermanence of material things, and thereby showed the superiority and abiding character of spiritualism.
At this juncture, unfortunately his Gurudeva, passed away at Jalalpur, near Navasari. Without the guidance and holy patronage of his Gurudeva, the Acarya felt like a spiritual orphan for a long time. But gradually he got over the great grief and shock. In 1928 (V.S. 1984) he returned from Surat and proceeded to Bombay for Căturmās at the Godiji Jain Temple. In 1929 (V. S. 1985) he went to Savarkundala in Saurastra.
In 1931 (V. S. 1987) he stationed himself at Kapadvanj for his Caturmās. As prescribed in Jaina canons, he believed in the possibility of celibacy being observed by married men and women and held it out as an ideal to be followed. His preachings in this respect proved effective.
The question of Bäl-dikṣā (initiation of young boys and girls into monkhood) was agitating the public mind at this time and there were opposing schools of thought. When the Government of the Gaekwar (Baroda) State intended to pass the Bāl-dikşā restraining Bill in 1932 (V. S. 1988) 75 leading Jaina Munis met at Chhani to oppose the move. Labdhisurisvarji took a leading part in that struggle. He had always held that so long as the boys and girls were earnest in their hunger for the higher life of spiritualism and service to humanity and they had the full consent of their parent there was nothing wrong in giving them dikşā.
Labdhisurisvarji next turned his footsteps to Rajasthan where he spent two Cāturmāsyas during 1935-36 (V.S. 1991-92) and subsequently revisited the State in 1938 (V.S. 1994) remaining there till 1940 (V. S. 1996) travelling extensively on his mission of converting criminals and fighting against the evil custom of female infanticide.
In 1944 (V. S. 2000) he went to Cambay where Sri Keshvial V. Kapadia, one of his devoted followers undertook a Sangha, that is,