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Acharya Shri Shantisagar Maharaj
And How He Influenced Me
Justice Shri T. K. Tukol, M. A., LL. B.
Retired Judge, High Court of Mysore. Vice-Chancellor, Banglore University.
Today is an unforgettable moment of my life. It is as sacred as it is joyful. We are all happy that we are meeting today for the inauguration of the Pravachana Mandir built to commemorate memory of that Divine Saint Acharya Shri Shantisagar Maharaj. He is unquestionably the greatest of all Jain Saints of this Century. He travelled throughout the length and breadth of our country and spread the gospel of Jainism amongst the rich and the poor, the educated and the uneducated. He was worshipped even during his own life-time and continued to be worshipped with greater devotion after he had attained Heaven. He was described as the Emperor amongst Saints start ateral, Emperor of Righteous conduct चारित्र चक्रवर्ती and the Light of Spiritualism आध्यात्मिक
I these epithets connote his unequalled greatness as a learned saint of remarkable character and vision. Numerous books have been written about him in many languages and innumerable poems have been composed by poets and devotees alike.
What then should I say on this occasion to an august assembly like the one before me? I feel that the most appropriate subject for this inaugural talk is about the manner and the nature of his influence on my own life. I know that millions of my countrymen have been influenced by his noble precepts and practices but my humblest tribute to his great Saint is to tell you how he shaped my life.
My attraction towards Acharya Shantisagar Maharaj was more or less instinctive; for long before I saw him, I had begun to revere him. I had even composed a couple of poems in Kannada when I was a student in the Jain Boarding House at Hublli. It was not till 1924 or so that I had the good fortune of having his Darshan when he camped at Hubli
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