Jain Journal 1976 07

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

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good and popular sadhu. However, as time passed, and his knowledge and experience grew, he realised that the sadhus at least in the particular sect to which he belonged attached far greater importance to ritualistic practices involving fasts, etc. than to quest for and acquisition of knowledge. Living under the various restrictions and limitations which he was expected to respect and obey, he did not see much scope for further exploration in the direction of knowledge. Consequently he suffered from a mental suffocation. While he was passing through such a state of mind, he came to know with great relief that sadhus in the Murtipujak fold were more inclined to acquisition of knowledge, and they also had the facility of learning grammar and linguistics, etc. from the learned Pandits who were generally Brahmins. This made him come out of the Sthanakvasi fold and accept the other namely the Murtipujak sect. It was not easy to do so, but he boldly faced all the impediments which came his way and got reinitiated as a sadhu in the Murtipujak sect. He was then 22 years old. The new name given to him at that time was Jinvijaya. Soon after becoming Muni Jinvijaya, he happened to meet Acarya Vijayaballabha Suri in Beawar and was greatly impressed by the formers erudition. Whatever he observed in the life of the Acarya and his surroundings opened new vistas of knowledge and learning before Muniji. He got inspiration for writing and wrote articles in Hindi and Gujarati which brought him recognition as a scholar and writer of merit. Subsequently, when he had his caturmasya in Baroda, he found the place and the people around to be very helpful for his advancement in the field of learning. It was here that Kumarapala Pratibodha, a great work in Prakrit, edited by him was published. This brought him further acclaim. He was then invited by the Bhandarkar Oriental Research Institute to go to Poona to help the Institute in its research work. In response to this invitation, Muniji made an arduous journey on foot to Poona, which took him four months.
JAIN JOURNAL
While in Poona, he came in touch with the great national leader, Lokmanya Tilak, whose political views accompanied by fire for freedom kindled a new light and created a new consciousness in Muniji. There he also had the opportunity to meet Mahatma Gandhi whose views on non-violence brought a great stir in Muniji's thinking. It was in 1919, when Gandhiji had just started planning for the non-violent struggle for independence, Muniji offered his services to Mahatmaji, as and when required for the national cause. Ever since then, Mahatmaji had Jinvijayaji in his mind and as soon as he decided to establish the Gujarat Vidyapith for national education at Ahmedabad, he called Muniji to join the said Vidyapith and Muniji instantly agreed to do so. He became the Director of Gujarat Puratatva Mandir under the Gujarat Vidyapith.