Editor Aparigraha Jain
Editor Carla Geerdes
28th November 2006, 12:00 – 14:00
Next visit was to another kind of education institution, Pandit Todarmal Smarak Trust. We were happy for the opportunity to meet in person the high-level learned researcher and author of books on Pandit Todarmal, giving guidance to teachers for Jain principles in many camps, and besides, a very down to earth cheerful spiritual person.
Dr. Hukamchand Bharill received us in his office at Pandit Todarmal Smarak Trust, where a dedicated team is editing books ready for print and after printing sends them free of charge to those all over India and the world who are involved in Jain education, such as JAINA, Federation of Jain Associations in North America.
Dr. Bharill talking on his dedication for work, Shivani Bothra listening to him
Dr. Bharill was disciple of Pujya Gurudevshri Kanji Swamiji until the latter’s Samadhi 20 years ago. Since 40 years, he is working for Pandit Todarmal Smarak Trust. He got aware of his spiritual vocation, when he started his research work on Pandit Todarmalji’s scriptures, after he had obtained his PhD from Rajasthan University on it. At the age of 31, he changed the direction of his life, quit his government job, and thenceforward lead the life of a spiritual teacher, researcher, and author.
In the beginning, he had one person to help him, now he is very well equipped. He is widely known for his Hindi translation of Acharya Kundakunda’s work ‘The Purity Of The Soul’. Acharya Kundakunda’s language was Prakrit; Acharya Amritchand had translated it into Sanskrit, but translation of the 600 pages volume into contemporary Hindi was missing so far. Dr. Bharill wanted to spread the message of Acharya Kundakunda to contemporary people in contemporary language. This basic scripture of Jain philosophy has been sent not only to temples all over India and abroad, but also is the base for teachers of Jain Dharma. The commentary Dr. Bharill wrote on it contains another 5 volumes of 2250 pages, where he explains how to understand Jain philosophy. Beyond these 6 volumes, he has authored more than 65 books, written articles in great number for Jain magazines and was invited to lecture in Jain communities to give his comments on Jain Dharma.
He proposed that we choose some of his books for study at home, and then bestowed them upon us! As our suitcases already were fully packed, Dr. Bharill further offered Pandit Todarmal Smarak Trust’s mailing service to us. The books reached us promptly in January 2007, only eight weeks after our visit there. Many thanks for this!
Early in the morning, Dr. Bharill’s lectures are daily transmitted on Indian TV at Sadhana Channel. He has formed the spiritual education of about 500 graduate and postgraduate students; they help to translate into different local Indian languages the two monthly magazines he is editing in Hindi and Marathi language.
After conversation in his office, he invited us to have tea and snacks at his home, situated in the building of Pandit Todarmal Smarak Trust. We there got acquainted with his hospitable wife and some Jain scholars, among them three young students who are - as we learned in the course of the discussion on Jain philosophy – his grandchildren, two daughters of his daughter, named Anupreksha und Mukti, and the son of his son, named Anekant. Miss Anupreksha Jain who is a beautiful lady in her twenties, on demand of her grandfather gave a spiritual talk on Jain philosophy. 5 years ago, she came from Mumbai to Jaipur, to study Jain philosophy under the guidance of her grandfather. When we met her, she just had completed her studies with the degree of Jain Shastri, equaling to MA in Jain philosophy.
Unfortunately, a digital error happened to us, and we have lost all photos taken at Dr. Bharillji’s home!
Deeply impressed by the personality and the treasure of knowledge Dr. Bharill disclosed to us, we express our heartfelt thanks to Shri Balwantji Mehta who not only had made possible this encounter, but also untiringly translated conversations and discussions.