|
|
|
Anuvrat Anushashta |
|
Acharya Mahapragya - A Saint
Who Ranks
Foremost among
Refulgent Souls
|
|
 |
| His Quest for Truth |
|
Acharya Mahapragya is one of the most erudite and
spiritually elevated saints of India. Very few religious
heads possess the qualities that Mahapragyaji evinces in
his life. There is nothing extraordinary about his
appearance- tall frail body, broad forehead with minute
lines, shining eyes, innocent visage attired in white sheet
of cloth covering the portion above his waist. But those
who come into his contact, sit with him for sometime and
have a dialogue with him on the problems that beset the
world are amazed at his intuitive insights and wisdom, his
quest of the self and his exploration into mind beyond
mind. Full of humility and with utmost devotion and
gratitude to his revered Guru Late Acharya Tulsi,
|
|
|
Acharya
Mahapragya's |
|
Acharya Mahapragya has completed seventy eight years of ascetic life
which, in fact, are the years of inner awakening.
Highly revered and adored for his philosophical insights and sagely
wisdom, Acharya Mahapragya’s thoughtful quest for truth has attracted
widespread attention from the enlightened sections of our people. For
over five decades now, he has been incessantly engaged in discovering
techniques and practices for transforming human consciousness in the
spiritual realm. Embedded in the verifiable foundations of scientific
knowledge, his explorations into new modes of practices and techniques
have proved to be extremely popular with the general public.
Born on June 14, 1920 in a small town called Tamkor (Jhunjhunu) of the
Rajasthan State, Acharya Mahapragya has developed a new genre of
literature, which has generated deep excitement and interest among the
intellectuals and thinkers of the nation. His bold formulation
regarding science as a major resource for the renewal of the spiritual
world and righteousness (dharma) as against the prevalent belief which
regards science as being inimical to the realm of the spirit has opened
up new avenues of the real dharma (righteousness).
Great Exponent of Ahimsa
A brilliant exponent of ahimsa, and a thinker of deep originality,
Acharya Mahapragya’s literary output has evoked a deep interest from
the reading public, spread all over the country. He has written
extensively, with innate insight, on the contemporary issues relating
to the problems encountered by humanity.
Our celebrated national poet Ramadhari Singh Dinakar described Acharya
Mahapragya as the Vivekanand of today, bearing in mind his original
distinguished Bengali litterateur influenced by the Acharya. He
considered Mahapragya’s discourses and writings to be a unique source
of illumination and felt that his own creative writings could have
manifested a different orientation, if only he had access to the
Acharya’s literature a little earlier in his career.
His Scholastic Pursuits and Exploration of the Inner World
His writings have drawn extensively from the philosophical perspective
of Anekanta (doctrine of non-absolutism or many-sidedness of truth). As
a consequence, he has revealed hitherto unexplored dimensions and
possibilities of Jaina Philosophy and Terapantha ideology, fully
responsive to the challenges of modernity.
From the Jain canonical and Buddhist scriptures he learnt about various
systems of meditation and carried intensive research into Jain
meditation system. Acharya Mahapragya has dedicated all his life to the
exploration of the inner world which is totally different from the
world we live in. He is a profound Dhyan Yogi and has fathomed
intensively the mysteries of the mind. Preksha Meditation, a technique
evolved by him which takes an individual deep into the spiritual world
full of ecstasy and joy, is the result of his intensive research.
He spent the early years of his monastic life in studying the Jain
scriptures and sacred texts belonging to other religious traditions and
was very much struck by a common component i.e. the quest of the self
in almost all faith traditions. The founders, whether they were
Tirthankars or Prophets or avatars of the Hindus had dived deep into
the ocean of the mind and came out with 'jewels' which they offered to
their disciples. Mahapragya took his cue from the awakened souls and
began to fathom the depths of his mind through a series of experiments.
He sat for hours in the posture of KAYOTSARG and was amazed at the
vision of the inner world that lay unfolded before him. Very few modern
sages have attained the state of extra-sensory perception which
Mahapragyaji has already achieved and the extent to which he has
traversed through the labyrinths of mind. It will be in fitness of
things to call him a many-splendoured mystic. Preksha Meditation, the
result of his several internal trips, is a complete science of
meditation. Some claim that Acharya Mahapragya is clairvoyant.
Psychic Centres and Human Emotions
Acharya Mahapragya talks of the psychic centers that exist in human
body and their chemical relationship with human emotions. It is a
significant achievement in view of the chaotic situation that prevails
in the world today. He has also come to the conclusion that the right
hemisphere of the human brain, which is directly connected with peace
and tranquility, has not been developed properly. The educationists of
today are busy developing the left hemisphere of the student's brain
which stores intellect, reasoning and desires for materialistic
pursuits. In order to bridge this gap between the two chambers of the
human brain and to correct the imbalance between the development of its
right and left sides he has developed a new approach to education in
the form of Jivan Vigyan which aims at physical, mental and emotional
development of the child. His researches are profound and have a
definite goal i.e. improving the quality of human life and unfolding
the secret of happiness. He foresees immense possibilities of human
good in his exploration of the inner world.
It was in the course of long hours of meditation that he discovered
that human mind has infinite energies that can transform the entire
world into a heaven of bliss. His most outstanding contribution to the
world of meditation is the colour meditation which takes a human being
to a world that cannot be described in words. All his findings are
based on personal experiences. For him truth comes from within.
His Ahimsa Yatra
When communal violence flared in different parts of India, Acharya
Mahapragya embarked on Ahimsa Yatra five years ago to heal the wounds
of the people who fell victims to communal frenzy. He toured the
strife-torn Gujrat and exhorted people to eschew violence. His healing
touch had a tremendous impact and people responded positively to his
appeal. He visited the worst affected areas in Ahemdabad and was
instrumental in extinguishing the flames of violence. He contributed
significantly to creating a state of normalcy and peace in Gujrat. Last
year he was honoured with the prestigious Indira Gandhi Award for
National Integration by Congress President Sonia Gandhi. In view of his
relentless crusade against violence and communal hatred the Government
of India chose him for the prestigious Communal Harmony Award which was
conferred on him in New Delhi in the gracious presence of the Prime
Minister, President and Vice-President of India. He is continuing his
Ahimsa Yatra to create Ahimsa awareness among people and prevent
conflicts between different communities.
He seeks Transformation through Preksha Meditation
Thousands of people from India and abroad have practised and benefited
from Preksha Meditation and have changed their lifestyles completely. I
have met a large number of people who were peevish, restless and tense
but after their encounter with Mahapragya they are now completely
transformed and are calm, serene and extremely happy. Notwithstanding
his great achievement he is unassuming and simple; innocence is writ
large on his face. A Dhyan Yogi as he is, he remains withdrawn into his
inner world of perennial joy most of the time and shares it with those
whose lives are torn apart by conflicts, unrest and calamities. People
flock to him to seek solace and the solution of their problems. I find
Acharya Mahapragya a saint par excellence. He lays stress on the new
birth of an individual who is spiritually elevated and combines both
scientific and spiritual outlook.
What Mahapragya says about himself
To know Mahapragyaji fully well one must read what he says about
himself. His words are reproduced below:-
"I am an ascetic. I enjoy the boundless grace of Gurudev Shree Tulsi.
My asceticism is not bound by inert rituals. My faith is in that
asceticism which is not lifeless. I have faith in that asceticism which
is a veritable ocean of joy. I have faith in that asceticism which has
a perennial source of energy.
I follow a tradition but do not treat its dynamic elements as static. I
derive benefit from out of the scriptures, but do not believe in
carrying them as a burden.
The insight I have gained does not admit of separation between the past
and the present. The two are integrated in it. In my consciousness
there is no bondage of 'yours and mine.' It is free from it. My
spiritual practice does not 'worship' truth, it subjects it to minute
surgery.
The only mission of life is boundless curiosity to know truth. That is
precisely my asceticism. It is not an external accoutrement. Like a
seed it is sprouting out of my inner being.
There was a time when Indians actively pursued the method of directly
experiencing the truth. The present-day Indian mentality is afflicted
by indirect experience. Both his thinking and interpretation are
borrowed. This is a self-evident proof of its imbecility. I have but
one wish – initial, medial and final – to save present – day India from
the affliction of indirect experience and to lead it towards direct
experience."
As I Saw Him
I have watched Acharya Mahapragya’s gradual ascent to the peak of
transcendal wisdom closely. As a student I was awe struck by the
profoundity of his erudition. Whenever I went to pay my obeisance to
him I saw huge piles of books around him.
He studied not only Jain Agamas but also the sacred texts of all major
religious traditions and found that each tradition embodies a rich
heritage of eternal truths. He is trying to unite the forces of ahimsa
under the auspices of Ahimsa Samvaaya – a forum for sharing the vision
of nonviolence and evolving a joint action plan to combat the challenge
of violence. In the course of his Ahimsa Yatra as he walked barefoot
deep into remote villages his heart was moved at the plight of children
who were reduced to skeletons for want of food. The other problem that
he saw was the rising trend of intolerance and discord between
different communities. He instructed his disciples to focus on hunger
instead of poverty because a person can live without a house or clothes
but he cannot live without bread. Their second priority should be to
create interfaith harmony.
His Humanness and Relative Nonviolence
He doesn’t oppose globalization but wants marginalized groups to be
taken care of. He has propounded a new model of economics in the din
and tumult of globalization called sapeksha arthashastra.
If only greed becomes the focus of companies and
businesspersons, the rivers of compassion will dry up. He says, ‘every
individual should remember that the planet earth belongs to all living
beings that inhabit it, so leave some resources for them too.’ His
mission is to extricate humanity from the mire of despair into which it
has sunk by infusing it with new confidence and realization that
peaceful co-existence alone will make them happy.
A Many-splendoured Mystic
Acharya Mahapragya’s personality is truly many-splendoured. He is a
meditative yogi, a monk, a thinker, a writer, a researcher, a dedicated
disciple of his Guru, a nonviolence marcher, and above all an effulgent
soul. His figure bears a striking likeness to that of Gandhi. Verily he
continues the legacy of active nonviolence.
I will sum up my article by reproducing what Mr. Sunder Rajan, an
eminent aura specialist commented when he first saw the Acharya in
1994. He said, “Such an aura is rarely possessed by anyone. All the
colours in it are pure, radiant and powerful. Your aura is diffused
with yellow, blue and green colours. It indicates that you are endowed
with intuitive insight and extra – sensory perception. What strikes
most in your aura is that there isn’t any tainted and distorted colour
in it.”
At the age of 89 he exudes boundless energy. Verily he is a living
Mahavira of this age. We salute him in all humility and wish that he
may live long to inspire people to live the good life.
|
|
Dr. S.L. Gandhi |
|
|
|
|
