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A Reformist Jaina Missionary: Br. Shital Prasadji :
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devoted themselves for Jinistic literary works and social leadership. He had a missionary spirit for these causes, which allowed him to work for 18 hours a day for more than 37-40 years continuously. Despite early odds, the intelligentsia of the community gave him wide support and his torch bearing mission of Jinistic promotion and socioreligious reforms is still continuing with a faster rate and without much opposition. Because of his scholastic and religious activities, he has been called as 'Learning-proficient' (Vidyadhara) and ‘Samantabhadra' of twentieth century. Biographical Literature about Brahmachariji:
There are many books, booklets, and special numbers of Jaina magazines about biographical sketches of Brahmachariji, as shown below: 1. Babu Ajit Prasad Jain : Brahmachari Shital 2. 'Vira' Fortnightly
: Br. Shital, Number (1944) 3. A. P. Goyaliya
: in ‘Jaina Jāgaraṇa ke Agradūta'
(1952) 4. Suresh Chand Jain
: Br. Shital Smarika 5. “Jaina Milana' Magazine, : Shital Smarika
Lucknow 6. Dr. Jyoti Prasad Jain : Br. Shital Prasad (1985) 7. Variety of Magazines/ Journals : Articles on Br. Shital Prasadji.
These form the basis of his
sketch and activities. Life Sketch of Brahmachariji:
Shital Prasadji was born in Lucknow in November 1878. in prestigious family of Shri Makhanlalji and Naraini Devi. He went to Calcutta with his grandfather when he was eight years old (in 1886) and lived there for 8-9 years. Here he could not only get religious education, but he passed Matriculation at 18 in 1896 with first class. He also passed the accountants examination from Roorkie in 1901. However, he was married in a non-Jaina Gupta family in 1893 at the age of 15 in Calcutta.
He started working as accountant in Awadha-Ruhelkhand Railway and worked there until 1905. He had to suffer deaths of his father, mother, wife and younger brother during 1903-04. This gave
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