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PROFESSOR JAGADISHCHANDRA JAIN : REMINISCENCES
I first met Prof. Jain when he visited Varanasi for delivering lectures at the Benaras Hindu University, this must be some seven years ago. I was, of course, for long familiar with his writings including his major works for which he was famous in the world of Nirgranthist scholarship. He was the only Nirgrantha scholar outside the Śvetämbara fold to have studied the ägamas in depth, the texts which are in toto rejected by the Digambara Sect. Dr. Jain possessed sound knowledge of Prakrit as well as Sanskrit and had grounding in the intricate, complex, elaborate, and doubtless difficult Western methodology of linguistic and textual research. Notwithstanding his contributions to that field, his heart was set more on the study of the content of the agamas, particularly the cultural data embodied in some of those ancient works, the material largely neglected, looked upon as unimportant, even useless, in Western scholarship. Some of the writings of Prof. Jain, in that field, as much reflect his keen interest as his insightful comprehension of the intent and content of these works. What surprised me most was his non-sectarian approach in investigation and presentation, a merit which the writings of exceedingly few Jaina scholars can be said to possess. Not only that; he was fearless and stood undaunted in his convictions, particularly when he was sure of the soundness of evidence before him. As a result, he fought back in terms of firm, though never uncivil, responses to the opponents whose writings betrayed unconcealed hostility, predictably consequencing from a sectarian approach. When he visited me at my residence in Varanasi with Dr. Kamlesh Kumar Jaina (Sr.) --this was our first meeting-I invited him to pay a visit to the American Institute of Indian Studies where I was posted as the Director (Research). He readily accepted the invitation. While travelling together in the staff-van, as I recall, quiet talks on the various research problems, particularly those concerning the history of the Nirgranthadarśana, rambled on. I was then struck by his knowledge of, and the importance he accorded to such studies. And what impressed me most was his serene, noble, dignified, composed, and above all peace-radiating personality. After that first encounter, we had occasions to meet in Bombay during my four successive visits. Although much senior to me in age and learning, he always came to meet me at my camping station with his very warm and friendly son, Shri Anil Jain. And each time I was overwhelmed by his humility as well as warmth of affection. In those days I used to mail to him the off-prints of my earlier published articles on Nirgranthological studies, in English as well as in Gujarātī. He deeply appreciated their findings as well as the style of writing. To his felicitatory volume (Delhi 1994), I had contributed an article "On the Implications of the 'Nāgnya Parīşaha' in Tattvārthādhigama-Sūtra”. He complimented me for the absolutely new interpretation of the intent encoded in that specific term and the far reaching implications stemming from it.
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