Virachand Gandhi - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

Virachand Raghavji Gandhi (VRG) (Gujarati

Gujarati language

Gujarati is an Indo-Aryan language, and part of the greater Indo-European language family. It is derived from a language called Old Gujarati which is the ancestor language of the modern Gujarati and Rajasthani languages...

: વીરચંદ રાઘવ ગાંધી; 1864–1901) from Mahuva represented Jains at the first World Parliament of Religions in Chicago

Chicago

Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...

in 1893 and won a silver medal. Gandhi was most likely the first Jain & First Gujarati to travel to the United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

and his statue still stands at the Jain temple in Chicago. In his time he was world famous personality .

Gandhi represented Jains in Chicago because the Great Jain Saint Param Pujya Acharya Vijayanandsuri

Vijayanandsuri

Divine, Graceful Param Pujya Acharya Vijayanand Suri also known as Acharya Atmaram ji was the first Swetambar Murtipujak Jain monk in modern times to receive the title of Acharya....

, also known as Acharya Atmaram, was invited to represent the Jain religion at first World Parliament of Religions held in 1893. As Jain monks do not travel overseas, he recommended the bright young scholar Virchand Gandhi to be the emissary for the religion. Atmaramji provided 6 months training to VRG . His disciple Param Pujya Vijay Vallabsuri also used to assist VRG & same is traced by Natuji Shah (Europe) and written in book " Jainism: The World of Conquerors". The 29 year-old Virchand Gandhi impressed everyone with his expressiveness, brilliance and tremendous erudition

Erudition

The word erudition came into Middle English from Latin. A scholar is erudite when instruction and reading followed by digestion and contemplation have effaced all rudeness , that is to say smoothed away all raw, untrained incivility...

.

Strangers In This Land by E. Allen Richardson mentions this Parliament and Gandhi's subsequent interview with The New York Times

The New York Times

The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...

.

In 1885 at the age of 21, Gandhi became the first honorary secretary of the Jain Association of India. During this time the ruler of Gujarat levied a tax on pilgrims visiting Mt. Shatrunjay, Palitana

Palitana

Palitana is a city in Bhavnagar district, Gujarat, India. It is located 50 km southwest of Bhavnagar city and is a major pilgrimage centre for Jains.-History:...

. With great courage and risking his life, Shri Gandhi fought against this tax that he considered to be a horrible injustice. In his fight against the tax Gandhi met Lord Reay, the British colonial governor of Bombay, and Colonel John Watson of the Kathiawar Agency

Kathiawar Agency

The Kathiawar Agency, on the Kathiawar peninsula in the western part of the Indian subcontinent, was a political unit of some 200 small princely states under the suzerainty of the Bombay Presidency of British India. Soon after India's independence in 1947, all but one of them acceded to the new...

. With the help of these two individuals, Gandhi ultimately negotiated an annual fixed payment of Rs.15000, rather than an individual tax on each pilgrim. Because of this fixed payment, Jains could visit their holy shrines freely.

In 1891 Mr. Boddam, an English man, started a factory for slaughtering animals near Mount Sametshikhar

Shikharji

Shikharji or Śrī Sammed Śikharjī , also known as the Parasnath Hill, located in Giridih district in Jharkhand state, India, is a major Jain pilgrimage destination and is the most sacred place for Jains in the world. According to Jain belief, twenty of the twenty-four Tirthankaras attained Moksha ...

, a holy place of Jain pilgrimage

Tirtha

In Jainism, a tīrtha |ford]], a shallow part of a body of water that may be easily crossed") is used to refer both to pilgrimage sites as well as to the four sections of the sangha...

. Virchand Gandhi stayed in Calcutta for six months learning Bengali

Bengali language

Bengali or Bangla is an eastern Indo-Aryan language. It is native to the region of eastern South Asia known as Bengal, which comprises present day Bangladesh, the Indian state of West Bengal, and parts of the Indian states of Tripura and Assam. It is written with the Bengali script...

while preparing his case against the factory and was eventually successful in getting the factory closed.

Gandhi was a contemporary to Swami Vivekanand. Swami Vivekanand used to deeply adore Virchand Gandhi . In those days, sea voyage was considered unholy and VRG had to face unjust criticism. At the same time, his vegetarianism in the American cold surprised Swami Vivekananda, who wrote from 541, Dearborn Avenue, Chicago, to Haridas Viharidas Desai

Haridas Viharidas Desai

Haridas Viharidas Desai thumb|right|200px|Nawab Bahadur Khanji III of [[Junagadh]] with Diwan Haridas Viharidas Desai and other State officials...

, Diwan of Junagadh in 1894, “Now here is Virchand Gandhi, the Jain whom you knew well in Bombay. This man never takes anything but mere vegetables even in this terribly cold climate and tooth and nail tries to defend his countrymen and the religion. The people of this country like him very well. But what are they doing who sent him over? They are trying to outcast him.”

Herbert Warren studied Jainism under him and adopted the Jain religion. Warren published a book on Virchand Gandhi's lectures titled Herbert Warren's Jainism
Jainism
Jainism is an Indian religion that prescribes a path of non-violence towards all living beings. Its philosophy and practice emphasize the necessity of self-effort to move the soul towards divine consciousness and liberation. Any soul that has conquered its own inner enemies and achieved the state...

.

One American newspaper wrote regarding V.R.Gandhi, "of all Eastern scholars, it was this youth whose lectures on Jain Faith and Conduct was listened to with the greatest interest and attention". In Kasadova, he delivered a lecture on 'Some Mistakes Corrected' on 8 August 1894, which prompted the citizens of the city to award him a gold medal. The newspaper, 'Buffalo Courier', recorded the immense success of that lecture.

At Parliament Gandhi said:
Virchand Raghav Gandhi corrected the false, twisted and perverse impression of India

India

India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...

being the land of Maharajahs, tigers, cobras, magicians, and heathens without any culture or civilization. He spoke as a Jain, but as an Indian first. His approach was the most nonsectarian. He had studied Buddhism

Buddhism

Buddhism is a religion and philosophy encompassing a variety of traditions, beliefs and practices, largely based on teachings attributed to Siddhartha Gautama, commonly known as the Buddha . The Buddha lived and taught in the northeastern Indian subcontinent some time between the 6th and 4th...

, Vedanta

Vedanta

Vedānta was originally a word used in Hindu philosophy as a synonym for that part of the Veda texts known also as the Upanishads. The name is a morphophonological form of Veda-anta = "Veda-end" = "the appendix to the Vedic hymns." It is also speculated that "Vedānta" means "the purpose or goal...

Philosophy, Christian

Christian

A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...

ity, and Western Philosophy, all of which enabled him to talk on various subjects and present his views with confidence. Gandhi had a clear vision, an unbiased approach, and clarity in his explanation.V.R.Gandhi defended Indian culture, Hindu religion under unjust criticism in the Parliament and elsewhere by elaborating its principles. He praised Mogul emperor Akbar for his being equal to all religions.
Gandhi propagated the relevance of Jain tenets and spread Bhagwan Mahavira

Mahavira

Mahāvīra is the name most commonly used to refer to the Indian sage Vardhamāna who established what are today considered to be the central tenets of Jainism. According to Jain tradition, he was the 24th and the last Tirthankara. In Tamil, he is referred to as Arukaṉ or Arukadevan...

's message of non-violence. In total, Gandhi delivered about 535 speeches on Jainism, other religions, and social and cultural lives in India, which all received wide publication. Wherever he went, many literary and spiritual institutions, churches and societies not only accorded him warm welcome but also honored him. He was presented with medals and was requested to prolong his stay. People in U.S.A., and the West in general, liked him so much that they invited him back two more times, in 1897 and 1899 respectively. Every time when he returned from the West, he was felicitated at big welcome functions presided over by dignitaries like Premchad Raychand and the Chief Justice of Bombay, Mahadeo Govind Ranade in 1896 and 1899 respectively.

Today 'VRG' is used to address Virchand Raghavji Gandhi.

VRG translated & published The Unknown Life of Jesus Christ in English from French in 1894 from an ancient manuscript found in Tibet.

The following literature was published by Shri Virchand R. Gandhi or

Complied from his speeches and writings by various authors:

Title Year Language Pages
Essay - Radva Kutvani Hanikarak Chal 1886 Gujarati 37

The Unknown Life of Jesus Christ 1894 English 128

Savirya Dhyan 1902/ 1989 Gujarati 158

Jaina Philosophy 1907 English 375

Karma Philosophy 1913 English 221

Yoga Philosophy 1912/ 1993 English 309

Herbert Warren's Jainism 1961/ 1983 English 164

Selected speeches of V. R. Gandhi 1963 English 85

The Systems of Indian Philosophy 1970/ 1993 English 188

Religion and Philosophy of Jainas 1993 English 264

VRG Mission and Interesting Points

In 1964 Param Pujya Shri Chitrabhanuji, Shri Vallabh Nidhi Trust,Shri Dhirajji Mahandasji Virchandji Gandhi, Shri Pannalalji Shah, shri Koraji, Shri Dharampriyaji, Mumbai Samachar played major role in reviving about Shri Virchandji Gandhi whereby Shri Dhirajji Mohandasji Virchandji Gandhi and Shri Rasikji Mohandasji Virchandji Gandhi handed over all materials, medals related to Shri Virchandji Gandhi to Shri MJV, where Shri MJV and its office bearers responsibility is of care taker for spreading awareness about Virchand Gandhi and to utilise same for Virchand Gandhi museum after written permission of all VRG family members and original rights were preserved with Dhirajji Mohandasji Virchandji Gandhi and Rasikji Mohandasji Virchandji Gandhi descendants. And today also all rights on Virchandji Gandhi's Literature and Medals are preserved with VRG descendants as same today also accounts as their ancestral property.

in 1990's major initiative was done by Shri Nemuji Chandaria (Institute of Jainology) and Shri Tansukhji Salgia (USA) and Padmashri Kumarpalji Desai by installing statue of Shri Virchandji Raghavji Gandhi in Chicago and Mahuva

Mahuva

Mahuva may refer to:* Mahuva, Bhavnagar, Gujarat, India* Mahuva, Surat, Gujarat, India...

History of foundation of JAINA's Virchand Raghavji Gandhi committee

Pravin C Shah dedication towards Virchand Gandhi (VRG) started when he read VRG Article written by Padmashri Dr. Kumarpal Desai in Chicago Pratishtha Souvenir when he attended 1st Pratishtha Mahotstav in 1993. He had not heard any thing before of VRG as who he was. Thereafter he started to revive Dead Mission of VRG first locally with Jain Center of America (JCA) New York and thereafter with Federation of Jain Associations in North America, popularly known as JAINA. His request to JAINA was accepted by JAINA under Presidency of Dr. Dhirajbhai H. Shah and accordingly he was appointed as Chair Person (in Oct., 1997) of newly founded Shri V. R. Gandhi (VRG) Scholarship Committee with a view to encourage/promote studies in Jainism and to thereby try to spread Bhagwan Mahavir’s Message, a lifetime goal of VRG (which he could not finish because of his untimely premature death in 1901 at an age of 37) and thereby to revive his Mission and to honor/to pay homage/tribute to this Great Indian, Humanitarian, Patriot, Reformer and to commemorate his (VRG's) historical visit to the West to attend the first ever held Parliament of World Religions at Chicago, U.S.A. in 1893 as a Jain Delegate. (Jain Digest Winter 1997 Edition pa.20) He remained as its Founding Chair Person (from Oct., 1997 till March, 2010).

VRG Postal Stamp

JAINA & World Jain confederation under blessings of Param Pujya Shri Chitrabhanuji pursued Indian Post Department for Virchand Gandhi Postal Stamp. Shri Pravinji C Shah is today world wide renowned as a main pillar in the revival of VRG from 1993 to 2010. He received due support from Shri Prakashji Mody (Philatelist), Shri Pratapji Bhogilal (Industrialist) and Shri Maheshji Gandhi (industralist) from 2002 and all these people played major role in success of Virchand Gandhi Stamp release from floating concept to make same approved. Government of India has honoured Virchand Raghavji Gandhi by issuing his postal stamp on 8 November due to efforts of Philatelist Mahesh Vadilalji Gandhi (Mumbai) (2nd main contributor on Virchandji Gandhi 2002-2010), Philatelist Pradip Jain (Patna), Philatelist Daulat Jain (Chennai) & on Same day descendants of Virchand Gandhi family attended function. And same function was blessed with Param Pujya Nay Padamsagarji Marasaheb. VRG stamp release served as true launch pad and after same today many worldwide know about VRG.

VRG Researchers & Contributors

Bhagubhai Karbari, Vijay Vallabh Nidhi Samarak, Muni Shri Mulchandji Marasaheb, Acharya Vijayvallabhsuriji Desciples, Shri Herbert Warren, Shri Dhiraj Mohandas Virchand Gandhi, Gurdev Shri Chitrabhanuji, Shri Bandhu Triputi Bandhu Marahsaheb, Acharya Shri Raju Marsaheb, Shri Dharampriyaji, Shri Kantibhai Kora, Shri Mahavir Jain Vidyalay, Shri Vadilalji Chitrabhuj Gandhi,Shri Pannalalji Shah, Padamshri Kummarpal Desai, Shri Dilip Dhiraj Mohandas Virchand Gandhi, Shri Chandreshji Dhirajji Mohandas Virchand Gandhi, Shri Kiritji Dhirajji Mohandasji Virchand Gandhi,Shri K.K.Dixit, Shri Nemuji Chandaria(IOJ), Shri Pravinji C Shah, Shri Prakashji Mody, Gunwant Barvalia, Shri Pratapji Bhogilal, Mahesh Vadilal Gandhi, Dr. Bipin Doshi, Smt. Preeti Shah, Pankaz Chandmal Hingarh, Herenow4u team members, Sachin Shah (Drama on VRG) & many more.

External links

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