Acharya In Indian religions and society, an ''acharya'' (Sanskrit: आचार्य, IAST: ; Pali: ''ācariya'') is a religious teacher in Hinduism and Buddhism and a spiritual guide to Hindus and Buddhists. The designation has different meanings i ...

Tulsi (20 October 1914 – 23 June 1997) was a prominent Jain religious leader. He was the founder of the Anuvrata movement and the Jain Vishva Bharti Institute, Ladnun, and the author of over one hundred books. Acharya Mahapragya, Acharya Mahashraman and Sadhvipramukha Kanakprabha were his disciples.

Biography

Acharya Tulsi was born on 20 October 1914 in

Ladnun Ladnu, also Ladnun, is a city and a municipalities of India, municipality, in Didwana-Kuchaman district, (previously Nagaur District), in the Indian States and territories of India, state of Rajasthan. It is a Tehsil headquarters of Didwana Kuc ...

, in present

Nagaur district Nagaur District is one of the 41 districts of the state of Rajasthan in western India. Panchayati Raj was introduced here. It is the fifth largest district in Rajasthan and the area of the district is . The city of Nagaur is the district head ...

of Rajasthan, to Vadana and Jhumarmal Khater. Acharya Kalugani, then the leader of the

Śvetāmbara Terapanth Śvetāmbara Terapanth (तेरापंथ धर्मसंघ) is a sect of the Śvetāmbara, Śvetāmbara Jainism that was founded by Acharya Bhikshu (Jain Monk), Acharya Bhikshu in Vikram Samvat 1817. Acharya Bhikshu believed in strict ad ...

association, greatly influenced Tulsi. Tulsi was initiated into monkhood at age 11 in 1925. In 1936, Kalugani nominated Tulsi to be his successor in Gangapur at Rang Bhawan-the house of Ranglal Hiran, making him the ninth Acharya of the Terapanth Sangha. During his leadership of the Sangha, he initiated more than 776 monks and nuns.

Scholarship

In the 1970s, Acharya Tulsi began researching, compiling translations and commentaries on the

Jain Agamas Jain literature () refers to the literature of the Jain religion. It is a vast and ancient literary tradition, which was initially transmitted orally. The oldest surviving material is contained in the canonical ''Jain Agamas'', which are wri ...

. Acharya Tulsi, along with Yuvacharya Mahapragya, sought to rediscover Jain meditation and termed it ''preksha dhyan''.

Anuvrat movement

In 1949 he launched the Anuvrat movement (anu = small, vrat=vow, Anuvratas are the limited version of the

Mahavrata The Five Vows of Jainism include the ''mahāvratas'' (major vows) and ''aṇuvratas'' (minor vows). Overview Jain ethical code prescribes two '' dharmas'' or rules of conduct. One for those who wish to become ascetic and another for the ''ś ...

s for the monks), based on the five Jain principles Truth, Nonviolence, Non possession, Non-stealing and Celibacy as applied in their limited version for the lay people. The movement encouraged people to apply the Anuvratas in their personal lives, even when dealing with non-religious aspects of the society. The movement also held that

dharma Dharma (; , ) is a key concept in various Indian religions. The term ''dharma'' does not have a single, clear Untranslatability, translation and conveys a multifaceted idea. Etymologically, it comes from the Sanskrit ''dhr-'', meaning ''to hold ...

is not for ensuring happiness in the future lives but also for achieving happiness in the present life. The movement has continued under the leadership of his disciple Yuvacharya Mahapragya. He was raised to the rank of the ''

acharya In Indian religions and society, an ''acharya'' (Sanskrit: आचार्य, IAST: ; Pali: ''ācariya'') is a religious teacher in Hinduism and Buddhism and a spiritual guide to Hindus and Buddhists. The designation has different meanings i ...

'' by Acharya Tulsi himself.

Institutions

In 1948 Tulsi established the Parmarthik Shikshan Sanstha, a spiritual training centre for female aspirants who wanted to lead the Jain monastic lifestyle. Jain Vishva Bharati Institute, an education and research institute was established in 1991 with inspiration from Acharya Tulsi. Traditionally Jain monks have been prohibited from travelling overseas. Tulsi developed the Saman Order around 1980 in an effort to spread the preachings of Jainism worldwide. This order follows the lifestyle of

sadhu ''Sadhu'' (, IAST: ' (male), ''sādhvī'' or ''sādhvīne'' (female), also spelled ''saddhu'') is a religious ascetic, mendicant or any holy person in Hinduism and Jainism who has renounced the worldly life. They are sometimes alternatively ...

s and sadhvis with two exceptions: They are granted permission to use means of transportation. They are allowed to take food which is prepared for them. This order can be termed as the link between the normal households and the Jain monks and nun.

As a wandering ascetic

Jain monks and nuns remain under a vow of moving on foot all their life. In Tulsi's lifetime he covered more than 70,000 km. His major wanderings included: * 1949: From Bikaner to Jaipur, Delhi, Haryana, Punjab and back to Rajasthan. * 1955: From Rajasthan to Gujarat, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh and back to Rajasthan. * 1958: From Rajasthan to Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Bengal, again Bihar, Uttar pradesh, Delhi, Haryana and back to Rajasthan. * 1966: From Rajasthan to Gujarat, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Pondicherry, Kerala, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Orissa, Madhya Pradesh and back to Rajasthan. * 1974: From Rajasthan to Haryana, Delhi, Punjab, and back to Rajasthan. * 1981: From Rajasthan to Haryana, Delhi and back to Rajasthan. * 1987: From Rajasthan to Haryana and Delhi and back to Rajasthan. In the course of these travels, Tulsi visited numerous communities and preached to Anuvrat-oriented life.

Call for Jain unity

Acharya Tulsi proposed harmonious cooperation among various Jain sects. To this end, he supported Acharya Vinoba Bhave in the publication of '' Samana Suttam'' a book accepted by all sects.

Recognition

* Title of Yug Pradhan in 1971 by the

President of India The president of India (ISO 15919, ISO: ) is the head of state of the Republic of India. The president is the nominal head of the executive, the first citizen of the country, and the commander-in-chief, supreme commander of the Indian Armed ...

V. V. Giri Varahagiri Venkata Giri (; 10 August 1894 – 24 June 1980), better known as V. V. Giri was an Indian statesman and activist who served as the president of India from 24 August 1969 to 24 August 1974. He also served as the vice president of ...

* Bharat Jyoti Award * Vakpati Award * The Indira Gandhi Award for National Integration in 1993 * A memorial named Mahashila Abhilekh has been erected in his memory in the village of Todgarh. * Coins of denomination of five Indian rupees issued in 2013, on the centennial of Tulsi's birth. * On 20 October 1998, the

Vice President A vice president or vice-president, also director in British English, is an officer in government or business who is below the president (chief executive officer) in rank. It can also refer to executive vice presidents, signifying that the vi ...

Krishan Kant Krishan Kant (28 February 1927 – 27 July 2002) was an Indian politician who served as the vice president of India from 1997 until his death in 2002. Prior to his vice presidency, Kant was the governor of Andhra Pradesh from 1990 to 1997. He ...

released an Indian commemorative three-rupee postage stamp of Tulsi. Kant said that the Tulsi gave a new and contemporary direction to the high ideals of Jainism. * Coins: In 2014, the

Reserve Bank of India Reserve Bank of India, abbreviated as RBI, is the central bank of the Republic of India, and regulatory body responsible for regulation of the Indian banking system and Indian rupee, Indian currency. Owned by the Ministry of Finance (India), Min ...

issued two coins featuring Acharya Tulsi, five rupees made of nickel-brass5 Rupees Coin of 2013 Acharya Tulsi Birth Centenary
Youtube and 20 rupees. Finance Minister Shri P. Chidambaram released the commemorative coins to commemorate the birth centenary of Acharya Tulsi at Bikaner. * Acharya Tulsi Marg:

Salkia Salkia is a neighbourhood in Howrah of Howrah district in the Indian States and territories of India, state of West Bengal. Salkia is under the jurisdiction of Golabari Police Station and Malipanchghara Police Station of Howrah Police Commission ...

School Road, the most important road of Uttar Howrah, was renamed after the ninth Acharya Ganadhipati Acharya Tulsi of Śvetāmbara Terapanth Dharma Sangh on 9 February 2020. The programme was inaugurated by Cooperative Minister Arup Rai.

Acharya Tulsi Award

* Acharya Tulsi Kartitva Puruskar is an honour bestowed by the All Indian Terapanth Mahila Mandal. This award acknowledges any notable contribution by any woman or organization of women in the fields of religion, women empowerment, science, education, literature, arts, cultural studies, administration, social welfare etc. * This award was conceptualized in 2003 and till now awardees include Smt. Purnima Advani, the then president of Rashtriya Mahila Ayog, Smt. Kiran Bedi, the first woman IPS of India, Smt. Savitri Jindal, former member of Parliament of Haryana and a leading industrialist, and to Smt. Nilima Khaitan, the chief executive of Seva Mandir, Udaipur. * Sumitra Mahajan, past speaker of the 16th Lok Sabha has been nominated as awardee for 2019 for her outstanding contribution to society. She has been elected to the Lok Sabha eight times, one of only three members to do so. She is also the longest serving woman member. In the 2014 general elections, she amassed 4,66,901 votes and won a seat by the highest margin of votes in Madhya Pradesh.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Tulsi, Acharya People from Rajasthan 1914 births 1997 deaths Jain acharyas Indian founders Indian Jain monks 20th-century Indian Jain writers 20th-century Jain monks 20th-century Indian monks Jain reformers Śvetāmbara monks