Panyas Chandrashekhar Vijayji Maharaj Saheb (18 February 1934 – 8 August 2011), also known as Gurudev or Guruma, was a

Jain Jainism ( ), also known as Jain Dharma, is an Indian religion. Jainism traces its spiritual ideas and history through the succession of twenty-four tirthankaras (supreme preachers of ''Dharma''), with the first in the current time cycle being ...

monk, scholar and author. Born and educated in Mumbai, he was initiated as a monk who was later designated ''Panyas''. He was involved in religious as well as sociopolitical activities. He founded several institutions and authored 261 books.

Biography

He was born on 18 February 1934 (

Vikram Samvat Vikram Samvat (IAST: ''Vikrama Samvat''; abbreviated VS) or Bikram Sambat B.S. and also known as the Vikrami calendar, is a Hindu calendar historically used in the Indian subcontinent. Vikram Samvat is generally 57 years ahead of Gregorian Calend ...

1990, Falgun Sud 5) in

Bombay Mumbai (, ; also known as Bombay — the official name until 1995) is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra and the ''de facto'' financial centre of India. According to the United Nations, as of 2018, Mumbai is the second-m ...

to Subhadraben and Kantilal Jivatlal Pratapshi. His family belonged to

Radhanpur Radhanpur is a town and a municipality in Patan district in the Indian state of Gujarat. Origin of name According to the tradition, the city is named after Radhan Khan, a descendant of Fateh Khan Baloch. Fateh Khan Baloch received a freedom fro ...

in present-day

Banaskantha district Banaskantha district is one of the thirty-three districts of the Gujarat state of India. The administrative headquarters of the district is at Palanpur which is also its largest city. The district is located in the Northeast of Gujarat and is pre ...

. His birth name was Indravadan. He studied till

matriculation Matriculation is the formal process of entering a university, or of becoming eligible to enter by fulfilling certain academic requirements such as a matriculation examination. Australia In Australia, the term "matriculation" is seldom used now ...

. He was

initiated Initiation is a rite of passage marking entrance or acceptance into a group or society. It could also be a formal admission to adulthood in a community or one of its formal components. In an extended sense, it can also signify a transformation ...

as a Jain monk by

Prem Suri Acharya Prem Suri was a Jain Jainism ( ), also known as Jain Dharma, is an Indian religion. Jainism traces its spiritual ideas and history through the succession of twenty-four tirthankaras (supreme preachers of ''Dharma''), with the fir ...

on 15 May 1952 (Vikram Samvat 2008, Vaisakh Vad 6) at Motisha Jain auditorium,

Byculla Byculla (ISO: Bhāykhaḷā; pronunciation: ʱaːjkʰəɭaː is an area of South Mumbai. Location Byculla is neighboured by Nagpada and Mumbai Central and Mahalaxmi on the west; Agripada, Jacob Circle on the north-west: Chinchpokli to the no ...

Mumbai Mumbai (, ; also known as Bombay — List of renamed Indian cities and states#Maharashtra, the official name until 1995) is the capital city of the Indian States and union territories of India, state of Maharashtra and the ''de facto'' fin ...

and was given new name, Chandrashekhar Vijay. Later he was elevated to designation of ''Panyas'' on 2 December 1984 (Vikram Samvat 2041, Magshar Sud 10) at

Navsari Navsari is the ninth biggest city in the state of Gujarat in India. It is the administrative headquarters of Navsari District. Navsari is situated between Surat & Mumbai. Navsari is a twin city of Surat. It is located 37 km south of Sura ...

Gujarat Gujarat (, ) is a state along the western coast of India. Its coastline of about is the longest in the country, most of which lies on the Kathiawar peninsula. Gujarat is the fifth-largest Indian state by area, covering some ; and the ninth ...

. He led a nationwide campaign in 2002–2003 against the plan of opening 56,000 new abattoirs by the Government of India. He initiated 87 disciples as Jain monks. He authored more than 287 books on various subjects including religion, culture, nationalism, history, education, criticism and short stories. He established several religious and socio-cultural organizations such as Akhil Bharatiya Sanskruti Rakshak Dal and Vardhaman Sanskardham. He founded two schools which profess Indian cultural education, Tapovan Sanskardham at

and Tapovan Sanskarpith near Ahmedabad. He was also considered one of the best orators among Jain monks. He died on 8 August 2011 (Vikram Samvat 2067, Shravan Sud 10) at Ambavadi, Ahmedabad. He was cremated at Tapovan Sanskarpith, Amiyapur,

Gandhinagar Gandhinagar (, ) is the capital of the state of Gujarat in India. Gandhinagar is located approximately 23 km north of Ahmedabad, on the west central point of the Industrial corridor between Delhi, the political capital of India, and Mum ...

where his memorial temple was constructed later.

Works

He has written 261 books. ''Sadhnani Pagdandie'' was his first book. ''To Bharatno Uday Chapatima'' was his last. He was inspired to start ''Muktidoot'', ''Virtidoot'' and ''Tapal Dwara Tatvagyan'' magazines. ''Nyaay Sidhaant Muktavali'', ''Avacchedkatva Niryukti'' and ''Samanya Niryukti'' are his books on Nyaya philosophy.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Vijay, Chandrashekhar Scholars of Jainism 2011 deaths 1934 births Writers from Mumbai Gujarati-language writers Indian Jain monks 20th-century Indian Jain writers 20th-century Jain monks 20th-century Indian monks 21st-century Indian Jains 21st-century Jain monks 21st-century Indian monks Śvetāmbara monks