The Jain 1988 07

Author(s): Natubhai Shah
Publisher: UK Jain Samaj Europe

Page 58

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Although actively and successfully engaged in business, Shrimad was increasingly being turned to by people seeking spiritual guidance and his many letters (some 800 are known) bear witness to his insight. But his letters show that he too was subject to doubt and uncertainty, and it was not until he reached his mid-twenties that his letters reveal a more settled mind. In his later years he would spend much of his time away from the stresses of the great city of Bombay, staying in various places in Gujarat, and, as well as his own closer associates or disciples, numbers of people would seek him out to hear him speak on spiritual matters. Inevitably, as a layman, he aroused some opposition among a section of the more orthodox Jains who were accustomed to the doctrinal leadership of the monks and tended to view with hesitation or suspicion a layman who assumed (however modestly) a position of spiritual leadership. This did become rather serious when a small group of half a dozen monks from the Sthanakvasi (nonimage worshipping) sect became followers of Shrimad and a good deal of tension arose between them and other members of their sect. There is no doubt that the life of a monk had attractions for Shrimad but he remained a layman to the end of his life. In his last two or three years he reduced his business commitments, giving more time to religion, practising meditation, fasting and austerities, and becoming a celibate (though within the married state, his wife was to survive him by twelve years : Mahatma Gandhi was to follow the same course). The austerities took their toll on his body. Although he was fit when a young man, he became thin to the point of emaciation : a well-known photograph of Shrimad, taken at this time, shows him sitting in a posture of meditation, his body reduced to a waif-like thinness, but his gaze keen yet placid. His health was failing and in spite of medical attention it became apparent that his life was nearing its end. He died at Rajkot on 9 April 1901 in his thirty-fourth year. Shrimad Rajchandra's memory and teachings are honoured today, not only by those who feel a special devotion to him and consider themselves to be in a particular way his followers, but also by many others. He does not fit easily into any category. Brought up in a home where Jainism and Vaishnavism were both practised, he turned to the Jain way of life.
Yet he was frequently critical of the ritualism and fomalism which he saw as a departure from the message of Mahavira, as also of the sectarian divisions which had emerged over the centuries. Yet he was tolerant as well : in one letter he advised that any person who devoted his time to the orthodox rituals should not be encouraged to abandon them, but rather to devote an equal space of time to reading, meditation and hearing sermons. Once one of his desciples enquired of him how they should answer if asked what was their gaccha (sect or division) and what form of the ritual of penitence they followed. Shrimad replied 'We are Jains of the eternal sect and our only pratikramana (penitence) lies in retracing our steps from the path of sin... Shrimad left many writings in Gujarati, most of which were not published until after his death. The large collection of his letters has been published in book form : more than half of these were to three particularly close companions. The letters cover a side range of spiritual and ethical topics, giving guidance and help to his correspondents. Before he was 17 he had written a simple guide to the main principles of the Jain faith, aimed particularly at the young. Perhaps the best-known of his works is Atma-Siddhi, a fairly short poetical work, written in Gujarati in 1895. It was published after his death and has been translated into many languages. It centres on and expounds what may be seen as the fundamentals of Jain faith, (1) the soul exists, (2) it is eternal, (3) it is the doer of its own actions, (4) it enjoys the fruits of these actions, (5) there is Liberation, and (6) there is a means to achieving Liberation. The work is straightforward, easily understood, avoiding theological subtleties : it can be seen as a practical guide for the ordinary person. Shrimad Rajchandra wrote in the language of his home country, not in Sanskrit which was still the language of learned religious discourse. He expressed the truths which arose from his own spiritual life, and those who were close to him knew that they were in the presence of a great soul. Today, nearly a century after his death, the light of this great soul still burns bright. The information for this article has been taken from: Saryu R. Mehta and Bhogilal G. Sheth. Shrimad Rajchandra : a great seer. Agas, 1971. Digish Mehta. Shrimad Rajchandra: a life. Ahmedabad, 1978. J. L. Jaini The Self-Realisation, being the translation of Atma-Siddhi. 5th ed. Ahmedabad, 1978.
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