Shirdmad Rajchandraji, A self-realised soul was a Jain poet, philosopher, scholar and reformer, writer of Atma Siddhi and many other books and poems such as Moksh Mala. Shrimad Rajchandraji had also had knowledge of previous his births

Great Souls>Shrimad RajchandraJi

Short Lifespan - Great Achievements

Shrimad Rajchandra (9 November 1867 – 9 April 1901) was a Jain poet, philosopher, scholar and reformer. Born near Morbi, he was a prodigy and had recollection of many of his past lives at the age of seven. He performed Avdhan, a memory retention and recollection test that gained him popularity, but he later discouraged it in favour of his spiritual pursuits. He wrote a large number of philosophical poems including Atma Siddhi. He also wrote a large number of letters and commentaries and translated some religious texts. He is best known for his teachings on Jainism and his spiritual guidance of Mahatma Gandhi.

Early life

Shrimad Rajchandra was born on 9 November 1867 (Kartik Sud Purnima, Vikram Samvat (VS) 1924), in Vavania, a port near Morbi (now in Gujarat, India). His mother, Devbai, was Svetambara Sthanakvasi Jain and his father, Ravjibhai Mehta, and paternal grand father, Panchan Mehta, were Vaishnava Hindu. So he was inroduced to Jainism and Hinduism from early life. They were from Vaniya community and from Dasa Shrimali caste. He was initiated in Vaishnavism by a Sadhu named Ramadasji.He continued to study other Indian religions and was attracted to Ahimsa (non-violence) doctrine of Jainism. Later he chose Jainism because he considered that it provides best path to salvation. His birth name was Lakshminandan Mehta. He was renamed Raichand by his parents when he was four years old. Later his name changed to its Sanskrit form, Rajchandra. Shrimad, an honorific, was added by his disciples posthumously. His disciples also refer to him as Param Krupalu Dev (Lord of the Highest Compassion).

Jāti smarana gnaan

Rajchandra first attained jāti smarana gnaan (knowledge of a number of previous lives) at the age of seven, in 1874. In an 1890 reply to a question from Padamshibhai, his friend in Bombay, he described the incident: This incident played a pivotal role in his perception of the world. The tree he climbed no longer exist but a monument temple with a model of the event was erected on the site.

Prodigy

Rajchandra had an exceptional memory retentiveness and recollection. He joined the school at the age of seven and half but mastered the preliminaries in calculation in just a month. In two years, he completed the study of seven grades. At the age of eight, he started composing poems. He composed verse synopses on Ramayana and Mahabharata at the age of nine. He gained maturity in thinking and reasoning and by the age of 10 started public speaking. At the age of 11 He started writing articles in newspapers and magazines, such as in Buddhiprakash, and won several prizes in essay writing competitions. He wrote a 300-stanza poem on 'a watch' at the age of 12. In 1880, he went to Rajkot to study English, but very little is known about his education there. By 1882, he had studied and mastered several subjects. He became popular as a young poet and was referred to as Kavi due to it. He occasionally visited the residence of the ruler of Kutch as a writer where his handwriting were praised as best. He started attending his father's shop at age of 13. He composed many poems on life of Rama and Krishna while sitting in the shop.

Avadhāna

Avadhāna is a difficult test of attention and recollection in which a person attends multiple objects and activities at a time. From 1884 to 1987, Rajchandra performed many Avadhānas. On 22 January 1887, Shrimadji performed śatāvadhāna (100 Avadhāna) at Sir Framji Cowasji Institute in Bombay, which gained him praise and publicity. He was awarded gold medals by institutes and public for his performances as well as title of ‘Sakshat Saraswati’ (Incarnation of Knowledge). Rajchandra believed that the publicity gained by such Avadhānas may became an obstacle in spiritual pursuits, so he gradually discouraged the performances and stopped it completely by age of 20. The performances attracted wide coverage in national newspapers. In September 1893, when in Chicago, Virchand Gandhi (Mahatma Gandi) mentioned this feat at the Parliament of the World's Religions.

Last years

In 1887 (Maha Sud 12, VS 1944), Rajchandra married to Zabakben, daughter of Popatlal, the elder brother of Revashankar Jagjivandas Mehta, a Zaveri merchant family. He then engaged in the pearls and diamond business. He had two sons and two daughters. In 1890 (VS 1947), he experienced the self-realization for the first time at Uttarsanda where he was meditating under a mango tree near a lake. The tree no longer exists but a memorial shrine dedicated to the event is built there. He continued his householder life for six more years and was successful in his business. He is well known as a spiritual guide of Mahatma Gandhi. They were introduced in Mumbai in 1891 and had various conversations through letters while Gandhi was in South Africa. Gandhi noted his impression of Shrimad Rajchandra in his autobiography, The Story of My Experiments with Truth, calling Raichandbhai his "guide and helper" and his "refuge in moments of spiritual crisis". His teaching directly influenced non-violence philosophy of Gandhi. He retired from householder life and business when he was thirty. He spent three months in Idar where he had instructed seven monks in religious discourses. A memorial temple and a prayer hall was built there later. During his final years, he suffered a chronic digestive disorder. No specific cause of death was identified except "extreme weakness". In 1900, he lost large amount of his weight. He was under medical supervision who had advised to move to coastal region of Gujarat for benefit of health. He contracted an illness during his stay in Dharampur, from which he never recovered. In 1901, he, his mother, and wife stayed at Aga Khan's bungalow in Ahmedabad before moving to Wadhwan Camp. He died on 9 April 1901 (Chaitra Vad 5, VS 1957) in Rajkot (now in Gujarat) surrounded by his family, friends, and disciples. A small photograph taken after his death is displayed in a library in Khambhat established by him. The room where he died is now a prayer hall.

Shrimad RajchandraJi's Works