Testimonials
Review TextSaints give their message not so much through words as through the life they live. Acharya Shanti Sagar Maharaj's life is a living symbol of Ahimsa, Tyaga and Tapascharya, He lived not for himself but for a mission. So long as the life was worth living he cared to live. When the time came he withdrew himself into the eternal embrace of death. Acharyaji is not dead. He lit a lamp the light of which will permeate and inspire the generations to come. To that great sage I pay my respectful greetings.
Review TextDeath is feared by all living beings, because it is the very negation of life. It is the most concentrated form of fear, But death seems to be more terrible to those who fear it most, while it is sweet to those who embra ce it with love. Acharya Shanti Sagarji was one of those rare brave souls who invite death most cordially and welcome it with a smile when it comes. While his passing away is a great loss to us, to him it was the last solace he sought and got it. May his soul rest im peace, may his great qualities in our memories for long.
Review TextI had known Acharya Shanti Sagar Maharaj. He was a profound scholar and a great ascetic of modern India, His death has been a great loss to the country.
I have great pleasure in sending my good wishes for the success of the special issue of Jain Gazette to commemorate the Nirvana of Acharya Shanti Sagar Maharaj on the 18th of September 1955 after a self-imposed penance and fast of 36 days. This ancient custom of Hindus by which individuals, when they feel their work in this world is over, voluntarily Jay down their lives, deserves admiration and in suitable cases, it deserves to be followed. Death by voluntary choice is always to be preferred to death by disease or failure of natural organs and functions provided the choice is not due to anger, passion, disappointment or desire to escape from responsibilities. While there is so much talk of birth control, the question at the other end of allowing people to die voluntarily and the conditions and circumstances in which they should be assisted to do so deserves no less consideration. It is implicit in human intelligence that human life from birth to death should be illuminated and, as for as possible, regulated by it. A charya Shanti Sagar Maharaj has done a great service by demonstrating that the anicent Hindu tradition of victory over death by voluntary submission to it is not mythical.
On the 18th of September Acharya Shanti Sagar shed this mortal coil and his spirit soared to march with the Infinite, He undertook a fast for 36 days and during all this period he meticulously observed all his duties and till the last minute went on preaching the great precepts of the Jain Dharma to all his disciples. Such deliberate surrender of self in full possession of one's faculties, even in advanced age, is the privilege of very rare souls who have attained liberation from all attachment to life. This glorious end crowned a life full of love and compassion for all mankind, every minute of which was devoted to the search after Truth. I am glad that the Jain Gazette is bringing out a Special Number to pay homage to the great Digambar Jain Saint who has joined the ranks of the spiritual aristocracy of this country, which is its greatest pride.
I consider it a privilege to pay homage to the memory of Acharya Shanti Sagar who attained liberation on 18-9-1955. This country is justly proud of its magnificent achievements in the spiritual world, and much of it is due to the fact that we had at all times in our midst saints who had shown by their life and conduct the great virtues of our religion and ethical tenets. The Jains have made considerable contribution in this direction, and the Acharya was an illustrious example of it, It is by reason of such personalities that India has lived in the past and will continue to live in the future.
I am glad you have given me the opportunity of paying my respectful homage to the revered memory of Acharya Shanti Sagar, a great saint of modern India. Acharya Shanti Sagar did not pass away as other mortals do. He surrendered the physical part of his being after purifying his soul through a voluntary fast of 36 days. He not only preached but demonstrated by personal practice the truth that the human soul is not merely immortal, it is also capable of obtaining deliverance from the shackles of a long and unending succession of births and deaths. The lesson of his life lived so nobly is that the goal of life is salvation by obtaining freedom from the bondage of earthly existence, which can be achieved by universal love of a transcendental character. Such love is experienced only when the ego in man is stilled and the self is annulled. So long as this self is alive and kicking, it is a faithful source of troubles which arise from conflicting interests. The revered Acharya conquered the self by celibacy and renunciation, sought and discovered the truth for himself and attained the highest goal of life, a blissful state for the soul, He thus discarded the body when it had ceased to be of any use for the soul. He lived upto the highest ideal. He shall live through eternity. His physical frame which served as a kindly light is gone. Benighted humanity is left with out the guidance that he provided. His loss is irreparable. For, such great souls appear in physical frame on rare occasions and after intervals extending over centuries. Humanity and particularly Indian humanity is thus very much poorer by his death. To this great soul I join all others, in offering my humble homage of reverence.
I regret that I had not the pleasure of knowing Acharya Shanti Sagar Maharaj personally, but the life-sketch which you have enclosed speaks of the Supreme Sacrifice made by the Saint. The members of the Jain community are generally the captains of our national trade and commerce. If anything, they should imbibe from the life and teachings of the Saint the spirit of self-sacrifice in the Cause of the country and the Government. The sacrifice of the Saint, will not be in vain if that spirit of service and self-abnegation permeates the Jain community in all their dealings to the everlasting benefit of our nation.
I am glad to learn that the Jain Gazette, the official organ of the All India Digambar Jain Mahasabha, proposes to bring out a "Homage Number" in honour of the sacred memory of Acharya Shanti Sagar Maharaj who passed away on the I8th September, 1955. It is indeed in fitness of things that the Digambar Jain Mahasabha has decided to publish authoritative articles on the glorious life and teachings of the great saint and also of different aspects of the Digambar Jain creed. Acharya Shanti Sagar, a great spiritual force in India, practiced what he preached and ceaselessly endeavored for the salvation of the entire mankind by his precepts and examples. All through his long life of 84 years the saint devoted himself fully to the preaching of the noble Jain precepts of universal love, peace, truth and non-violence. The Acharya won the hearts of millions of people who ultimately became his disciples by his sacrifice and service. A seeker of truth all his life, the saint's entire life was a supreme sacrifice which has few parallels in the spiritual history of mankind, India, the cradle and nursery of all great religions, has shown to the world, throughout ages, the light of spiritualism and the basic principles of truth and love which alone sustain the world. It is the spirit of disinterested service to humanity that earned Acharya Shanti Sagar great honours which were bestowed upon him by his admiring disciples and the country-men alike. I thank the All India Digambar Jain Mahasabha for their laudable endeavor to keep alive the memory of the great saint of India, I take this opportunity to pay my tribute to the spiritual giant that he was.
I am deeply grieved to learn the sad demise of Acharya Shanti Sagar Maharaj, the great Digambar Jain saint on the 18th Sept. 55 at the ripe age of 84. The demise is glorious at the same time, as the great saint of India willingly met his death after 36 days of self-imposed penance-fast of 36 days of soul-purification. This example of supreme self-sacrifice has few parallels in the spiritual history of mankind. Shri Acharya Shanti Sagar ceaselessly endeavoured for tho salvation of the entire mankind by preaching the noble Jain precepts of Truth, Universal love and Peace The great Jain saint, a muIti-linguist scholar, was a beacon of light to all the lovers and seekers of truth and spiritual purity. I pay my humble homage to this great appostle who practised what he preached.
Acharya Shanti Sagar Maharaj was a great scholar of Sanskrit and he was one of the greatest saints of his time. He was always calm and serene and attracted all who came in contact with him by his devotion, sincerity and penance. He became a muni at the age of 47. Since then he became an object of adoration. He was the best exponent of Jain religion and had mastered the Jain philosophy of life. He was considered to be an authority of the Jain shastras. He lived a life of great austerity and willingly and smilingly invited death by performing a fast unto death as he had lost his eyesight and it had become impossible for him to lead his life any longer according to the injunctions of Jain shastras. He had his disciples amongst the rich and the poor alike. Thousands used to visit him during the 36 days of his fast. To the last he performed his daily routine and used to deliver sermons to his follwers. He knew no distinctions between man and man. He has set an ideal so that others may follow his example and attain liberation. His disciples and followers will always remember him as a great saint of high luminance and will receive inspiration from his life.
I am very glad to know that you are bringing out a special number of the Jain Gazette on the occasion of the 81st Birthday Anniversary of Acharya Shri Shanti Sagar Maharaj. The Acharya is well-known for his divine benevolence and grace, his life of strict self-abnegation, the services he has rendered to the cause of education by contributing to the establishment of schools and colleges all over the country, and above all, the vast influence that he exercises over a multitude of people. In a world torn with strife and confused by the clamour for power, the Acharya's life and teachings serve as a beacon light and show the path which others should follow to make life worth living and to achieve the noble ends for which man is created by God. I wish your celebration all success.