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Sugandha: Sweet Fragrance
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daughter, who was in her sixteenth year, Mahāsati śri Ujjvalakumāri.52 Ujjvala means splendour, radiance, brilliant light.
Among the Sthånakavāsis, as a general rule, sādhvis are encouraged to study, both for the sake of their own spiritual progress and also to equip them to give pravacanas. Mahāsati studied a lot in her youth, systematically and with the help of masters. Never, however, did she stop extending her knowledge, her range of learning. She pursued her studies all her life. In addition to everything that concerns Jaina doctrine, she knew classical Indian philosophy, she had a vast knowledge of literature, she was interested in other religions and could without the slightest difficulty quote a passage from the
Upanisads, the Bhagavad Gitā, the Purāņas, the Buddhist Scriptures or - the Gospels. Nor did she limit herself to the writings of times past, for
she had learnt several modern languages. The sciences did not escape her interest either, for, without undertaking any particular course of scientific study, she was able, thanks to her reading, to follow the progress of contemporary science.
She had a wide open spirit, a lively intelligence, an insatiable desire to study, to know, to deepen her knowledge. She did not content herself with mere book-knowledge, but, rather, took a keen interest in all aspects of a subject, in people and in situations at the level of experience. Her vast range of knowledge, her wise judgement and the harmonious way in which she had assimilated all she knew gave her a remarkable breadth of vision and generosity of spirit which evidenced
$2 These details were given me by Mahasati herself at Ahmadnagara in 1971. Later, in 1974, in Pune, Sri K. Munot told me that he had been opposed to this dikṣā, as the young girl was highly intelligent and his intention was to remove her from the influene of the sādhvis and help her to pursue higher studies. This is in fact mentioned in the Preface to Ujjvala Vani, 1965, pp. v-vii. Moreover, it is expressly noted that the dikşå should have taken place at Pune when the candidate was forteen years old, but that the 'Youth League' of the town, disapproving of this practice, appealed to the Court of Justice. A magistrate questioned the girl and, in the face of her determined resolution, was left in no doubt about her will in the matter. However, he decreed that she should await the decision of the conference of munis at Ajamera. The members of the conference fixed a minimal age of 16 for admission to diksā and thus the candidate waited for twwo more years.
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