Book Title: Shatavadhani Panditratna Shri Ratnachandraji Maharaj
Author(s): Atmanandji
Publisher: Z_Comtemporary_Jain_Legends_007736_STD.pdf

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________________ no much response to this thought and only four mendicants from Punjab, and eight from Rajasthan only took up studies under Maharaj Shree. We see here that Gujarati mendicants were not much interested in Jain study. Maharaj Shri Ratnachandraji also studied astrology and astronomy under Shri Kedarnath who was the president of the Observatory of Jaipur. He also wrote an important critical essay on Revtidan during this monsoon. Because of unbearable heat, a mendicant Mooni Shri Kapur Vijayji was sick while going to Alwar. He had smallpox and also pneumonia. He expired within eight days. This caused deep pains to Shri Ratnachandraji Maharaj and since there was no time to go further in travelling, he had to pass his monsoon of 1944 at Alwar. In Punjab ViaDelhi: After Alwar-monsoon, Maharaj Shri Ratnachandraji moved towards Delhi. People from all religious and all sections of the society came to hear Maharaj Shree in large number, as his lectures were inspiring with clear impression of his very high learning. He was awarded the title of Bharat Ratna here. After completing his stay at Delhi, Maharaj Shri Ratnachandraji went towards Amritsar via Rohtak with young Maharaj Shri Kashiramji. He passed through many small villages and was very much unhappy seeing differences and disputes for small reasons among Jain mendicants and also in Jain families. He tried to bring out acceptable compromise with best of his efforts in all possible cases. The Jain community here was under deep influence of Arya Samaj and taking a note of this he tried hard to expand Jain thoughts and studies by staying at Rohtak. During this travelling he could meet Rishiji Amolakhji and Aryaji Parvatibai. When Maharaj Shri Ratnachandraji entered Amritsar after passing through Jalandhar, Kapurthala and Vyas, he was welcomed with great enthusiasm and interest by the local Jain Sangh. He was Shri Sohanlalji Maharaj here and then started forward to reach Jammu via Sialkot, Gujaranwala, Lahore and other places. By his effective lectures, even the non-Jains left taking wine and meat. On his return he spent monsoon at Amritsar in 1935 and he established Shri Sohan Jain Dharm Pracharak Samiti during this stay. This Samiti later started the great study home Shri Parshvanath Vidya Shram affiliated with the Government Sanskrit College under the inspiration and encouragement of Maharaj Shri Ratnachandraji. Moreover an open celebrations to award the title of Poojya to Shri Kashiramji Maharaj was also accomplished in these days. The Jain community awarded the title of Vidya Bhushan to Maharaj Shri Ratnachandraji. He continued his moving in Punjab and at last came to Balachor, the place of very high natural beauty after passing through Nalagadh, Ambala, Panchkula and Simla. While moving through this cold region, Maharaj Shri and his disciples happened to be sick very frequently, but the group at last reached Delhi even by very slow moving. Desire to Go to Kashi-Benaras: Maharaj Shri Ratnachandraji was inspired to go to Kashi-Benaras by the blind but highly learned personality Pandit Sukhlalji Sanghvi so that he can have comparative study of Jain Religion as a whole with many Jain Sanghs believing different sects of Jainism. He, therefore, moved to Agra, Vrindavan, Mathura and other holy places of pilgrimage and looked at them with Jain spirit to thinking. He had pain in his ears at Agra; he suffered from blood pressure and other ailments. He could not proceed further and had to stay at Agra for the monsoon of 1938. He had to put off his idea of going to Kashi-Benaras. He started towards Rajasthan as soon as monsoon was over. He fixed his monsoon of 1939 to be passed at Ajmer. He made long discussions with the prominent Shravaks and Jain mendicants of Delhi and Agra but the questions of Annual Celebrations of Jains and common code of conduct for Jain mendicants could not be solved. Last Monsoon: With his long movements in cold regions, irregularities in eating and constant working for the unity of various units of Jain community, his health was becoming weaker and weaker day by day. He had 104

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