________________
JAINA GAZETTE.
83
May Lord "Mahavira" inspire all Jains to work for the common end-the victory of Ahimsa Dharma, which consists in general toleration and universal brotherhood.
*
We are sorry to record the death of His Holiness Shri Madhabhinava Charukirti Pandit Acharya Mahaswami of Sravanbelgola, better known as Jaina-bidri, or Gomateshwar, or Gomat Swami, in the Hassan District of the Mysore State. He was 66 years of age, and had been a pontiff for 37 years. He had been elected a President of the Jaina Hitaishini Karnatik Prantik Sabha. He encouraged Samskrita education and had a Dharmshala and a Boarding House built at Sravanabelgola. He had the reputation of being a learned scholar of Jaina Philosophy. He breathed his last on the 31st March after an illness of about a week. We would impress upon his successor the sacred duty ef editing and publishing the Jaya Dhaval, and Maha Dhaval, the most ancient and authoritative Jain scriptures which are believed to be entombed in the dark underground cellars, and are the main objects of worship to the devout pilgrims. This is a sacred duty which he owes to the Jain religion and to the Jaina society; and we earnestly hope that he would set about discharging this most sacred of all religious trusts-the promulgation of the eternal truths of Jainism which his predecessor has left undischarged.
*
*
In Seth Amarchandjee of Rutlam, the unfortunate Jain community, has lost another great leader. He belonged to the Sthanakvasi sect. His views were liberal and tolerant. Union was his watchword, as it was that of Seth Chandmaljee of Ajmere. Both these gentlemen strove earnestly to bring about an amicable settlement of the unbrotherly and un-jain-like disputes about places of pilgrimages which have during the last 25 years done considerable damage to the Jaina community as a whole. We offer our condolence to the family members of the departed great men.
"Good comes out of evil" is a common saying, and we find that in the present distress arising from the wrongful Shree Sudharmaswami Gyanbhandar-Umara, Surat
www.umaragyanbhandar.com
