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Shrimad Rajchandra

Shrimad Rajchandra, also known as Param Krupalu Dev, was a Jain poet, mystic, philosopher, scholar, and a major reformer from India. Born in Vavaniya, a village near Morbi, he attained recollection of his past lives at the age of seven. He performed Avadhāna, a memory retention and recollection test that gained him popularity, but he later discouraged it in favour of his spiritual pursuits. He wrote much philosophical poetry including Ātma-Siddhi-Śāśtra. He also wrote many letters and commentaries and translated some religious texts. He is known for his teachings on Jainism and his spiritual guidance to Mahatma Gandhi.

Early life
Shrimad Rajchandra was born on 9 November 1867 (Kartika Purnima, Vikram Samvat 1924), in Vavaniya, a port near Morbi (now in Gujarat, India). His mother, Devbai, was Śvetāmbara Sthanakvasi Jain and his father, Ravjibhai Mehta and paternal grandfather, Panchan Mehta, were Vaishnava Hindu. Hence he was introduced to both Jainism and Hinduism from early life. Shrimad, highlighting works of Anandghanji Maharaj, maintained that Jain philosophy held supreme place because it consisted the partial truths expressed by other schools into a complete perspective grounded in the vision of the omniscient Lords. He explained that while individual Indian philosophies emphasized in limited capacity over topics such as creation, karma, the soul, or liberation, Jainism addressed and harmoniously incorporated all these concepts and viewpoints without exclusion. To illustrate this, he re-affirmed the 'ocean and river' analogy that just as all rivers eventually flow into the ocean, the insights of various single sighted traditions ultimately converge within Jainism, which is regarded as reflecting the all encompassing knowledge of the Tirthankars. In this way, Shrimad stated that Jain philosophy resolved the questions and doubts left unanswered by other schools, presenting the most comprehensive path towards liberation. He preached that the path of liberation is open to all, regardless of caste, creed, or gender, sect and whether one lives as a monk or as a pious layperson, as mentioned in the sacred Sthānāṅga Sūtra. His birth name was Lakshminandan Mehta. He was renamed Raichand by his parents when he was four years old. Later, his name changed to its Sanskrit form, Rajchandra. Shrimad, an honorific, was added by his disciples posthumously. His disciples also refer to him as Param Krupalu Dev (Lord of the Highest Compassion). He described his spiritual journey in one of his poems. He wrote that he advanced on the path of spirituality he had already attained in his previous life. He claimed that he developed complete resignation and detachment to his mortal body and the rest of the world in 1897. He thanked the day of the experience in one of his poems written at the age of 30. ==Later life==
Later life
Avadhāna Avadhāna is a difficult test of attention and recollection in which a person attends multiple objects and activities at a time. In 1884, Rajchandra came from Vavania to Morbi where he saw Shastri Shankarlal M. Bhatt performing eight Avadhāna at a time. Gattulalji Maharaj was performing the same in Bombay. He saw the performance and quickly picked it up. Just two days after the performance, he performed it in front of his friends and later in public. Initially he performed 12 Avadhāna in public in Morbi but later he performed 16 Avadhāna in audience of two thousand in Wadhwan Camp, which was praised in newspapers. He performed 52 Avadhāna in Botad in a private meeting with his friend Harilal Shivalal Sheth which included playing Chopat game with three players; playing cards with three players; playing chess; keeping count of the sound of a small gong; mentally computing arithmetic sums involving addition, subtraction, multiplication and division (4); keeping count of the movement of beads along a thread; solving eight new problems; composing verses on eight diverse topics selected at the time and in the specific metre chosen by various members of the audience (16); rearranging 400 words of various languages spoken in random order including Greek, English, Sanskrit, Hindi, Arabic, Latin, Urdu, Gujarati, Marathi, Bengali, Maru, Jadeji, in the right order of subject, predicate (16); teaching a student; contemplating various figures of speech (2); all at one time. Later years . In 1887 (Maha Sud 12, VS 1944), Rajchandra married Jhabakben, daughter of Popatlal, the elder brother of Revashankar Jagjivandas Mehta, a Zaveri merchant family. He then engaged in the pearl and diamond business. He continued his householder life for more six years and was successful in his business. , China. He is known as a spiritual guide of Mahatma Gandhi. They were introduced in Mumbai in 1891 and had various conversations through letters while Gandhi was in South Africa. Gandhi noted his impression of Shrimad Rajchandra in his autobiography, The Story of My Experiments with Truth, calling him his "guide and helper" and his "refuge in moments of spiritual crisis". He advised Gandhi to be patient and to study Hinduism deeply. His teaching directly influenced Gandhi's non-violence philosophy. hill where Shrimad Rajchandra gave discourses. He stayed in Gujarat with his disciples and avoided moving to Bombay. He retired from householder life and business when he was thirty. He spent three months in Idar where he instructed seven monks in religious discourses sitting on a stone, pudhvi śila. A memorial temple and a prayer hall was later built there. A small photograph taken after his death is displayed in a library in Khambhat established by him. The room where he died is now a prayer hall dedicated to his memory. ==Works==
Works
Rajchandra wrote Stri Niti Bodhaka (The Nature of Ideal Moral Life for Women, 1884) in which he had advocated women's education as essential to national freedom. Sad-bodh-shatak (1884) is his work on ethical topics. Mokshamala (1887) is about Jainism and self-liberation written in an easy style understandable to young people. His several poems are popular including "Apurva Avsar Evo Kyare Aavshe..", "Mool Marg Sambhlo Jinno Re..", "Bina Nayan Pavey Nahi..", "Hey Prabhu! Hey Prabhu! Shu Kahu..", "Yam Niyam Sanjam Aap Kiyo..", "Ichche Chhe Je Jogijan...,"Bahu Punya Kera Punjthi..." and "Hey Prabhu! Hey Prabhu! Shu Kahu.." were Mahatma Gandhi's favourite bhajans and were included in the Ashram Bhajanavali. Translation and commentaries Rajchandra wrote 51 quotes on Samyati Dharma (the religion of monk) as described in Dasha Vaikalika Siddhanta (VS 1945). It is Gujarati rendering of the original Magadhi text. He also wrote commentary on Moksha Siddhanta (VS 1953). He incompletely translated Chidanandji's Swarodayagyan. He wrote an incomplete commentary on Chauvisi of Anandghanji Maharaj. In his three letters (No. 393, 394 and 395 printed in "Shrimad Rajchandra Vachanamrut"), he commented on one of the couplets of sixth out of the eight perspective, Ath Yogdrashtini Sajjhaya composed by Upadhyay Yashovijayji Maharaj. He wrote equivalent Gujarati translation of the first 100 verses of Atmanushasan. He wrote on three Bhavna or Contemplations (Anitya, Asharan and a little on Sansara Bhavna) out of 12 Bhavna described in Shri Ratnakarand Shravakaachar. He completely translated Panchastikaya of Acharya Kundkunda. He had prepared an index on the Pragnavabodh (VS 1956). ==Influence and Legacy==
Influence and Legacy
in 2017 posture at Digambar Jain temple in Ville Parle, Mumbai Rajchandra was inspired by works of Kundakunda and Digambara mystical tradition. Nominally belonging to the Digambara tradition, his followers sometimes consider his teaching as a new path of Jainism, neither Śvetāmbara nor Digambara, and revere him as a saint. His path is sometimes referred as Raj Bhakta Marg, Kavipanth, or Shrimadiya, which has mostly lay followers as was Rajchandra himself. His teachings influenced Kanji Swami, Dada Bhagwan, Rakesh Jhaveri, Saubhagbhai, Lalluji Maharaj (Laghuraj Swami), Atmanandji and several other religious figures. Some of them established temples and institutions in his dedication and to spread his teachings. Such temples often house his pictures and images based on photographs taken in a studio in various meditation postures just a month before his death. The Government of India released 10 coins, 150 souvenir coins and the stamps at the Sabarmati Ashram in Ahmedabad on 29 June 2017 as the commemoration of Shrimad Rajchandra's 150th birth anniversary. U.C. Riverside's College of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences and the Department of Religious Studies announced the establishment the Shrimad Rajchandra Endowed Chair in Jain Studies on 17 February 2017. Shrimad Rajchandra Mission Dharampur is a spiritual movement inspired from Shrimad Rajchandra. It was founded by Rakesh Jhaveri. It is headquartered in Dharampur, Gujarat and carries out social and spiritual activities. A 34-feet idol - the world’s tallest statue of Shrimad Rajchandra was inaugurated in November 2017 at Shrimad Rajchandra Ashram, Dharampur by Rakesh Jhaveri and Sri Sri Ravishankar. A Grand Mahamastakabhishek of this idol happens every year, and in 2024 India's Home Minister Amit Shah and RSS Chief Mohan Bhagwat both performed this annual ritual. In March - April 2025, thousands of devotees performed Mahamastakabhishek of Shrimad Rajchandra statue at Shrimad Rajchandra Ashram, Dharampur on occasion of celebrating 125 Years of Shrimad Rajchandraji gracing Dharampur. ==In popular culture==
In popular culture
In 2007, Apurva Avsar, a biographical play on Shrimad Rajchandra in Gujarati, was produced by Manoj Shah. A Gujarati play entitled Yugpurush: Mahatma na Mahatma depicting the spiritual relationship between Shrimad Rajchandra and Mahatma Gandhi was produced by Shrimad Rajchandra Mission, Dharampur, in November 2016. An animated biographical Gujarati film Shrimad Rajchandra directed by Bhairav Kothari was released in 2021. On 4 August, 2022, Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated various projects in Dharampur including Shrimad Rajchandra Hospital and women and childcare center which were named after him. ==Notes==
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