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13. Saint Shree Ganeshprasadji Varni
Introduction: There are many few personalities who become exceptionally great and respectable for all by their good behavior and good deeds. Saint Shri Ganesh-prasadji was one such personality of the present age. He has contributed very much for the expansion of Jain culture and Jain ideals. He was born in a non-Jain family and yet he worked for Jainism. He was deeply attracted by the principles of Jain religion and he preached Jainism for the whole of his life. He established many Jain educational institutions and promoted Jain way of life in thoughts and conduct as well. He was learned and yet very simple. He was kind towards all living being. He was broad-hearted and sympathetic. He was a sea of all virtues and hence he was unideal soul for the whole of humanity.
Birth and Childhood: The region of Bundelkhand has given rise to several warriors. The people of this region are highly turned to religion. We know the stories warrior king Chhatrasal who was an exceptionally brave king of his time. There are many holy places like Drongiri, Nainagiri, Sonagiri, Aharji, Deogarh, Khajuaho,and Papauraji in this region and Saint Ganesh Prasadji was born on this land. He was born in 1875 at village Hansera of Lalitpur District. Shri Hiralal and Smt. Ujiyariben were his parents. His father was believer of Vaishnav sect of Hindu religion and yet he had deep respect for and faith in Navkar Mantra from his childhood. He was from Asaqti Vaishya community. His was a middle class but self-satisfied family. The father Hiralal advised the child Ganesh also to repeat and remember the Navkar Mantra of Jain religion. Shri Hiralal shifted to Madavara village as there was no school as Hansera village and he hoped to earn better at this place. At this time, the child Ganesh was of six years of age. Ganesh got admission at the school of this village at the age of 7 and he passed the middle-school examination at the age of 14. There were 11 Jain temples with high shikhar at the top and one Vaishnav temple in this village. One of the Jain temples was just opposite the house of Ganeshprasad and therefore he used to go there because of normal curiosity, but he saw the religious rites very carefully and heard the preaching attentively. As if he had Jain impressions from his previous birth, and these impressions are working now, Ganeshprasad was learning towards Jainism slowly but firmly. He discarded the false beliefs and traditions of the society prevailing then. The child Ganesh now stopped taking food at night. He did not drink unfiltered water and adopted certain practices of Jainism. He thought that the principles of Jainism were quite logical and philosophical. His future life thus, laid its seeds by now. Ganesh-prasad completed his learning at the school at Madavara at the age of 14 and he passed further four years in playing and reading. He was married at the age of 18. His father gave him the following message at the time of his death: My son, nobody is for anybody in this world. Know this very firmly. Always keep Navkar Mantra (A Jain stanza of utmost importance) in mind at it will save you from all troubles. The religion, which includes this stanza, is very great and if you want salvation, always try to know and follow this religion with determination. When Ganesh-prasad's father died, his grandfather of the age of one hundred and ten years also died on the same day. The burden of the whole family was now on Ganeshji. He was not moved even the least. He accepted the service as a teacher at Madanpur. He took training in teaching at Agra after four months and again served as a teacher at one or two places. His wife and his mother were pressing him to stay in their original religion of Vaishnavism in Hinduism instead of turning to Jainism but their pressure could not act on Ganeshji. Since Ganeshji did not sit for dinner in a row the castefellows threatened him to boycott but he did not mind to it. He was now working as a teacher in the school at Jatara. Here he came into contact with Kadorelal Bhaiji who was very well studied in
