________________
Vijay Vallabh Surishwar Ji: Man of a Noble Character
Shikha Jain, Ludhiana India has ever been famous in the history of the world, as a land of saints and sages, seers and prophets, thinkers and philosophers. She has produced nummerons spiritual humanaries, who placed before mankind, the highest moral and spiritual values of life-both by practise and percept. Guru Shri Vijay Vallabh Surishwar Ji Maharaj, a renowned jain saint, is one of the greatest of these Apostles. Actually Jainism without Vallabh is just like a body without soul. He because the captain of the ship of Jainism when it was passing through a critical period and it was he who steered it clear wisely.
Leaders and Preachers like Vallabh are rarely born. He was born in a respectable family of Baroda. On the second bright day of Kartika of Vikram era-1927 (A.D. 1870). His father Sh. Deep Chand and mother Smt. Iccha Bai
were highly relegious. Vijay Vallabh, whose lay name was Chhagan Lal, inherited the spirit of relegions devotion, simplicity, detachment and austerity from them. Co-incidentily he came accross Jain Acharya Shri Vijayanand Surishwar Ji Maharaj. Under his indelible impression, Guru Vallabh strongly determined to renowner the worldly life and become a jain sadhu. Consequently, he was baptismed in 1886, at the early age of 16 and he became a desciple of Shri Harsh Vijay Ji Maharaj. Later on, at the age of 54, he was appeleated with Acharya Padvi at Lahore. He was also been adorned with several other titles, such as Kalikal Kalpataru, Vugvir, Agyaan Timir Tarni, Punjab Kesari etc. for his unmatchable deeds. After Shri Harsh Vijay Ji had expired, Guru Ji came to Ludhiana to the care of Shri Vijayanand Ji who ordained that, with the course of time, he was to shoulder the responsibility of Punjab.
The early period of Guru Vallabh's life was spent in reading the important religions books and in the sincere service of his Guru Dev. The seeds of service were sown in the fertile land of his heart in the beginning and later on they flourished and flowered in the shape of the best acts of service for Jainism in particular and mankind in general. Being favourite of Vijayanand Suri Ji, he was deputed the task of accomplishing his unfulfilled tasks and missions. During the last moments of Vijayanand Suri Ji, he told Vallabh that he had opened a lot of temples. He further told him to educate the people and to save them from all the social units.
Guru Vallabh was an educationalist of first water. He enlightened the torch of education wherever he went. He himself being a highly learned man, propagated mass education and that is why he opened so many educational institutions in India. Dispite of all the hurdles which came in the way of establishing these institutions, he stood by his firm decision and ultimately, success touched his feet. Mahavir Jain Vidhyalaya in Mumbai is one of the best instance of this determination. He specially emphasised on the education for women and also advocated their cause of equality and freedom from unnatural social bondages. In his words, "Right Belief, Right knowledge and Right-conduct are three jewels, one must possess in equal measures, for the attainment of liberation." He worked hard to help the poor students financially, so as to enable them to get education as much as they could. He wanted his students to have a strong moral character. According to Guru Ji, a student must preserve good character, culture and wisdom.
226
विजय वल्लभ संस्मरण-संकलन स्मारिका For Private & Personal Use Only
Jan Education Intematonal
www.jainelibrary.org
