Brahamchari Shital Prasad (1879 - 1942)
Scholar of Hindi, Urdu and English , Sanskrit, Pali, Apabhramsa, Prakrit, Magadhi Kannad, Gujrati, Marathi & Persian and author of Several Jain Books
One of the most outstanding authors and religious Preachers Brahamchari Shital Prasad Jain was born to L. Makhan Lal and Smt. Naraini Devi at Lucknow. At the age of 18 he passed matriculation examination in 1st Division. 4 years after he passed Accountantship from Roorkee Engineering College and Joined government service. His wife died of plague on 13th Feb., 1904. At the age of 32 he took the vow to celibacy. He resigned from service on 19th August, 1905 and the sane year he went to Bombay with Seth Maneck Chand J. P. where he stayed upto 1909 and did a great deal of religious work there. He gave active support to Dig. Jain Meha Sabha. Later he was one of the founders of Dig. Jain Parishad and a leading crusadar against social evils.
He toured in the entire even in villages. He was prepared to go even to foreign countries for propagaton of Jain religion. He went to Ceylon and Burma for through study of Buddhism. He was a true Jain Missionary.
He edited Jaint Gazette, Jain Mittra and Vir and contributed articles regularly on social reforms. He was Adhisthata of Syadwad Mahavidyalaya, Varanasi.
Devoting about 12 hours every day for writing he wrote about 77 books which are classified as under:
(1) Spiritual-26 (2) Jain religion and Philosophy-18 (3) Ethics-7 (4) Ahimsa-2 (5) Biograhies-5 (6) Research and history-6 (7) Poetry-2 (8) Kosh-1 (9) Pratistha Path-1, and (10) Taran literature-9.
Much labour and writing work had made him sick. Under the care of B. Ajit Prasad, Advocate he made a little progress at Lucknow. On 6th January, 1942 he had fracture in his pelvis bone. The great spiritual scholar breathed his last on 10th February, 1942 at Lacknow.
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Source : From 'Progressive Jains' Authored By Mr. Satish Kumar Jain
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Mail to : Ahimsa Foundation
www.jainsamaj.org
R2191
