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Acharya Shri Mahapragya (91), the Tenth Acharya, head of Jain Swetembar Terapanth group, passed away at Sardarshahr 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.
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.