Prem Suri

Siddhant Mahodadhi Acharya Prem Suri
Personal
Born	Premchand Nandiya,Sirohi,Rajasthan
Died	May,22,1968 Khambhat
Religion	Jainism
Parents	Bhagavanbhai (father) Kankubai (mother)
Sect	Svetambara Murtipujaka
Religious career
Initiation	by Acharya Dansuri

Acharya Prem Suri (1884-1968) was a most revered Jain ascetic,scholar, philosopher and author of the Śvetāmbara sect. He was given the title of Siddhant Mahodadhi (Ocean of Principles) based on his advanced spirituality and knowledge of Jain scriptures.

Early Life

Aacharya Vijaya Premasurisvarji Maharaj was born at Nandia, a small village in Sirohi District in Rajasthan on the full-moon night of Phalguna of Vikrama Samvat 1940 (A.D. 1884). Premchand was the name given to the new born child. The name of his father was Bhagavanbhai and that of his mother Kankubai.

Education and Initiation to monkhood

Premchand displayed sharp intellect and religious bent of mind. At that time there was no school in his village and so he received his primary education from a private tutor. Thereafter he went to Vyara in the Surat District and got himself employed in some business. But this life was not destined for him. So he was fed up shortly with the mundane life and resolved to renounce the world to become a Jaina monk. And this he did at the first opportunity. At the age of sixteen he left his home and walked on foot thirtysix miles to go to Surat. From there he went to Siddhagiri Palitana by train. There he met Sri Danavijayji Maharaj, a disciple in the line of Sri Vijayanandsuri Maharaj. Premchand was initiated to Jaina monkhood along with four others at Palitana in the year 1901 A.D. From hence Premchand was known as Muni Premvijaya

Contributions and Recognition

In those days Sanskrit scholars were scarcely found in Gujarat. So he had to work hard for mastering the language. But in a short time by his perseverance he was able to master the language.

In Sanskrit he wrote Sankram Karanam in two parts containing four hundred pages in which he made very lucid exposition of the transformation of the karmas. Then he wrote a small but excellent book named Karmasiddhi in which the existence of karmas was proved logically and authoritatively with the support of excerpts from many ancient works. He compiled the Marganādvāra, a voluminous work on Jainology defining Märganās and other technical words. He edited Karmaprakrti by Sivasarmasurisvaraji Maharaj with the vast commentary of Malayagiri, Acharya Haribhadrasuri's Saddarśanasamuccaya with a very learned and lucid commentary by Gunaratnasuri and other several Sanskrit and Prakrit works on karma doctrine. Acharya Danasurisvara Maharaj was pleased with his deep knowledge and self-mortification and bestowed upon him the title of Siddhanta Mahodadhi (Ocean of Principles) in 1935 and made him an Acharya.

Service and Legacy

Premasurisvarji's life was dedicated to the service of Jainism. He travelled more than thirty thousand miles on foot preaching the import- ance of right conduct and initiated more than three hundred disciples. Some of his disciples like Ramchandrasuri, Bhadrankarvijaya, Bhuvanbhanusuri are well-known Jain ascetics all over India.

Premasurisvarji Maharaj had the power of inspiring his disciples to high thinking and plain living. He employed some of them in the research work that would be published in seventeen volumes containing about four lakh verses in Sanskrit. Out of these Khavagasedhi and Thiaibandho, each approximately exceeding over twenty thousand verses, were prepared in the year 1966. The publication of these volumes was celebrated in October in that year. In recognition of the monumental nature of these works, they were carried on the elephant's back in a long procession like the great Siddha-Hema of Acharya Hemacandra Suri. It is worthy of mention that Acarya Premsurisvarji Maharaj always used to go through the press copies of this great research work personally and revise them even at an advanced age of eightyfive.

Final Years and Legacy

Acharya Premasurisvarji Maharaj, who breathed his last on 22nd May, 1968, dedicated his life to propound the karma doctrine. He organised a vast scheme to produce descriptive literature on the combination and annihilation of karma extending to four lakh verses in Sanskrit, to be published in seventeen volumes.

Conclusion

Acharya Premasurisvarji's life epitomizes unwavering devotion to Jainism and indefatigable pursuit of scholastic excellence. His contributions to Sanskrit literature and the elucidation of the karma doctrine continue to inspire adherents and scholars alike.

Sources

• Chandrashekhar Vijay.2004.Siddhant Mahodadhi Acharya Premsurisvarji (Pujya Krupaludev)
• Devluk,Nandlal B.2008. Jinshasan na Zalhlta Nakshatro.Arihant Prakashan
• Shah,Ramanlal C.2006.Prabhavak Sthaviro.Mumbai Jain Yuvak Sangh
• Devluk,Nandlal B.2010. Vishwa Ajayabi Jain Shraman. Arihant Prakashan.

References

• Luithle-Hardenberg, Andrea (2010). "The pilgrimage to Shatrunjaya: Refining Shvetambara Identity". In Peter Berger (ed.). The Anthropology of Values: Essays in Honour of Georg Pfeffer. Pearson Education India. p. 336. ISBN 978-81-317-2820-8.
• Shah, Natubhai (2004). Jainism: The World of Conquerors. Motilal Banarsidass. p. 84. ISBN 978-81-208-1938-2.