The Man (Acarya Sri Vijay Labdhisurisvarji Maharaj)

Summary

Acharya Sri Vijay Labdhisurisvarji Maharaj was a towering Śvetāmbara Jain ascetic who blended erudition, social reform and humanitarian work. Born in Gujarat in 1883 (approx), he became a monk early and devoted his life to promoting the Jain doctrine of non‑violence, compassion and spiritual pluralism. An editorial note in the issue describes him as a scholar, poet and social reformer who travelled widely across India and fought the evil of infanticide in northern regions. He converted many people to vegetarianism and delivered discourses that emphasised tolerance and harmony. His magnum opus, the four‑volume *Dvādasāra Nāyacakra*, is a highly technical treatise on Anekāntavāda (the doctrine of manifold viewpoints) that took fifteen years to complete; President Dr. S. Radhakrishnan praised him as a dedicated promoter of Indian culture. In 'The Man', Frank Moraes paints a vivid portrait of the monk: he describes a small‑framed ascetic with luminous eyes, a prodigious memory and facility in several languages. Moraes follows the Acharya on his five‑thousand‑mile tours during which he established schools and libraries, delivered sermons, wrote treatises and urged communities to renounce harmful practices. The Acharya’s simplicity, humility and refusal to take offence made a profound impression on laypeople and statesmen alike. Moraes recalls that national leaders such as Jawaharlal Nehru, Rajendra Prasad and Zakir Hussain sought his counsel and that he declined all honours except those that benefited Jain institutions. The article highlights his concern for social justice; he campaigned against untouchability and child marriage, encouraged women’s education and responded generously to appeals for famine and flood relief. Despite being grounded in tradition, the Acharya embraced modern scholarship and dialogued with intellectuals of other faiths. He insisted that true religion lay not in ritual but in cultivating compassion toward all living beings. This combination of scholarship, activism and spiritual depth made him one of the most influential Jain monks of the twentieth century.