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Yogindra Yugapradhan Sri Sahajanandaghana Maharaj, popularly known as Sri Sahajananda, the founder of an Ashram named after Srimad Rajchandra (Raichandbhai, who inspired Gandhiji to the cult of Ahimsa) at Ratnakoot, Hampi, in the Bellary Distric of Karnataka, was born on August 30, 1914 at Dumra (Kutch) in Gujarat. We know not much of his childhood or youth, but it is said that while he was a child, he had had several visions, which must have contributed much to influence the course of his future life. We have it that it was in 1933, when Sahajananda was 19, employed in a business firm in Bombay, that he had had an unusual experience of a spiritual trance (samadhi) when he heard a voice urging him to go to a forest and stand motionless in penance, like a tree, as the ancient Jinas did. But his parents did not agree to this in view of his tender age and so the thing did not fructify. But they could read into the great spiritual possibilities of their son and they discipled him with Muni Sri Jinaratna Suri, the master and spiritual guide of the family, under whose supervision young Sahajananda was to learn the Jaina Scriptures. .
This opened immense spiritual possibilities before him. Sahajananda deeply studied the Jaina Agamas of both the Digambara and Svetambara Sects under the guidance of his master, and another Sri Labdhimuni Maharaj. At the same time, he studied the scriptures of other religions also. His master found in him a born genious and he gave him every facility to quench his thirst for knowledge and to practice spiritual exercises of a higher order. Thus he stayed with his master for 12 long years when he had again a spell of spiritual trance in which he heard the same voice urging him to go into seclusion. This time he was sufficiently prepared to comply. With the permission of his master, he moved out, leading the life of a wandering mendicant and underwent severe penances and meditational exercises. In the course of these wanderings. he visited many places, widely apart like Mokalsar, Garsiwana, Idar (the seat of Raichandbhai), Charbhuja Road, Sammet Sikhar, Pavapuri, Rajgir, Gokak, UdaigiriKhandagiri, Risikesh, Badrinath, Dehra-Dun, Une, Bikaner, Bordi and ultimately reached Hampi. Needless to mention that during his wanderings over such a vide region, he occasionally withdrew to caves and lonely places and on quite a few occasions he had to live with wild animals and reptiles. At Hampi, too, which attracted him at least to settle, he stayed at first in solitary caves, but later, the Ashram came up and he lived there. As we have nothing on record, we know not much about the details of his spiritual experiences, though there is reason to believe that these must have been of a high order. Quite a number of stories are current about his great spiritual achievements, and one of them is that because of his lofty spiritual stature, the celestial beings conferred on him the title of Yugapradhan',
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