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Lt. Acharya Shri Tulsiji M. S.

 

 

Date of Birth V. S. 1971. Kartik Shukla Dwitiya
Place of Birth Ladnun Marwad Zilla Nagaur
Father's Name Jhoomarmalji
Mother's Name Vandanaji
Marital Status Unmarried
Gotra Khate
Caste Beesa Oswal
Date of Diksha V. S. 1982 Paush Krishna Pachmi
Diksha By A. Shri. Kalluramji
Place of Diksha Ladnun
Teacher (Guru) A. Shri Kalluramji

Appointment of Successor and Place (Yuvacharya)

V. S. 1993. Bhadravshukla Tritiya. Gangapur

Appointment as Acharya and Place

V. S. 1993. Bhadra V. Shukla Navmi. Gangapur

Number of Sadhu & Sadhvi at the time of Appointment as Acharya

Sadhu; 139 Sadhvi: 333

New Diksha of Sadhu & Sadhvis During Acharya Period.

Sadhu : 262 Sadhvi : 622
Present : 136 Present : 505

Sadhvi Pramukha during Acharya Period

Sadhvi Jhamkuji, Sadhvi Ladanji, At Present Mahashramani Sadhvi Kanakprabhaji
Tenure as Acharya 57 Years Pad Visarjan
Maximum Chaturmas Ladnun 10
Date of passing away (Devlok- Mahaprayan ) 23rd June 1997 at Gangasahar ( Rajasthan )

Anuvrat Anushasta : One name that emerges on the spiritual horizon of the twentieth century is that of Anuvrat Anushasta Shri Tulsi. The contribution of this great man, who has lent lustre to the saintly tradition of India, to our country is something without a parallel. It appears that the very purpose of his life is to preserve our national identity through penance and sacrifice. He felt hurt whenever there was a moral decline in the country. He stirred the consciousness of righteousness in the nation at all such times.

According to him, there can be no greater un wisdom than inviting mental perturbation being as we are the inheritors of a unique and intrinsically rich legacy. Anuvrat Anushasta started numerous programmes to acquaint the whole world with this very legacy.

The people of India were engaged in winning freedom from centuries old foreign rule. We became free in 1947 as a result of numerous sacrifices of the freedom fighters. Those who were at the helm of national affairs directed their attention to the many economic, industrial and educational development plans of the country. On the other hand, Anuvrat Anushasta Shri Tulsi strongly felt that together with material development there was an imperative need, of moral development. Without strengthening the foundation of righteousness a balanced development of the nation was simply not possible. In fact in its absence the country, would face countless crises.

Shri Tulsi launched the Anuvrat Movement on March 2, 1949 with a view to making India a nation of non-violence and righteousness. Anuvrat aims at creating a feeling of pure humanism and universal fraternity irrespective of considerations of race, sect, gender, class, language or region. A code of conduct comprising diminutive vows was presented so that people might not compromise humane and moral values while carrying out their familial and social responsibilities. Individuals may seek success in any field of life, but not at the cost of their innate humanity. Be a good human being and then proceed further - this is the basic message of Anuvrat.

To spread the above message far and wide, both Shri Tulsi and his scholarly disciples produced a lot of literature, which gave Anuvrat a philosophical base in the context of the entire nation. He has, besides interpreting the Anuvrat philosophy, established its relevance and imperative need in the wider global context. The nation's intelligentsia concede that Anuvrat alone can give a new direction to the country.

Shre Tulsi travelled on foot across the country - a distance of a hundred thousand kilometres in order to spread the message of humanity among the entire population through the medium of Anuvrat. Mahavira, Buddha, Shankaracharya had all lighted the torch of Dharma through their religious wanderings. Much of the credit of the Anuvrat Anushasta's achievements goes to his similar wanderings. Travelling on foot is a Jain monk's life-vow which he willingly undertakes to carry out along with being initiated into monkhood. But the Anuvrat Anushasta has lent it a missionary character. His historic travels on foot from Cutchh in the west to Calcutta in the east and from Punjab in the north to Cape Comorin in the south were undertaken to carry out the mission of establishing the values of humanity. That is why people know more as 'a messiah of humanity' or 'a humanitarian saint'.

Success followed his historic travels from Rajasthan to Delhi and from Delhi to Calcutta. Thousands used to gather in order to see him and listen to him all along the way, with feelings of wonder and curiosity.

Social Reforms : He has achieved success beyond all expectations in the filed of social reforms by his new interpretations and the Anuvrat Movement. He has been responsible for liberating countless women from the shackles of long veils and burdensome ornaments. Likewise, he has also dealt a heavy blow to such evil practices as sitting in a corner and waiting for the dead for months together, ostracizing widows, child marriages and death feasts. It is his efforts which are responsible for these and similar evils nearing virtual extinction, even though at first he encountered tremendous opposition, both internally and externally. However, he neither accepted defeat nor cared for the fierce opposition. He took along with him all those willing to work with him and kept seeing fresh avenues of their activities. Not only this, he even went to the extent of showing utmost tolerance towards his opponents and maintained that their opposition should be faced cheerfully, so much so that he never wrote or published even a single line as a reaction to the opposition. He utilized his entire energy for constructive purposes. It was for this reason that as time passed even his adversaries turned into his supporters.

The anti-Hindi agitation was at its peak when the Anuvrat Anushasta reached Tamilnadu during his travels on food. The centre of the agitation was the Annamalai University. Opposing Hindi tooth and nail, its students had taken to the streets, some of them even sacrificing their lives in the process. It was in this very university that Shri Tulsi was invited to give an address. The vice-chancellor along with a number of professors requested him not to address in Hindi. The Anuvrat Anushasta was keen to see that this language-centred agitation came to an end. He gave a brilliant talk to the students in Hindi and the latter greeted him with deafening applause. Through that historic address in Hindi the Anuvrat Anushasta not only highlighted the importance of Hindi but also succeeded in extinguishing the fire of anti-Hindi agitation, thereby bridging the gulf between the north and the south to some extent.

During his travel the Anuvrat Anushasta has passed through thousands of villages and therefore millions of villagers have come into his contact. Many of them have eagerly listened to his discourses and a fair percentage among them have vowed to lead a life free from addictions. Thus what cannot be achieved even by spending billions of rupees - the task of building character and moral training - has been so easily accomplished as a result of his travels.

The philosophy of Anuvrat has given religion a new character. People felt this change after the Anuvrat Anushasta and hundreds of his monks and nuns dedicated themselves to the mission of a religious renaissance.

Religiousness : Shri Tulsi deeply felt that the religious people entertained two different mindsets and behavioural patterns, one in places of worship and religious shrines, and the other in offices and other work places. The power of religion could not be made an effective instrument of righteousness without ending the above duality. Accordingly, he gave a call to all the religious people to transform their ways. Everyone wondered what its impact was going to be like. To begin with, the intellectuals were influenced by the Anuvrat philosophy which held that religion could not be kept alive merely, on the basis of emotional worship. He forcefully put forward the Anuvrat view that religion is not like a sheet of cloth which can be put on in a place of worship and put off outside it. He said that religion or the religious spirit is not something that may be confined only to places of worship; it should reflect in everything one does, says or thinks. A person is free to observe whatever mode of worship he wants, but his daily behaviour must be fully informed by human and moral values. A society given to observing religious ritual or ritualistic religion could not easily believe that a saint would pull religion out of the confines of places of worship and start a movement to install it right at the centre of daily life.

At the behest of the Anuvrat Anushasta Shri Tulsi, Acharya Mahapragya placed before the people a scientific method of spiritual exaltation called Preksha Dhyan. Thousands of people have been influenced by the practice of Preksha Dhyan. The experiments related to Preksha Dhyan have succeeded in making religion practical and scientific by freeing it from the shackles of various kinds of worship and rituals.

Anuvrat Anushasta Shri Tulsi is a saint and people recognize him as a secular saint, one who transcends sects. He has always held religion to be higher than sect. According to him, sectarian frenzy results from the domination of religion by sects. By propagating a non-sectarian religion the Anuvrat Anushasta has given the clear message that there is no danger to anyone from religion, nor is there any danger to religion from anyone.

Inter-religious Amity : Sectarian loyalties lead to division and disintegration. He started working among the people towards humanitarian tasks only, after coming out of the narrow confines of sects. In order to inculcate the spirit of humanity and national integration he gave the slogan. 'First a human being and only afterwards a Hindu or Muslim.' About his own self he says, "I am first of all a human being, thereafter a religious man and finally a religious leader or Acharya. The voice of the human religion propagated by the Anuvrat Anushasta has reached not only from a poor man's cottage to the Rashtrapati Bhavan (Presidential Residence), but even to foreign countries and international platforms.

In fact the work done by Shri Tulsi from a non-sectarian point of view constitutes an independent subject of study. Moved by the feeling of inter-religious amity, he put forth a five -point plan, which has exercised a great deal of influence on the minds of the people. He said:

1. Let people follow a policy of putting forth their own views and refrain from refuting either verbally or in writing the views of others.
2. Let people be tolerant of the viewpoints of others.
3. Let people not propagate hatred and disrespect against other sects and their followers.
4. Let there be no undesirable treatment like social ostracism towards those undergoing conversion to another sect.
5. Let there be collective efforts of the people to follow throughout life the principles of nonviolence, truth, non-stealing, continence and non-accumulation.
 

The national saint Tulsi's leadership of the Anuvrat Movement is by a spiritual person, not by a secular, materialistic politician. Therefore there was no confusion in the minds of the people created by secularism acting as a mask for sectarianism when Shri Tulsi used the Anuvrat Movement as a means of achieving inter-religious amity. It was because of the spiritual edge of his personality that he succeeded in making even a religious movement apart of social revolution. With complete and equal ease he could give his discourses in churches, temples, monasteries, mosques and gurudwaras. His leadership gave everyone the urge to introspect and choose the right path.

There is no doubt that Anuvrat Anushasta Shri Tulsi is the representative of a particular sect, but he has not allowed himself to be a captive of his sect. In fact if there is any one spiritual personage in the present age who has transcended the sectarian boundaries and influenced the entire humanity by his life and work, it is Shri Tulsi.

He ushered in a revolution in the religious world by creating the new category of Saman halfway between a householder and a saint so that the message of non-violence and peace could be taken to the remotest corner of the world. People belonging to the above category are doing significant work in the fields of non-violence and world peace through the medium of Anuvrat and Preksha Dhyan. On the occasion of the creation of this category, the famous scholar-pandit Dalsukh Bhai Malvaniya said, 'For many years people have been talking of a third category, but no one has been able to muster enough courage to implement it. You alone have taken the step with new courage and new thinking'.

The main object of the Anuvrat Anushasta has been to establish peace and non-violence. In order to achieve it he started programmes for training in non-violence. Two big, international conferences on training in non-violence were held in 1988 and 1991 at Ladnun and Rajsamand respectively under his leadership in which a large number of representatives from foreign countries took part.

The Anuvrat Anushasta has always had profound faith in the power of non-violence. He sent his disciples, both male and female, to terrorism-stricken Punjab at a time when daylight killings in towns as well as villages were a daily feature. He knew that hundreds of families were fleeing their homes out of fear and that at such a time it was necessary to bolster their will power and self-confidence. His disciples - monks and nuns alike - could accomplish the above task far better than the state administration. When people urged him to direct the disciples to return to Rajasthan since the atmosphere in Punjab was highly vitiated, he retorted, 'The monks and nuns are indeed our own people, but so are those living in Punjab. Shall we leave them to fend for themselves? Our disciples would at least strengthen the will power of the people in Punjab.' In fact, he sent some more groups of his monks and nuns there.

The Punjab problem had been defying a solution for a long time; it was turning from bad to worse. At such a critical time Shri Tulsi sent a message to Sant Longowal. The latter came to meet him at Amet in Rajasthan on July 9. Until then there was not even a remote sign of resolving the impasse. Sant Longowal himself had no mind to talk to the Central Government as he had reached a point of desperation. He had two long sessions of Wk with Shri Tulsi and they yielded solid results. He agreed to negotiate with the Union Government. Inspired by Shri Tulsi he met and talked with the then Prime Minister, Rajiv Gandhi and the outcome was Rajiv Longowal Agreement. Shri Tulsi played a crucial background role in bringing about that historic agreement. The Home Minister, S.B. Chauhan, himself came to Amet to thank Shri Tulsi on behalf of the Central Government.

Influence on Politics : The Anuvrat Anushasta has influenced Indian politics by his personal traits and actions as a religious preceptor. He never compromised the dignity of a saint by joining active politics, nor did he commit himself to any political party. By remaining objective and neutral he has given guidance to the leaders of all political parties. Distinguished people like Dr. Rajendra Prasad, Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, Jai Prakash Narayan, Acharya Kripalani, Acharya Vinoba Bhave, Dr. Rarn Manohar Lohia, Haribhau Upadhyay, and Jainendra have paid great respect to him. They have derived immense joy from their discussions on national issues with Shri Tulsi. He has directed all his energies to the service of the nation for the last six decades. Not only he but hundreds of his intelligent disciples, both male and female, are engaged in dedicated service of the nation under his leadership. It is worth mentioning here that during this very long period the Anuvrat Anushasta has not sought any favours from the government. He has always been a giver, never a receiver. Nearly all important leaders of major political parties in the country have been greatly impressed by his selfless service and humanitarian attitude. The Indian nation is truly obliged to him. Dr. Sarvapalli Radhakrishnan has included the life accounts of fourteen great men in his book Living with Purpose. One of them is Shri Tulsi, who is even now rendering valuable service to the nation. lie then president of India, Dr. Radhakrishnan honoured him in 1961 on the completion of his twenty-five years of Acharyahood. In 1971 President V.V. Giri honoured him by conferring on him the title of Yugpradhan (literally, 'Head of the Age'). Similarly, President Fakruddin Ali Ahmed and President Gyani Zail Singh honoured him on the occasions of his attaining the age of sixty in 1974 and his completing fifty years of Acharyahood in 1986 respectively. On the latter occasion he was conferred the title of Bharat Jyoti (The Light of India).

How could the national saint Shri Tulsi - a nominated member of the National Integration Council and honoured by the Indira Gandhi National Unity Award - keep silent at a time when in 1994 the prestige of Parliament was at stake, the largest democracy of the world was an object of ridicule and the Lok Sabha, veritably the heartbeat of the country, became unsteady and wavering? The question was not of being with the party in power or the opposition, but of national honour and dignity. Even after a whole week the stalemate in Parliament showed no signs of abating; on the contrary, it kept growing. The Chairman of the Lok Sabha made many efforts to end the imbroglio, but neither side was prepared to compromise. Psychological distances went on increasing and a head-on clash seemed imminent. Anuvrat Anushasta Shri Tulsi thought it necessary to end the confrontation. He and Acharya Shri Mahapragya sent a special message to the prominent leaders of various political parties. With this message Muni Lokesh, in his capacity of Shri Tulsi's representative, met and held discussions with, the Prime Minister and the Speaker of the Lok Sabha along with the presidents and prominent leaders of other parties. As a result, many leaders of both the ruling party, and the opposition parties came to the Adhyatma Sadhaiia Kendra to seek guidance from Anuvrat Anushasta Shri Tulsi and Acharya Mahapragya. The former told them that the ongoing tug of war was a dangerous thing. Both sides would suffer if the rope gave way in the middle. Matters should not be allowed to hang fire for such a long time. It was necessary that the ruling party and the opposition sat down together and tried to resolve the problem and end the parliamentary, stalemate through discussions inspired by, the philosophy of Anekant. The Anuvrat Anushasta's appeal had a great impact on everyone including the Prime Minister. Sensing the gravity of the issue, the Lok Sabha Speaker redoubled his efforts and respecting the wishes of Shri Tulsi and in order to uphold the honour of Parliament, all the leaders, despite their political differences, agreed to end the stalemate. An announcement to this effect was made on the floor of the Lok Sabha in the noon of August 17. The chiefs of different political parties acid the Lok Sabha Speaker informed Shri Tulsi and Acharya Mahapragya that the positive outcome was possible only because of their guidance. The President, Dr. Shankar Dayal Sharma, in his private conversation with Muni Prashant expressed his happiness at the remarkable outcome. The Prime Minister Shri P.V. Narsimha Rao met the Anuvrat Anushasta the same evening and expressed his gratitude to him. The leading newspapers created a nationwide stir by publishing it prominently, on their front pages. Of the Anuvrat Anushasta's many precious gifts to the nations, this one would never be forgotten.

Symbol of National Unity : On October 31, 1993 Shri Tulsi was honoured by the conferment of the Indira Gandhi National Unity Award. It was awarded as a recognition of his noteworthy contribution to the strengthening of unity in the country. Prime MinisterNarsimha Rao conferred the award on the death anniversary of Indira Gandhi. The entire Jain community felt honoured by the award. Besides the people prizing religious values, those who, believed in human and moral values also felt overjoyed at the honour. In fact, the award was deemed to have been given to those high values. Nai Duniya, a newspaper published in Madhya Pradesh held in its editorial that the award was an indication of the importance given to morality. The Selection Committee had agreed on Shri Tulsi's name after screening some three thousand names. The paper opined that he was the best symbol of national unity.

As in the case of Lord Krishna's life, Shri Tulsi's life too is full of historic moments related to astonishing events. People were astounded by his unexpected and novel ways.

One such astonishing events took place on February 18, 1994 in the presence of thousands of people gathered at Sujangarh in Rajasthan. The occasion was the celebration of the 130th historic Maryada Mahotsav of the Tera-panth sect. Most unexpectedly, Shri Tulsi made the startling announcement that he was relinquishing his office of Acharya in favour of Yuvacharya Mahapragya. From that day onwards the latter would be called Acharya Mahapragya - the tenth Acharya of the Terapanth sect.

The entire congregation present on the occasion was taken aback and was completely out of depth. Everything had been going on well. Shri Tulsi was enjoying good health and was receiving full cooperation from the Yuvacharya. Every member of the Sangh was completely devoted to him. Then why such a sudden change, they asked.

That the Acharyahood was given to Yuvacharva Mahapragya was not surprising. What surprised the people was that it was done at a time when Shri Tulsi was not only physically fit but was discharging his office most effectively and competently. For one Acharya to transfer his exalted office to another within his life time was a unique event in the history of the Jains. He had been an Acharya for six decades and during this period Terapantli touched phenomenal heights. A sect which was practically unknown is now, thanks to Shri Tulsi's leadership, known internationally. The period of his Acharyahood will be written in golden letters in the history of Terapanth. Voluntary giving up of Acharyahood is a great example of sacrifice and inspiration.

Elevation of Yuvacharya Mahapragya to Acharyahood was greeted by the entire Terapanth with unprecedented joy because of the wonderful harmony he had built with Shri Tulsi. At the same time he enjoyed Shri Tulsi's complete trust and unbounded affection. The humility and grace Yuvacharya Mahapragya displayed while accepting Acharyahood was also remarkable. Accepting it he said, 'Most revered Gurudev! All my life I have respectfully followed you. I have regarded obedience to you as my highest duty. Today also I am obeying you. But on my personal behalf and on behalf of the entire Terapanth order I earnestly beseech you to kindly accept the title of Ganadhipati'. At first Acharya Shri declined it, but he had to yield to the strong pleading of Mahapragya and the whole order, and quietly he accepted the title.

One of the tests of the success of a Terapanth Acharya is the nomination of a befitting successor. Ganadhipati Tulsi had chosen a most competent and brilliant successor fifteen- years earlier. Therefore the whole of Jain society got thrilled at Yuvacharya Mahapragya assuming the office of Acharya. Everyone is confident that so intelligent and profoundly wise a person as Acharya Mahapragya will take the Sangh to still greater heights. Both the common readers and the literary world of the country are fully acquainted with his extraordinary talent and so the new development has made everyone happy.

Early Life : Anuvrat Anushasta Shri Tulsi was born on October 20, 1914 at Ladnun in Rajasthan. He was brought up and had his schooling there. Who knew at that time that that child born in a small town would one day earn international renown and give competent guidance to the whole world?

The child Tulsi had not acquired higher education even until he was mesmerized by the magnetic personality of his religious guru. At his very first meeting with the guru he made up his mind to take to sanyas. He had a whole treasure of inherited righteous traits even though he did not receive higher education. At the tender age of eleven he renounced all the comforts and temptations of a householder's life and got initiated by the eighth Acharya of the Tempanth Dharma Sangh, Shri Kalugani.

The entry into the life of a monk throw open the doors not only of the learning of the duties and ways of a monk but also those of new education. He began learning by heart the Jain Agams written in Sanskrit and Prakrit. By the time he was twenty two he had learnt twenty thousand hymns of different books, which he could recall at will, and were thus laid the solid foundations of wide ranging knowledge. It was his daily routine to sit by his guru and repeat the hymns and stanzas he had so learnt so that they could be permanently established in his memory. Simultaneously he studied several commentaries and made a detailed study of Nyaya, Vyakaran (Grammar) Kosh (Dictionary), Tark Shastra (Logic), Jain Agams, Darshan (Philosophy), Itihas (History), Jain Terapanth Constitution and related serious literature.

Muni Tulsi became a teacher at the age of sixteen. He was given the responsibility of teaching the newly initiated young munis. He found the work very interesting. Many young munis taught by him then became well-known munis of Terapanth in course of time.

Man of Letters : Impressed by Muni Tulsi's talent, abilities and special qualifications, Acharya Kalugani nominated him as his successor (Yuvacharya) in 1936. Soon thereafter. the Acharya passed away and the entire responsibility of leading the big Terapanth Sangh fell on the young shoulders of Muni Tulsi at the age of twenty-five. It was a rare event in the history of the Jains. Everyone watched him and all his actions with curiosity. There was no dearth of talented and competent munis in the Dhanna Sangh in those days. Many of them were senior to Muni Tulsi in terms of the date of initiation, knowledge, experience and spiritual practice. But everyone was satisfied that Acharya Kalugani had chosen his successor on the basis of his incisive insight and therefore there was surely something unique in Shri Tulsi. People could see in him a lot of promise.

So Muni Tulsi came to Ladnun as Acharya Tulsi. He had a unique personality which added more and more lustre to itself with his increasing responsibilities he was fully aware of the grave responsibility that had devolved on him. From the very beginning he gave ample evidence of his firm hold on the Sangh and his penchant for leadership. He fixed priorities with a view to lending dynamism to the Sangh and bringing it in tune with the times. One of his important priorities was to educate the sadhvis (nuns). He added many new dimensions to the working of the Sangh.

He started producing new literature so that the beliefs and thoughts of Terapanth could be presented in the contemporary, context. In this work he received tremendous cooperation of Muni Nathmal, now Acharya Mahapragya.

Common Indians know Shri Tulsi more as a social reformer, Jain Acharya, Head of Tempanth and propounder of the Anuvrat Movement. However, it is generally not known that he is also a man of letters of a very high quality, brilliant orator, profound thinker, very good poet and singer. His life is an excellent amalgam of these and many other qualities. He casts a spell on his audiences and effectively brings home the message conveyed. He has a melodious voice and sometimes he bursts into singing out of sheer ecstasy and sways the hearts of the audience. He is equally effective as a writer. He has expressed himself candidly and fearlessly on individual, social, national and international issues both in prose and verse.

Having started as a literary writer in Rajasthani, today he is the author of some one hundred original works, many of which have been either originally written or translated into Hindi, Gujarati, Sanskrit, Prakrit, and English. He has a unique place in Rajasthani and Hindi literatures, having served them for nearly half a century. Some of the important titles written by him are Jain Siddhant Deepika, Bhikshu Nyay Karnika, Jain Tatva Pravesh, Jain Tatva Vidya, Manonushasnam, Preksha Anupreksha,Anaitiktaki Dhoop Anuvrat Ki Chhatri, Anuvrat Ke Alok Me and Anuvrat Gati-Pragati. No less popular and avidly read are Deeya Jale Agam Ka, Safar Adhi Shatabdi Ka, Jeevan Ki Sarthak Dishayen, Laghuta Se Prabhuta Mile, Jage Tabhi Sawera, Mukhda Kya Dekhe Darpan Me, Kuhase Me Ugata Sooraj, Rajpath Ki Khoj, Amrit Sandesh, Atit Ka Visarj an Anagat Ka Swagat, Beeti Tahi Bisari De, Kya Dharm Buddhigamya He, Mera Dharm Kendra Aur Paridhi and Grihasth Ko Bhi Adhikar Hai Dharm Karne Ka. Further, the following three works, Kaluyashovilas written on Acharya Kalugani, Bharat Mukti written on Emperor Bharat Chakravarti and Chandan Ki Chutaki in the form of lectures are not only epics but are in themselves repositories of culture, philosophy, and history. For literary connoisseurs there are Nandan Nikunj, Somras and Shasan Sangeet as his precious gifts. Heightened sensitivity, and extraordinary insight enable him to infuse life even in the driest topic. The Father of the Nation, Mahatma Gandhi, commenting on one of Shri Tulsi's small literary pieces 'Ashant Vishwa Ko Shanti Ka Sandesh' wrote 'How wonderful would it have been if the world had followed this great man's prescriptions!'

Research of Agam : Thirty-four Years ago, while going through the research journal Dharmdoot during one of his travels on foot he got the idea of editing the Agams doing research on them. The task was as forbidding as it was complex and difficult. But Sant Tulsi's strong resolve bore fruit and the credit for it should go to him and his able successor's strong will-power and irrepressible zeal. It was a herculean task to edit, annotate and comment upon Tirthankar Mahavir's precepts dating back to 2500 years ago. The most remarkable aspect of this enormous endeavour is the absence of help from any paid scholars. It is exclusively the outcome of the untiring efforts of Anuvrat Anushasta Shri Tulsi, Acharya Mahapragya and their selfless sadhus and sadhvis. It was the mind boggling scale of the work which made the literature Jainendra and Shri Dalsukh Bhai Malvaniya remark, the work accomplished by Sant Shri Tulsi in only thirty-four years could not have been done by governmental agencies in a hundred years even after spending crores of rupees.' Truly the Anuvrat Anushasta has achieved a feat which is both historic and unforgettable. The Agams in the Jain tradition are as significant as the Vedas are in the Hindu tradition and Pitak is in the Buddhistic tradition.

In his Sangh, the Anuvrat Anushasta has created a long line of men of letters. Many munis who were initiated and taught by him have turned out to be famous litterateurs. Quite a few of them are profound thinkers and effective speakers. It is the direct result of the ample opportunities of growth and development given by Shri Tulsi to his Munis. No wonder the numerically not very large sect of Tera-panth has its own unique identity in the country today.

The familiar sight of middle height, dignified, bright forehead, visionary eyes, wholesome body and raised hand showering blessings on the people is so magnetic and captivating that people get enchanted by it at its very first sight. The aura of his personality leaves an indelible impression on the onlookers. Likewise, his loud, clear and brilliant speech together with a mature style of enunciation and interpretation casts a veritable spell on the audiences. Anyone who has listened to this great sage known as Tulsi knows how persuasive he is because of the natural and simple way he puts across to other people even the most profound thoughts. His voice is melodious and suave.

A large number of institutions are working under the spiritual leadership of the Anvrat Anushasta, among which are the Akhil Bharatiya Anuvrat Samiti, Anuvmt Vishva Bhamti, Jai Tulsi Foundation. Jain Vishva Bharati, Tempanth Mahasabha, Adarsh Sahitya Sangh, Akhil Bharatiya Terapanth Yuvak Parishad, Akhil Bharatiya Terapanth Mahila Mandal. They are dedicated to upholding the Anuvrat Anushasta's message of love, non-violence and peace and undertaking activities related thereto. Jain Vishva Bharati Institute - inspired and sustained by Shri Tulsi - was given the status of a Deemed University in 1991 by the Government of India. He is its highest Anushasta.

Sant Shri Tuisi is the finest symbol of India's glorious spiritual tradition. He has been energizing the whole nation with his spiritual conduct. Truly, India is proud of him.

 

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