Jain Journal 1978 07

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

Page 11

D.Litts. With his death, this one-man institution of higher studies in Jainism is unfortunately closed. The well-known Indologist late Dr. Vasudeva Sharan Agrawal had very rightly said "Pandit Sukhlalji is not an individual, but an institution by himself. Whatever may be the name and gotra of his body, he has made 'Sarasvat' as his gotra". Panditji himself used to say that though by birth he was a Vaishya, by his pursuits he had become a Brahmana. The writer himself was fortunate in being called by Panditji as more of a Brahmana than a Vaishya.
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It was but natural for the activities and attainments of Pandit Sukhlalji that he was loved and honoured by all, who met him, heard him and read him. He was invited by different Universities from time to time to deliver lectures, he was given awards now and then by various organisations; he was awarded D. Litt (honoris causa) by the Gujarat University in 1957; he was felicitated by an All India Felicitation Committee under the presidentship of our internationally renowned philosopher and the then Vice-president Dr. Sarvapalli Radhakrishnan at Bombay in 1957; he was elected as President of the Jain and Prakrit section of the All India Oriental Conference at Lucknow in 1951. However, all these honours did not mean very much to Panditji. According to the writer, the most appropriate epithet used for Panditji was 'Mahaprajna' as called by late Dr. V. S. Agrawal or 'Prajna-Caksu' as called generally by all.
It is pity that Panditji did not write his autobiography which would have really been a very valuable book for the coming generations. All persuasions by his friends and disciples proved futile in making Panditji agree to complete his autobiographical notes, which he had written on a few occasions. While on this subject, he always felt and said "I have not been able to live fully according to my ideas regarding aparigraha and jivan-śuddhi and, therefore, I feel diffident in writing the account of my life." In fact, Panditji always spoke more about his short-comings and failures than of his abilities and attainments. Writing about Helen Keller, the outstanding Blind of the world and comparing himself with her, Panditji used the same words as Helen had used for herself"my life story is the creation of my friends." So modest and humble was Panditji.
Panditji is dead but death does not diminish his immortality in the annals of Jain Philosophy. Let us pray that his life and thought will continue to inspire and guide us for all time to come in the direction of progressive thinking and moral elevation.