Vijyanandsuri Swargarohan Shatabdi Granth

Author(s): Navinchandra Vijaymuni, Ramanlal C Shah, Shripal Jain
Publisher: Vijayanand Suri Sahitya Prakashan Foundation Pavagadh

Page 778

prohibited from owning any wealth or property. In fact he is not allowed to even touch money. He has to beg alms-only food and meagre clothing. For his daily food, he has to visit more than one house so that he takes only a very small quantity of food from an individual house. This is known as 'Gochri' which means that just as a cow takes a mouthful of grass here and a mouthful there so that no one single spot is grazed out, similarly a monk has to take a mouthful of food from different houses. A monk cannot keep food for the morrow and so he begs only for the requirement of a day. A Jain monk cannot indulge in the luxury of shaving and bathing etc. He has to pluck out the hair all by himself. He has to observe 'pratikraman' in the morning as wellas in The Evening A 'Pratikraman' means that he obstructs the entry of sinful deeds into himself and throws out whatever sins he may have committed knowingly or unknowingly during the day and night. Besides this he has to undergo penance frequently i.e. keep fast because fasting curbs desire and keeps the body and mind in strict discipline. Jain monks can go without food for days together. A Jain monk has also to study scriptures as well as teach them to younger monks and preach the tenets of Jainism to laymen. They cannot pass their time in gossiping. All the time they observe 'samayak' i.e. inculcating a sense of equality of all living beings and respect for them
eir rights. They cannot stay at one place for a long time. They have to be on the move regularly to spread the gospel of Jainism except during the four months of rainy season. This long stay of 4 months is known as ‘chaturmas' and is utilised for intensive studies, hard penance, and inspiring the lay men into leading a religious life. As soon as the period of 'chaturmas' is over, the monks have to leave the place for another one. Of course, they have to travel on foot and are not allowed to ride a carriage or bus or train, as they have no money. They have to remain celibate and keep no possessions except for a few wooden utensils which they have to carry themselves. Shri Atmaramji must have known all this and hence willingly observed the rules of monkhood. But he was far ahead of others in the matter of study of Jain scriptures. He had a sharp intellect and is said to commit to memory even one hundred 'slokas' (sanskrit/prakrit, couplets) a day. In fact, we find him thirsty for knowledge and trying to obtain it from whatever sources he could. Only profound knowledge can show one the path of truth and Shri Atmaramji Maharaj was a devotee of truth.
A Brief Life Of Atma Ramji Mahraj