Tenth Acharya of Jain Swetembar Terapanth passes away

Published: 10.05.2010
Updated: 13.05.2010




The Times Of India

JAIPUR: Acharya Shri Mahapragya (91), the Tenth Acharya, head of Jain Swetembar Terapanth group, passed away at Sardarshahar in Churu district at 2.50 pm on Sunday following a heart attack.

His last rites would take place at Sardarshahr at 3 pm on Monday. He was in the city in connection with "chaturmas" festival to be held next month. Chief minister Ashok Gehlot, his cabinet colleagues and other prominent people, are likely to attend the funeral.

"He was guru to all, including followers of other communities," said state home minister Shanti Dhariwal, who is a Jain. Gehlot said, "The country has lost a great guru and a social reformer."

Former Indian President S Radhakrishnan had termed Acharya Mahapragya as as one of the two fine philosophers of modern India along with Swami Vivekananda.

Now Acharya Maha Shraman has become the 11th acharya of Jain Terapanth. Acharya Mahapragya had made Acharya Mahashraman the Yuvacharya of the Terapanth in 1997 at Gangashahar (Bikaner).

Acharya promoted non-violence and led the Ahimsa Yatra movement. He had traversed more than 100,000 km on foot covering more than 10,000 villages reaching out to masses, spreading the message of harmony and peace. Walking across the length and breadth of India from Kutch in Gujarat to Kolkata and from Punjab to Kanyakumari, the Mahapragya had travelled on foot under the leadership of Acharya Tulsi, his predecessor. During these travels, he addressed thousands of public meetings.

Acharya Mahapragya is credited with the formulation of the preksha meditation system in 1970s. He was also the supreme head of Jain Vishva Bharati University and played a key role in its establishment. He also took forward the Anuvrat' movement launched by Acharya Tulsi.

The Acharya formulated the concept of Jeevan Vigyan' science of living as a panacea for universal problems. Both Acharya Tulsi and Acharya Mahapragya have stated that modern education cannot be dubbed as entirely faulty because it has produced such innumerable people who have excelled in their respective fields.

The news of the demise of the Acharya send waves of shock in Jodhpur and hundreds of his disciples and followers left for Sardar Shahr to attend his funeral. One follower, Vimal Raj Singhvi told TOI that Acharya Maharpagya had visited Jodhpur in 2001 for "Chaturmas" (a religious ceremony) and had stayed for 10 days. He impressed all with his sermons advising the audience to practice "Ahimsa".

According to Singhvi, Acharya impressed all by his erudition, intellect and ideology, which also included the former President of India, APJ Abdul Kalam, with whom he had authored a book "Family and the Nation". Kalam was also present at the Surat Spiritual Declaration, at Surat and in which 16 religious leaders from various religions participated.

The Panth of 13

Terapanth, a Jain sect, was founded in Jodhpur about 250 years ago. It is said, that once 13 Jain saints were meditating in a market of Jodhpur. When some poets of the Charan community saw the 13 meditating they called it a system of Terapanth. This was referred to by one of those saints as, "Oh god, it is your sect (panth)" and that is how it got its name "Terapanth". It later grew to be a huge sect of Jainism, with a large number of followers not only in Jodhpur but across the globe.

Sources

TOI
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  1. APJ Abdul Kalam
  2. Acharya
  3. Acharya Mahapragya
  4. Acharya Mahashraman
  5. Acharya Shri Mahapragya
  6. Acharya Tulsi
  7. Ahimsa
  8. Ahimsa Yatra
  9. Bikaner
  10. Chaturmas
  11. Churu
  12. Gangashahar
  13. Gujarat
  14. Guru
  15. Jain Vishva Bharati
  16. Jain Vishva Bharati University
  17. Jainism
  18. Jodhpur
  19. Kanyakumari
  20. Kolkata
  21. Mahapragya
  22. Mahashraman
  23. Meditation
  24. Non-violence
  25. Preksha
  26. Preksha Meditation
  27. Punjab
  28. Sardarshahar
  29. Sardarshahr
  30. Science
  31. Science Of Living
  32. Shraman
  33. Surat
  34. Surat Spiritual Declaration
  35. Swami
  36. Swami Vivekananda
  37. TOI
  38. Terapanth
  39. The Times Of India
  40. Times Of India
  41. Tulsi
  42. Vivekananda
  43. Yuvacharya
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