Acharya Rajendrasuri | |
---|---|
आचार्य राजेंद्रसूरी | |
Official name | Acharya Rajendrasuri |
Religion | Jainism |
Personal | |
Born | Ratna Raj 3 December 1827 Bharatpur, Rajasthan, India |
Died | 21 December 1906 Mohankheda, Dhar, Madhya Pradesh |
(aged 80)
Parents | Rishabhadas Parakh, Keshardevi |
Senior posting | |
Successor | Achary Dhanchandrasuri |
Religious career | |
Works | Abhidhānarājaindrakōśa |
Initiation | Rajendrasuri Vaishakh Shukla 5 Vikram Samvat 1904 ( 1848 CE) Udaipur by Hemavijay |
Acharya Rajendrasuri (Hindi: आचार्य राजेंद्रसूरी) was a Svetambara Jain monk and reformer of monk traditions of 19th century. He wrote many books on Jainism including Abhidhānarājaindrakōśa (Sanskrit: अभिधानराजैंद्रकोश), a dictionary of Prakrit defining 60000 terms used in Jain works.
Acharya Rajendrasuri was born to businessman Rishabhadas Parakh and Keshardevi. His birth name was Ratna Raj. He was born on 3 December 1827 at Bharatpur, Rajasthan.
He was initiated as a Jain yati (wondering Jain monk) by Hemavijay at Udaipur on Vaishakh Shukla 5 Vikram Samvat 1904 (in 1848 CE) and given a new name, Ratnavijay. He was the first yati initiated in the 19th century. Later his name was changed to Rajendrasuri upon his elevation to acharya rank.
He studied under Pramodsuri and Jain yati monk Sagarchand. Dharanendrasuri, impressed by his scholarship, appointed him as his daftari. Ratnavijay was disapproved with the luxurious life of Dharanendrasuri and left him in 1864 AD. Later he became the leader of Tapa Gaccha.
He led a movement in 1880 to reform yati tradition (order of wandering monks) at Jaora, resulting in near extinction of it. He opposed the luxurious life of the Jain yatis, contradictory to Jain principles of non-possession and non-violence. He issued a nine-point manifesto known as Nav-kalama. He explained nine principles to reform Jain yati tradition. His manifesto was accepted after some initial opposition. Many leading yati and monks gave up their luxurious life and started following Jain principles. He established Agama or Samakit Gaccha, later known as Tristutik Gaccha.