Jain Journal 1976 04

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

Page 48

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JAIN JOURNAL
Matriculation examination at the local school. He completed his higher education at the university of Allahabad, passing his M.A. in Sanskrit in 1923. He also graduated in Law, and for two years continued in the same university as a research scholar. At Allahabad he was an inmate of the Jain Hostel, where he with his fellow boarders like the late Dr. L. C. Jain and Jamna Prasad Kalaraiya, started the Jain Hostel Magazine, the like of which has not probably been owned by any other Jain Hostel, Boarding House, School or College. For the few years it lasted this magazine vied admirably with the contemporary Jaina Gazette (English).
In 1925, Hiralal was selected for the Provincial Educational Service of the erstwhile Central Province and was appointed lecturer in Sanskrit at the King Edward College Amraoti, which he served for the next twentyfive years or so.
His first work was the critically edited Catalogue of Jaina Manuscripts in the Jaina Sastra Bhaṇḍāras of Karañjā, which he had prepared at the instance of the Government of C. P. and was published by the latter. In 1928 appeared his Jain Silalekha Samgraha, Vol. I, published by the M.C. Jain Granthamala, Bombay. Pandit N. R. Premi, the Secretary of that Series, was an admirer of the young Hiralal and always encouraged him in his work. The young scholar, in his turn, regarded Premiji as his guru and guide and evinced great consideration and affection for him. Despite differences of opinion in certain matters he was always respectful towards Pt. J. K. Mukhtar, Pt. Sukhlal Sanghwi and other elderly scholars, and a loving and helping attitude towards his juniors. In 1939, appeared his Jain Itihas-ki Purva Pithikā and Hamara Abhyutthan. By that time he had already become seriously engaged in editing the voluminous Dhavala commentary of Swami Virasena, written on the canonical Sutras entitled Sat-khandāgama Siddhanta which had been compiled by Acharyas Puspadanta and Bhutabali, about the beginning of the Christian era. Owing to the untiring zeal and hard work put in by Professor Hiralal, more than a dozen big volumes of that very important work of the Jainas have seen the light of the day for the first time. The present writer was among the first to study the early volumes of this monumental work of Prof. Hiralalji, and wrote several articles, particularly on the date and place of composition of the Dhavala and its author Swami Virasen, differing materially on several relevant points from the Professor's findings. But, the latter took no ill and continued to be rather more affectionate and friendly, although he probably never agreed with my conclusions. When, about 1955, the Prakrit and Jaina Research Institute was founded at Vaishali (Muzaffarpur, Bihar) with the munificience of Sahu Shanti