Acharya Tulsi
The Foundation Day of Terapanth is going to be celebrated on the next Asadh Purnima (the full-moon day in the month of Asadh) which falls on 21st July 1986. The question "arises as to how this came to be regarded as the Foundation Day. Who established Terapanth? Was it ever duly founded? What W88 the process of its establishment? All these questions draw a negative answer, which again raises the issue as to why this day has been designated as the Foundation Day of Terapanth.
Not all works are consciously accomplished. Some works do not get done, despite effort, while some other works get done spontaneously. Like the rain which falls without any human effort. Certain seeds sprout of themselves without anybody having sown them. Gradually they grow into mighty trees and their roots go very deep into the earth. Likewise, nobody formally established Terapanth; it came into being by itself.
Acharya Bhikshu was a unique personality of his age. He was very much concerned about the incongruities he found in the conduct and thought of monk—groups of his time. He heard a knocking at the gate of his consciousness, which he could not ignore. His awakened intelligence analysed the situation. He found himself surrounded by contradictions. He tried to adopt the path of cooperation and coordination but was obliged to abandon it. It was not his policy to compromise his principles. Relying on his strong willpower, he called for a religious revolution. Forsaking the path of convenience and respectability, he adopted a path full of difficulties. He felt that no individual or group really comprehended reality, and reality could not be imposed upon these. Instead of imposing oneself upon others, it was better to move away from such an environment.
It was not Acharya Bhikshu’s aim to establish a new sect. But he went his way, and a path, a community, evolved of itself. Gradually, other people joined him. In the first instance, the number of monks constituting his group was ’terah’ ('thirteen’). Incidentally, thirteen (’terah’) sharavaks of Jodhpur, too, adopted his way of religious worship. And the little sect came to be known as Terapanth.
AcharyaBhikshu used his far-sighted wisdom and expanded the name ‘Terapanth’ in his own unique way. His sharp intelligence interpreted the word ’Terah’ (‘thirteen’) as ’Tera’, meaning thine. "O'Lord| lt is Terapanth", i.e., "This ’panth' is Thine." The path that we follow is thy path. After deciding to follow the Lord’s way, he marched to the valleys of Aravali. On his way there, he reached Kelwa, where he accepted a new initiation as sanctioned by the scriptures, and expressed a sense of deep satisfaction. It was on that day that the foundation of Terapanth may be said to have been laid and later it came to be recognized as the Foundation Day. From the time of AcharyaBhikshu to our own day, there was no custom of celebrating the Foundation Day. However, on the occasion of the bicentenary of Terapanth, that day was invested with special significance. From that time onward, the day has been formally celebrated as the Foundation Day.
The aim of celebrating the Foundation Day is not entertainment or mere observance of a tradition. The one and only objective is to highlight the ideas, beliefs and doings of that great man, Acharya Bhikshu. Thus to activate in one’s own life the maturity of his thought, his theoretical insight, and the alertness of his conduct, is to commemorate him truly.
Acharya Bhikshu’s Terapanth, with all its original characteristics intact, and responding fully to the environment of the age, is steadily marching forward. In the language of this age, its identity may be set down as follows:
-
Total dedication to the sayings of the enlightened preceptors;
-
Coordination of thought and conduct;
-
Coexistence of the new and the old;
-
The supremacy of self-discipline and conduct;
-
Mutual understanding between the Acharya and his Sangh;
-
The trinity of meditation, service and hard work;
-
Renunciation of pride and egoism;
-
The training centre for the development of personality;
-
The harmonization of science and religion.
-
Terapanth implies all this.
