Shravak Shiromani Shantiprasadji

Here is a comprehensive summary in English of the Jain text "Shravak Shiromani Shantiprasadji" by Atmanandji:

This text is a biographical tribute to Shahu Shri Shantiprasadji, a highly respected Jain gentleman who lived in the 20th century. He is lauded for successfully pursuing Dharma, Artha, Kama, and Moksha (spiritual and material goals) in a balanced manner, without contradicting Jain principles.

Early Life and Education: Shantiprasadji was born on May 22, 1911, in Najibabad, a town in the Bijnor district of Uttar Pradesh, India, situated near the foothills of the Himalayas. His grandfather, Salekhchand, was a renowned religious preacher and social worker. His parents were Diwansingh and Murtidevi. Shantiprasadji received his early education in Najibabad and pursued higher studies in Meerut and then at Banaras Hindu University, where he excelled as a bright student and earned a B.Sc. degree with honors.

Family and Professional Life: From a young age, Shantiprasadji exhibited the noble, generous, and cultured values of the Sahu family. He was dedicated to his faith, regularly visiting temples and participating in religious festivals. His wife, Maraniji, was the only daughter of the prominent Marwari industrialist Shri Ramkrishna Dalmiya. Having lost her mother at a young age, Maraniji was raised in the company of Seth Jamnalal Bajaj, inheriting values of patriotism, self-reliance, confidence, and respect for all religions.

The marriage of Shantiprasadji and Maraniji brought together two prominent, cultured, and affluent families of India. Through their combined efforts and good fortune, their family rose to become one of the leading families in India within a decade. They had three sons, Ashok, Alok, and Manoj, and a daughter, Alka. As their wealth grew, so did their commitment to social service and the propagation of culture within the family. Shantiprasadji's sharp intellect, ability to understand people, liberal policies towards staff, and exceptional foresight as an industrialist and administrator led them to achieve a distinguished position in India's industrial sectors within a few years. This harmonious combination of wealth (Lakshmi) and knowledge (Saraswati) brought widespread fame to their family.

Humanitarianism and Social Service: Shantiprasadji inherited qualities like compassion, humility, generosity, simplicity, and love for all beings from his family traditions and his mother, Murtidevi. His elders also had a tradition of social service, a trait he embodied from the age of eighteen. His active participation in the All India Youth Convention in Hastinapur in 1929 showcased his immense enthusiasm for social service, organizational skills, administrative acumen, and ability to work collaboratively with everyone. This event foreshadowed his future leadership capabilities.

In 1940, during the annual session of the Bharatvarshiya Digambar Jain Parishad in Lucknow, both Shantiprasadji and Maraniji provided invaluable service, guidance, inspiration, and enthusiasm, earning them recognition as leaders and guides among the Jain community. They successfully resolved complex social issues such as widow remarriage, inter-caste marriages, dowry eradication, and differences between generations. He also played a crucial role in promoting Jain unity by leading organizations like the Bharat Jain Mahamandal. In 1974, he founded the Digambar Jain Mahasamiti with the aim of creating a unified and universally accepted organization for the entire Digambar Jain community and fostering fellowship among them.

Shantiprasadji also contributed to India's national well-being, offering extensive cooperation to Lal Bahadur Shastri and Indira Gandhi during discussions related to the Indian freedom struggle and the wars of 1965 and 1971. He was also a generous donor to the construction of general hospitals, universities, and public educational institutions.

Services in Education, Literature, Culture, and Religion: As his wealth accumulated through fair business practices and astute commercial skills, the Sahu family adopted a highly liberal approach to donating to social and cultural causes. Their contributions are evidenced by:

• Establishment of Murtidevi Kanya Vidyalaya in Najibabad in 1921.
• "Murtidevi Scholarships" under the Sahu Jain Trust: These scholarships are provided to students pursuing Shastri, Acharya, M.A., Ph.D., and D.Litt. degrees at Swayamsiddh Mahavidyalaya in Varanasi. Hundreds of students have benefited, contributing to the propagation of religion, philosophy, literature, history, Sanskrit, and Prakrit languages across India.
• Bharatiya Jnanpith and Murtidevi Granthamala (established in 1944): With the support of his family, Shantiprasadji founded these significant institutions, which publish high-quality ancient and modern literature in various languages like Sanskrit, Hindi, Prakrit, English, Tamil, and Kannada. Approximately 100 meticulously edited books have been published to date.
• Jnanpith Award: This annual award, with a cash prize of ₹1.5 lakh and a felicitation, is given for the best humanistic and culturally inspiring literary work published in the 14 recognized languages of India. This national literary endeavor is considered unparalleled in Indian history, reflecting the foresight, generosity, love for literature, and national spirit of its initiators.
• Contribution to Journalism: Due to his extensive industrial and business operations, his family had associations with various Indian newspapers and periodicals. The family acquired Bennett Coleman & Co., the owner of "The Times of India," around 1955. Since then, he has significantly contributed to Indian journalism by enhancing the efficiency and diversity of his group's publications, promoting high standards, and giving equal, if not greater, importance to the Hindi language, thereby actively supporting its national status.

In addition to these, he generously supported numerous schools, libraries, research institutions, and countless underprivileged students across India through both overt and covert means.

Specific Religious Services:

• Lord Mahavir's 2500th Nirvana Mahotsav: He played a pivotal role in the highly successful celebration of this event at regional, national, and international levels. He leveraged his personal connections to involve the President, Vice-President, Prime Minister, and other central government ministers. He facilitated the allocation of land in Delhi for the National Memorial of Lord Mahavir and served as the chairman of the Mahotsav Committee. He inspired the formation of various Jain committees at national, state, and local levels, ensuring the festival's reach extended to small villages and disseminated Lord Mahavir's message of universal friendship, religious harmony, and spirituality. He also made his offices in Delhi, Calcutta, and Mumbai available for this cause. He is credited with bringing together prominent figures from all four Jain sects in Delhi under one banner and for the publication of "Samansutra."
• Unwavering Devotion to Jain Vidya: In 1968, at an All India Oriental Conference session organized by Banaras Sanskrit University, Shantiprasadji noticed the absence of any program dedicated to Jain Vidya. Upon learning this, he took immediate steps to organize a special symposium on Jain Vidya, inviting renowned scholars in the field.

He also established or actively supported various religious and cultural institutions, including:

• Prakrit Research Institute, Vaishali, Bihar
• Swayamsiddh Mahavidyalaya, Varanasi
• A.P. Jain College, Sasaram Nagar, Bihar
• Ahimsapracharak Committee, Calcutta
• Vani Sanskrit Vidyalaya, Sagar
• Sahu Archaeological Museum, Devgarh
• Bharatvarshiya Digambar Jain Teerthakshetra Committee, Mumbai
• Digambar Jain Mahasamiti
• Sahu Jain College, Najibabad
• Bharatiya Kalavidya Jain Research Institute, Moodbidri, Karnataka
• Shraman Jain Bhajan Pracharak Sangh (inspired by Muni Vidyanandji), Delhi.

Other Religious Activities:

• Recognized top Jain scholars across India without regard to sectarian differences through "Veernirvan Bharti."
• In the last 25 years of his life, he actively participated in or provided leadership, guidance, and support to almost every religious festival at the state or national level.
• He held immense respect for all renunciates and scholars of Jainism. Despite his busy schedule, he frequently made time to meet and engage with monks and actively participated in discussions on topics such as knowledge, spirituality, monastic conduct, and the duties of householders.
• As a prominent leader of the Jain community across India, he promptly addressed and resolved any instances of injustice faced by the community through various means.

Later Life: During the Lord Mahavir Nirvana Mahotsav, Shantiprasadji displayed immense enthusiasm, which translated into dedicated effort. However, the physical toll of his extensive work began to affect his health. The loss of his wife, Maraniji, on July 22, 1975, who had been a lifelong source of support and inspiration, caused him significant emotional distress. These factors contributed to a decline in his health. Despite maintaining composure, he succumbed to a heart ailment on October 27, 1977. His passing was mourned by millions, and the Jain community, particularly the Digambar Jain community, experienced a sense of loss, leadership void, and helplessness.

Conclusion: The text concludes by emphasizing that although Shantiprasadji, who served the Jain community for four decades with his multifaceted talent and foresight in national, social, cultural, literary, and religious spheres, is no longer with us, the fragrance of his good deeds and his enthusiasm continue to inspire humanity and the younger generation towards service, dedication, humanism, and persistent effort. His life serves as a source of inspiration for a liberal, humanistic approach and a readiness for social service. The text also highlights the significant contribution of his wife, the gentle and revered Maraniji, to his success and popularity. Her qualities of service, love, affection, continuous inspiration, ability to provide solace during difficult times, and adoption of a liberal outlook in all aspects of life made her a great collaborator and true life partner in shaping Shantiprasadji's personality. The legacy of Shantiprasadji is carried forward by his successors, his elder brother Shri Shreyansprasadji and his son Shri Ashok Kumar Jain, who continue to serve society, offering comfort and solace in their wake.