मानवजाति के परित्राता-जयाचार्य

Summary

This text describes the life and legacy of Acharya Jayacharya, the fourth head of the Terapanth religious order. He is portrayed as an ideal administrator who used psychological methods rather than fear, leading to a period of revolution and new value systems. His multifaceted personality is depicted as a symbol of new creation, free from definitions and limitations of time and place. Born on October 4, 1803, in the village of Royat, he is compared to a continuously burning lamp that illuminated the world for 78 years. As a literary figure, he created new genres of literature and translated the Jain Agama text Bhagavati into Rajasthani verse, expanding it from 16,000 to 61,000 verses. He was also a master of life's arts, including walking, speaking, and writing, and a musician whose singing captivated audiences. A practitioner of meditation, he developed unique techniques of preksha dhyana and leshya dhyana. As a child named Jeetmal, he fell gravely ill, but a senior sadhvi named Ajbuji inspired his mother to make a resolve that if he survived, she would not obstruct his path to renunciation. He recovered and later became a disciple of Acharya Bharmalji. When Acharya Bharmalji named two successors in his will, the young monk Jeetmal courageously pointed out the potential for conflict, leading his guru to amend the document to name a single successor. After becoming Acharya, he was widely known as Jayacharya.