Sadhvi Vishrut Vibha
His Holiness Acharya Shree Tulsi, known worldwide as one of the greatest Acharya's was a man of vision. At the age of 11, he renounced his birth family to become a monk within the Terapanth sect. He saw Jainism as the vehicle to selflessly work in the service of the mankind and help others to find the path to their own self enlightenment. He had visualized how life should be lived and used his energy for the betterment of humankind. He had an aura around him that would enhance the quality of life of anybody coming to him. These factors came to define his vision of the philosophy of Jainism and were the unshakable tenets he lived by.
Despite the fact that technology and communication in his time were not as developed as today, the vision and voice of Acharya Shree Tulsi crossed the boundaries of our nation and reached abroad. In order to spread his words he often undertook long sojourns on foot with his followers. These journeys quickly became known as the Anuvrat Movement.
His objective with the Anuvrat Movement was to bring about a moral awakening to humanity. The axis of his thought and mission has always been human and humanity. He would introduce himself as, "initially I am a human being, then a religious person, thereafter Jain and then the Acharya of Terapanth sect." His inspirational slogan, "insan pahle insan, phir Hindu ya Musalman" - At first man is human, thereafter he is Hindu or Muslim - made him great and exclusive. It brought Acharya Tulsi into contact with a host of renowned individuals over the years including scholars, politicians, philosophers, journalists, poet laureates, other religious and community leaders, politicians and social reformers.
In the quest of humanity, Acharya Tulsi faced many internal and external trials and tribulations. However, no conflict could prevent him from moving ahead and marching bravely with purpose. Acharya Tulsi's life and his qualities can be distilled into three universal steps to success: Dream, Determination, and Dedication. Together all three led him to destination.
Acharya Tulsi was a humanitarian saint. His birth century is fast approaching us. On this occasion his inspirational and adventurous life must be displayed before the world. With this thought Acharya Mahapragya gave me the responsibility to trace the life sketch of Acharya Tulsi. Prior to this, I have authored six books under his guidance-‘Introduction to Jainism,/ Introduction to Terapanth' 'Introduction to Preksha Meditation'. Basics of Jainism, Journey into Jainism and truth of present.
But this time my challenge is enormous as it is almost impossible to put His Holiness Acharya Tulsi's life and demeanor into words. Still, the effort must be made to convey his extraordinary 82 year legacy. I am fortunate that Acharya Mahapragya himself guided me with the outline and contents of this book. For this work I referred the books - 'Dharma chakra ka pravartan, Tulsi Yashovilas, Tulsi prabodh and Mera Jivan, Mera Darshan.
The constant blessings of His Holiness Acharya Mahapragya, Acharya Mahashraman and Sadhvi Pramukha Kanakprabha have enlightened my path in writing this book. Sadhvi Vandana Shree and Khushboo Hirawat have been of great assistance to me in editing this work. Samani Vinay Pragya has put her efforts to finalize this work.
Mr. Sanjay M Dhariwal President of Terapanth Professional Forum has contributed to publish this book.
I hope that in their journey through this book, readers will gain an insight of who Acharya Tulsi was and what he meant to all of us.
Mukhya Niyojika Sadhvi Vishrut Vibha
Balotra, Rajasthan
May 11, 2012
