Yuvacharya Mahaprajna
The tide of violence seems to be closing in on mankind. Not a day passes when we do not hear of the catastrophic incidents taking a heavy toll of innocent lives all over the world. Man's race for arms has reached a new high. Apart from lust for power, hegemony and terrorism that mark the international scene today, what baffles us most is the rise of religious fundamentalism that poses a serious threat to humanity. Like many other religious leaders who are greatly concerned about these signs of unrest and decadence of moral values, Acharya Tulsi, a revered Jain saint of India, has been championing the cause of peace and nonviolence for many years. He shot into prominence when he launched the Anuvrat Movement in 1949. His main aim is to bring peace to the world torn by strife by exhorting people to adhere to a code of conduct based on reconciliation, tolerance, respect for one another, friendship and human solidarity. He has been striving all along for human regeneration by means of anuvrat (little vows). I haven't heard of anyone else who ever launched a movement of little vows directed at purifying the world by bringing about a change in the individual attitude. Like me there are a large number of people in the West who will welcome this movement and extend their whole-hearted support to it.
I had an opportunity to meet Acharya Tulsi at Ladnun a few days back. I was highly impressed by his magnetic personality and charming ways. He commands a tremendous moral influence which was evident from vast multitudes who came to listen to him. He has a dedicated band of about 700 monks and nuns carrying his message of peace and love to the distant parts of the world. I feel that the Anuvrat Movement can spread rapidly in the West. This book on Acharya Tulsi, translated and edited by my dear friend Sohanlalji Gandhi, Secretary, Anuvrat International and an active Anuvrat worker, will prove immensely useful to the people of other countries in the world. I hope his efforts to spread the Anuvrat Movement in the west will succeed.
Dr. Jagdish Prasad Sharma
Professor, Department of History,
University of Hawaii,
HONOLULU, USA
