Life of Shrimad Rajchandra

Author(s): Manu Doshi
Publisher: Manu Doshi

Page 36

There was Shankarläl Mäheshwar Shastri, who used to perform Ashtävadhän in public, i.e. he could simultaneously perform eight activities without any mistake. Moreover Gatulälji Mahäraj of Bombay also could perform Ashtävadhän. That time only those two persons were considered to be holding miraculous memorizing capability in India.
By about the time Shrimad came to Morbi, there was a program of Shankarlal Shastri for performing Ashtävadhän in Jain Upäshray (a temporary residence for monastic cadre). Shrimad was gaining popularity as a poet that time. He was therefore invited to witness that performance. He had an amazing memorizing capability. Hence he learnt the art of mnemonic performance as soon as he saw it. The next day he displayed that art in a friendly circle by covering various topics. The subsequent day he performed twelve Avadhäns in the same Upäshray in the presence of 2000 spectators. He was known as a well-versed man; now he came to be highly adored for his miraculous memory.
When Laxmidäs Khimjibhäi, a Bombay businessman, came to Morbi, Shrimad displayed his capability of 12 Avadhäns in a large meeting held in the high school. Laxmidäs had said that Shrimad was the only person in India that time having such a capability and a handsome prize was awarded to him.
Shrimad happened to go to Jämnagar for some work. There he performed 12 and 16 Avadhäns one after other in two meetings in the presence of the learned people. All the spectators were pleased and he was given the title of 'Hero of India'. Two learned persons of Jämnagar were trying to perform Avadhän for 8 to 10 years, but were not successful. As such, the well-versed people of that place developed high regard and amazement towards the person performing 16 Avadhäns.
Thereafter he performed 16 Avadhäns in Surendranagar museum in the presence of 2000 people including Colonel H.L. Nut, various princes and the secretarial members. The entire huge assembly was overjoyed. Everyone was talking with adoration about the amazing capacity of Shrimad. Men after men were showering praises upon him. The papers like Gujarati', 'Mumbai Samächär', 'Lokmitra' and 'Nyayadarshak' also started highlighting the success of Shrimad.
He performed 52 Avadhäns at Botäd in the presence of a millionaire friend Harilal Shivläl Sheth. Some idea of his smartness, patience, capability and intelligence will occur from the fact that he jumped from 16 to 52 Avadhäns without any practice for that purpose during the intervening period.
Details of 52 Avadhäns: Playing Chopät (a game involving wooden pawns of different colors), playing chess, playing cards, counting bell-rings, counting bead-turning, counting Chanothis (a very light, red, tiny dry-fruit), doing addition, subtraction, multiplication and division of the given numbers, remembering the letters of 16 different languages, giving the exact letters of two poems in accordance with the serial numbers called for at random, providing the missing lines in eight poems, composing 16 poems on the given subjects and in given rhymes. 52 activities were thus undertaken at a time. The method employed was to take some part in one activity and then in the second, then in the third, then in the fourth, then in the fifth and so on till the last one, and then going back to the first. That was continued till the end. That was done while sitting on a raised seat by applying the sight and mind in the activities, without putting anything in writing or calling for any particular once again. The following description will give some idea of the activities undertaken while remembering everything till the activities were over.
Playing Chopät: He was playing this game with three other persons while attending to other 51 activities. Every one has four pieces of green, yellow, red or black color, which are to be moved by turn as per dice thrown. When the game was turned over, he had correctly specified the positions of all the 16 pieces.