Shrimad Rajchandra
On the 9th of November 1867, a boy named Lakshminandan Mehta was born in Vavaniya. This village sat near Morbi in what is now Gujarat. His mother Devbai followed Śvetāmbara Sthanakvasi Jain traditions. His father Ravjibhai Mehta and grandfather Panchan Mehta were Vaishnava Hindus. The child grew up between two faiths from his earliest days.
He experienced something unusual at age seven. An elderly neighbor named Amichand died suddenly from a snake bite. Young Lakshminandan did not understand death. He asked his grandfather for an explanation. The elder tried to avoid answering but finally said that death meant the soul leaving the body. He described how dead bodies decayed and turned to ash near river banks.
The boy climbed a Babul tree secretly. He watched the cremation process unfold below him. He felt anger toward those who burned the body. A train of thoughts began about the nature of death. From this moment he could recollect his previous lives. This event shaped his entire perception of the world.
At age eight, Rajchandra started composing poems. By nine years old he wrote verse synopses on Ramayana and Mahabharata. At ten he began public speaking with mature thinking and reasoning skills. At eleven he wrote articles in newspapers and won essay writing prizes. At twelve he composed a 300-stanza poem about a watch.
In 1884 he traveled from Vavania to Morbi. There he saw Shastri Shankarlal M. Bhatt performing eight Avadhāna simultaneously. Gattulalji Maharaj performed similar feats in Bombay. Rajchandra learned the technique quickly. Just two days after watching others perform it, he did it himself before friends and later in public.
He performed 52 Avadhāna in Botad during a private meeting with Harilal Shivalal Sheth. The performance included playing Chopat game with three players while also playing cards with three other people. He kept count of gong sounds and mentally computed arithmetic sums involving addition subtraction multiplication and division. He rearranged 400 words from Greek English Sanskrit Hindi Arabic Latin Urdu Gujarati Marathi Bengali Maru and Jadeji into correct order. All tasks happened at once.
Rajchandra wrote Atma Siddhi as a Gujarati poem. This work set forth six fundamental truths about the soul known as śatpada or six steps. It emphasized right perception personal effort and true teacher guidance on the path to self-realization. The text summarized his interpretation of Jainism for readers.
J. L. Jaini translated the first version into English in 1923. Brahmachari Govardhandas published a popular translation in 1957. Shefali Shah adapted the poem into musical bhajan form making it accessible to modern audiences. The work became central to global philosophical discourse about the soul.
Other writings included Stri Niti Bodhaka which advocated women's education as essential to national freedom. Sad-bodh-shatak covered ethical topics in 1884. Mokshamala explained Jainism and self-liberation in easy language understandable to young people. Bhavna Bodh contained fifty pages with instructions to cultivate twelve sentiments leading to non-attachment.
Mahatma Gandhi met Rajchandra in Mumbai during 1891. They maintained various conversations through letters while Gandhi lived in South Africa. Gandhi called him his guide helper and refuge during moments of spiritual crisis in his autobiography The Story of My Experiments with Truth.
Rajchandra advised Gandhi to be patient and study Hinduism deeply. His teachings directly influenced Gandhi's philosophy of non-violence. The correspondence between them spanned years and shaped one of history's most important political movements.
Gandhi noted that Rajchandra provided answers to questions other traditions could not resolve. He believed Jain philosophy held supreme place because it incorporated partial truths from all schools into a complete perspective grounded in omniscient vision. This view helped shape Gandhi's approach to social reform and resistance against British dominance.
In 1887 Rajchandra married Jhabakben daughter of Popatlal. They had two sons and two daughters. His in-laws wanted him to move to Bombay for business but he preferred spiritual pursuits. In 1890 he experienced self-realization described as shuddh samyak darshan in Bombay.
During his final years he suffered from colitis. No specific cause of death was identified except extreme weakness. In 1900 he lost large amounts of weight. Doctors advised moving to coastal regions of Gujarat for health benefits. He contracted illness during stay in Dharampur from which he never recovered.
On the 9th of April 1901 he died in Rajkot surrounded by family friends and disciples. A small photograph taken after his death now displays in Khambhat library established by him. The room where he passed became a prayer hall dedicated to his memory. He retired from householder life at age thirty to focus on teaching monks.
A special cover featuring Shrimad Rajchandra and Rabindranath Tagore appeared on India Post stamps in 2002. The Government released ten coins one hundred fifty souvenir coins and stamps at Sabarmati Ashram on the 29th of June 2017 marking his 150th birth anniversary. U.C. Riverside's College of Humanities Arts and Social Sciences established the Shrimad Rajchandra Endowed Chair in Jain Studies on the 17th of February 2017.
Shrimad Rajchandra Mission Dharampur operates as spiritual movement founded by Rakesh Jhaveri. Headquarters sit in Dharampur Gujarat carrying out social and spiritual activities. A 34-foot idol representing the world's tallest statue of Shrimad Rajchandra opened November 2017 at Shrimad Rajchandra Ashram.
Grand Mahamastakabhishek rituals happen annually with participation from political leaders including Home Minister Amit Shah and RSS Chief Mohan Bhagwat in 2024. Thousands gathered March-April 2025 for celebrations marking 125 years since he graced Dharampur. An animated biographical film directed by Bhairav Kothari released in 2021 bringing his story to new generations.
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Common questions
When was Shrimad Rajchandra born and where?
Shrimad Rajchandra was born on the 9th of November 1867 in Vavaniya near Morbi in Gujarat. His mother Devbai followed Śvetāmbara Sthanakvasi Jain traditions while his father Ravjibhai Mehta and grandfather Panchan Mehta were Vaishnava Hindus.
What significant event happened to Shrimad Rajchandra at age seven?
At age seven Shrimad Rajchandra witnessed a cremation after an elderly neighbor named Amichand died from a snake bite. This experience allowed him to recollect his previous lives and shaped his entire perception of death and the soul.
How did Shrimad Rajchandra influence Mahatma Gandhi's philosophy?
Mahatma Gandhi met Shrimad Rajchandra in Mumbai during 1891 and maintained correspondence through letters while living in South Africa. Shrimad Rajchandra advised Gandhi to be patient and study Hinduism deeply which directly influenced Gandhi's philosophy of non-violence.
What are the key works written by Shrimad Rajchandra about the soul?
Shrimad Rajchandra wrote Atma Siddhi as a Gujarati poem that set forth six fundamental truths about the soul known as śatpada or six steps. Other writings included Stri Niti Bodhaka advocating women's education Sad-bodh-shatak covering ethical topics Mokshamala explaining self-liberation and Bhavna Bodh containing instructions to cultivate twelve sentiments leading to non-attachment.
When and where did Shrimad Rajchandra die?
On the 9th of April 1901 Shrimad Rajchandra died in Rajkot surrounded by family friends and disciples after contracting an illness during a stay in Dharampur. He had suffered from colitis and lost large amounts of weight during his final years before passing away at age thirty-three.