Vijyanandsuri Swargarohan Shatabdi Granth

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

Page 784

faith. It may be added here that 'dhundia' monks tie a piece of cloth to their mouth, while there is no such prescription in the ancient Jain religion. This piece of cloth called 'Mukh-patti' has become a mark of distinction of dhundia' monks and it was in the 18th century only that a monk by the name of Loveji started this fashion. Now that Atmaramji was declared as ostracised alongwith his followers and Jain believers, it was useless to stick to the dress prescribed by 'dhundia' faith. So in Vikram Samvat 1932, Shri Atmaramji and his followers pulled out the piece of string that had tied their mouths and souls so far. This marked the formal break with the dhundak' sect. Shri Atmaramji Maharaj & his fellow monks now felt liberated. They were 20 in number and had thousands of Jain laymen as their followers. The revolution ushered in by Shri Atmaramji in Punjab was now firmly entrenched. His name had become a household not only in Punjab but his fame spread in other parts of India too, although he had not visited them personally. In this way, starting from Vikram Samvat 1921 to Vikram Samvat 1932, for eleven long years, Shri Atmaramji had to pass through difficult years, advancing inch by inch, discussing, arguing, converting monks as well as the laymen. One false step and his name would never have been heard. But he was sure of what he had learnt and wanted to impart that knowledge to others, not for establishing his leadership, but with the sole purpose of disseminating the truth without prejudice. After all 'Satymev Jayate' is rooted in the cultlure of India. Now that the break with 'dhundia' sect was final and irrevokable, Shri Atmaramji Maharaj made up his mind to visit Gujrat, the home of many famous Jain shrines. Jainism may be said to have originated in U.P. and Bihar in the sense that except for 22nd Trithanker Shri Nemi Nath, all the other tirthankers belonged to either of these two provinces and mostly preached there. It was King Samprati, the grand son of King Asoka, who preached the message of Jainism in western India, particularly Gujrat and Rajasthan. Many of the temples in these provinces are said to have been constructed at the orders of King Samprati who was to Jainism what Asoka was to Buddhism. But once Jainism appeared in these states, people took to it like fish to water and the result is that in modern times, temples in these states have become the object of religious pilgrimage. Shri Atmaramji wanted to vist Gujrat earlier, but he was not accorded permission for doing so and like a disciplined disciple, he carried out the orders of his Guru. Now, he received an invitation to visit Ahmedabad which has a vast Jain population. So he set out for Gujrat visiting many shrines on the way and
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