Shrimad Rajchandra | |
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 Rajchandra inLotus position | |
| Personal life | |
| Born | Lakshminandan Ravjibhai Mehta (1867-11-09)9 November 1867 |
| Died | 9 April 1901(1901-04-09) (aged 33) Rajkot,Rajkot State, British India (now in Gujarat) |
| Spouse | |
| Parent(s) | Ravjibhai and Devbai |
| Notable work(s) |
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| Other names |
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| Religious life | |
| Religion | Jainism |
સહજાત્મ સ્વરૂપ પરમગુરુ
The natural, pure Self is the Supreme Guru.
પરમગુરુ નિર્ગ્રંથ સર્વજ્ઞ દેવ
The Supreme Guru is the liberated one, free from all bondages, the all-knowing Divine.
આતમભાવના ભવતા જીવ લહે કેવળ જ્ઞાન રે!
Through deep contemplation of the pure nature of the soul, it attains pure, infinite knowledge.
Shrimad Rajchandra (9 November 1867 – 9 April 1901), also known asParam Krupalu Dev, was aJain poet, mystic, philosopher, scholar, and a major reformer from India. Born inVavaniya, a village nearMorbi, he attained recollection of his past lives at the age of seven. He performedAvadhāna, 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 includingĀtma-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 toMahatma Gandhi.
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Shrimad Rajchandra was born on 9 November 1867 (Kartika Purnima,Vikram Samvat 1924), inVavaniya, a port nearMorbi (now inGujarat, India).[1] His mother, Devbai, wasŚvetāmbaraSthanakvasiJain and his father, Ravjibhai Mehta and paternal grandfather, Panchan Mehta, wereVaishnavaHindu. Hence he was introduced to bothJainism andHinduism from early life.[2][3][4][5] He was initiated in Vaishnavism by aSadhu named Ramadasji, following which he also studiedVedanta.[2][3][6] He continued to study otherIndian religions and was attracted toAhiṃsā (non-violence) andbheda-vijñāna (practice of discrimination of the soul from transient activities and substances) doctrine of Jainism.[citation needed] Later, he chose Jainism because he considered that it provides "best path tosalvation".[7] In one of the letters toMahatma Gandhi, Shrimad stated that the great souls like theTirthankars have revealed knowledge of a thousand times deeper import than what theVedas contain. Therefore, since something imperfect cannot be the origin of a perfect thing, it is not justified in asserting that all religions (including Jainism) had originated from the Vedas.[8]
Shrimad, highlighting works ofAnandghanji Maharaj, maintained thatJain philosophy held supreme place because it consisted the partial truths expressed by other schools into a complete perspective grounded in the vision of theomniscient Lords. He explained that while individualIndian 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.[9] 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.[10] He preached that the path of liberation is open to all, regardless ofcaste,creed, orgender, sect and whether one lives as amonk or as apious layperson, as mentioned in the sacredSthānāṅga Sūtra.[11]
His birth name was Lakshminandan Mehta. He was renamed Raichand by his parents when he was four years old. Later, his name changed to itsSanskrit 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).[2][4]
Shrimad said that he first attainedjāti-smaraṇa jñāna (recollection of previous lives) at the age of seven, in 1874. In an 1890 reply to a question from Padamshibhai, his friend in Bhuleshwar, Bombay, he described the incident:[12][3][13]
When I was seven years old, an elderly man named Amichand, well-built, stout and sturdy, a neighbor in my village, suddenly died of a snake bite. I did not know what was death. I asked my grandfather as to what was the meaning of death. He tried to evade the reply and advised me to finish my meals. I insisted on a reply. At last he said: "To die means the separation of the soul from the body. A dead body has no movement, it contaminates and decays. Such a dead body will be burnt to ashes near a river-bank as it has ceased to function." Then I went secretly to the cremation ground and climbing a Babul tree I saw the whole process of cremation of the dead man's body and I felt that those who burnt him were cruel. A train of thoughts started on the nature of the death and as a result I could recollect my previous lives.
This incident played a pivotal role in his perception of the world.[14] 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.[3] The tree he climbed no longer exists, but a monument temple with a model of the event was erected on the site.[12]
He experienced the same when he visited thefort inJunagadh. His experiences influenced him to live a religious life.[2]
Shrimad had atypical memory retentiveness and recollection. He joined the school at the age of seven and half but mastered the preliminaries in calculation in just a month. In two years, he completed the study of seven grades.[2][3]
At the age of eight, he started composing poems. He composed verse synopses onRamayana andMahabharata at the age of nine.[15] He gained maturity in thinking and reasoning and by the age of 10 started public speaking. At the age of 11 he started writing articles in newspapers and magazines, such as inBuddhiprakash and won several prizes in essay writing competitions. He wrote a 300-stanza poem on 'a watch' at the age of 12. In 1880, he went toRajkot to study English, but very little is known about his education there. By 1882, he had studied and mastered several subjects. He became known as a young poet and was referred to as Kavi due to it. He occasionally visited the residence of the ruler ofKutch as a writer and was praised for his penmanship. He started attending his father's shop aged 13. He composed many poems on the lives ofRama andKrishna while managing the shop.[A][2][3]
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 eightAvadhāna at a time. Gattulalji Maharaj was performing the same inBombay. 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 12Avadhāna in public inMorbi but later he performed 16Avadhāna in audience of two thousand inWadhwan Camp, which was praised in newspapers. He performed 52Avadhāna inBotad in a private meeting with his friend Harilal Shivalal Sheth which included playingChopat 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 specificmetre 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.[3][16]
He performedśatāvadhāna (100Avadhāna) at Sir Framji Cowasji Institute in Bombay on 22 January 1887, which gained him praise and publicity. He was awarded gold medals by institutes and public for his performances as well as title of 'SakshatSaraswati' (Incarnation of the Goddess of Knowledge). Rajchandra believed that the publicity gained by suchAvadhānas may become an obstacle in spiritual pursuits, so he gradually discouraged the performances and stopped it completely by age of 20.[3][16] The performances attracted wide coverage in national newspapers.[17] In September 1893, when in Chicago,Virchand Gandhi mentioned this feat at theParliament of the World's Religions.[18]
In 1887 (Maha Sud 12, VS 1944), Rajchandra married Jhabakben, daughter of Popatlal, the elder brother of Revashankar Jagjivandas Mehta, aZaveri merchant family. He then engaged in the pearl and diamond business.[3][13][19] They had two sons and two daughters.[19] His in-laws wanted him to move toBombay and establish business there, but he was interested in his spiritual pursuits.[2]
In 1890 (VS 1947), he experiencedself-realization (shuddh samyak darshan) in Bombay. In His letter (Patrank 133) describing His state at the time, Shrimad wrote “Day and night, reflection upon the supreme reality alone prevails, that alone is the food, that alone is the sleep, that alone is the bed, that alone is the dream, that alone is the fear, that alone is the pleasure, that alone is the possession, that alone is the walking, that alone is the sitting. What more do I say? Bones, flesh and their marrow are only coloured in the colour of that alone."[20] He continued his householder life for more six years and was successful in his business.[21]
He is known as a spiritual guide ofMahatma Gandhi.[22] They were introduced inMumbai 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 studyHinduism deeply. His teaching directly influenced Gandhi's non-violence philosophy.[2][23][22]
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 inIdar 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.[24][2]
During his final years, he suffered from colitis. No specific cause of death was identified exceptextreme weakness. In 1900, he lost a large amount of weight. He was under medical supervision, and doctors advised him to move to coastal region of Gujarat for the benefit of his health. He contracted the illness during his stay inDharampur, Gujarat, from which he never recovered. In 1901, he, his mother and wife stayed at Aga Khan's bungalow inAhmedabad before moving toWadhwan Camp. He died on 9 April 1901 (Chaitra Vad 5, VS 1957) inRajkot (now in Gujarat) surrounded by his family, friends and disciples.[25][2][13] A small photograph taken after his death is displayed in a library inKhambhat established by him. The room where he died is now a prayer hall dedicated to his memory.[26]
Rajchandra wroteStri 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.[2] Due to delay in the publication ofMokshamala, he composedBhavna Bodh for his readers. It was a small book of fifty pages in which he gave instructions to cultivate 12 sentiments to lead the life of non-attachment. He had composedNamiraja, a work of five thousand verses explaining the nature of the fourpurusharthas. InShurvir Smarana (1885), Rajchandra described the brave warriors of the past and compared them with their descendants who are not able to free India from British dominance.[3]
InAtma Siddhi, a Gujarati poem, he set forth six fundamental truths on soul which are also known asṣatpada (six steps). He lays emphasis on right perception (samyaktva), personal efforts and a true teacher's guidance in the path to self-realisation. It is a summary of his interpretation of Jainism.[3] It is adapted in a musicalbhajan form by Shefali Shah. It is translated in English several times; the first by J. L. Jaini in 1923. Its popular translation was published by Brahmachari Govardhandas in 1957.[2]
He wrote more than 900 letters which charts his spiritual journey and teachings to disciples.[13] He also edited a newspaper,Vairagya Vilas.[3]
Shrimad RajchandraVachanamrut is a collection of his complete works including letters and other writings.[27]
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 favouritebhajans and were included in theAshram Bhajanavali.[28]
Rajchandra wrote 51 quotes onSamyati Dharma (the religion of monk) as described inDasha Vaikalika Siddhanta (VS 1945). It is Gujarati rendering of the original Magadhi text. He also wrote commentary onMoksha Siddhanta (VS 1953). He incompletely translated Chidanandji'sSwarodayagyan. He wrote an incomplete commentary onChauvisi ofAnandghanji 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 byUpadhyay Yashovijayji Maharaj. He wrote equivalent Gujarati translation of the first 100 verses ofAtmanushasan. He wrote on threeBhavna or Contemplations (Anitya,Asharan and a little onSansara Bhavna) out of12Bhavna described inShri Ratnakarand Shravakaachar. He completely translatedPanchastikaya ofAcharya Kundkunda. He had prepared an index on thePragnavabodh (VS 1956).[3]
Rajchandra was inspired by works ofKundakunda andDigambara mystical tradition. Nominally belonging to the Digambara tradition,[29] his followers sometimes consider his teaching as a new path of Jainism, neitherŚvetāmbara norDigambara, and revere him as a saint. His path is sometimes referred asRaj Bhakta Marg,Kavipanth, orShrimadiya, which has mostly lay followers as was Rajchandra himself.[2][30] His teachings influencedKanji Swami,Dada Bhagwan,[31]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.[2] Shrimad Rajchandra's teachings have been popular in the Jain diaspora communities; mostly inEast Africa, theUnited Kingdom andNorth America.[2] Bauer notes that "[in] recent years there has been a convergence of the Kanji Swami Panth and the Shrimad Rajcandra movement, part of trend toward a more eucumenical and less sectarian Jainism among educated, mobile Jains living overseas."[32]
A special cover featuring him andRabindranath Tagore was published by theIndia Post on occasion ofGandhi Jayanti in 2002.[33]
TheGovernment of India released₹10 coins,₹150 souvenir coins and the stamps at theSabarmati Ashram in Ahmedabad on 29 June 2017 as the commemoration of Shrimad Rajchandra's 150th birth anniversary.[34][35][36][37]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.[38]
Shrimad Rajchandra Mission Dharampur is a spiritual movement inspired from Shrimad Rajchandra. It was founded byRakesh Jhaveri.[39] It is headquartered inDharampur, 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 byRakesh Jhaveri andSri Sri Ravishankar.[40] AGrand Mahamastakabhishek of this idol happens every year, and in 2024 India's Home MinisterAmit Shah and RSS ChiefMohan Bhagwat both performed this annual ritual.[41][42] 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 gracingDharampur.[43]
In 2007,Apurva Avsar, a biographical play on Shrimad Rajchandra in Gujarati, was produced byManoj Shah.[44][45] A Gujarati play entitledYugpurush: Mahatma na Mahatma depicting the spiritual relationship between Shrimad Rajchandra and Mahatma Gandhi was produced by Shrimad Rajchandra Mission, Dharampur, in November 2016.[46][47] An animated biographical Gujarati filmShrimad Rajchandra directed by Bhairav Kothari was released in 2021.[48]
On 4 August, 2022, Prime MinisterNarendra Modi inaugurated various projects in Dharampur includingShrimad Rajchandra Hospital and women and childcare center which were named after him.[49]
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