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The Man
About a century ago, there lived in the village of Balshasan in Bhoyani Taluka of Ahmedabad District, a noble Pitambardas Ugarchand, serving as an agent of the small State of Rajpur. He enjoyed a measure of affluence and was well placed in society. Pitambardas was a man of sterling character and with a most benevolent disposition towards all. So was his wife, Motiben, whose kindness was the byward of the village. Their first son was Khodidas. In 1884 (V.S. 1940) Motiben gave birth to her second son, who was named Lalchand and who was later to blaze a trail of glory in the Jaina religious and literary firmament as the Pujya Acarya Sri Vijay Labdhisurisvarji Maharaj. Both parents bestowed their full love on Lalchand and strove for the development of an integrated personality in him.
FRANK MORAES
In Balshasan all that existed by way of a school at that time 'was an old type Pathsālā run by a Brahmin Pandya. Lalchand was admitted into this institution.
Having completed his primary education in the village, Lalchand became keenly interested in further studies. He pressed his mother (as his father was dead when he was only nine) to send him to Manasa, where better facilities existed. She was unwilling in the beginning but she consented at last. Lalchand commenced his further studies at Manasa.
Lalchand's spiritualistic inclination had manifested at an early age. While he was yet in his home village, Balshasan, the learned Muni Kamal Vijayji Maharaj, later known as Acarya Sri Vijay Kamal Surisvarji Maharaj, halted there for a short period on his way to Ahmedabad. Lalchand attended his lectures regularly. He was inspired by the holiness and the fiery oratory of the Munisri. Slowly but surely his mind was filled with the ideas and aspirations of a spiritual life. At last he decided to renounce the world and urged Kamal Vijayji to adopt him and initiate him as his disciple. But Kamal Vijayji advised him to become mentally more mature and to take the final decision after due thought and deliberation. This was in 1898 (V.S. 1954).
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