Virchand Raghavji Gandhi
Virachand Gandhi (Gujarati: વીરચંદ ગાંધી; Hindi: वीरचंद गाँधी) (25 August 1864 - 7 August 1901) was a Jain scholar who represented Jainism at the first World Parliament of Religions in 1893 after Jain Acharya Vijayanandsuri was not able to go. A barrister by trade, he worked to defend the rights of Jains, and wrote and lectured extensively on Jainism, other religions, and philosophy.
Gandhi was born in Mahuva, Gujarat, India on 1864. His father, Raghavji Tejpalji Gandhi, was a businessman. A polyglot who reputedly spoke fourteen languages, Gandhi was educated as a lawyer. In 1885, at the age of 21, he became the first honorary secretary of the Jain Association of India.
During his term, he fought against a tax being levied by the ruler of Gujarat on pilgrims visiting Mount Shatrunjay, Palitana. During the course of this fight Gandhi met Lord Reay, the British colonial governor of Bombay, and Colonel John Watson of the Kathiawar Agency. With the help of these two individuals, he ultimately negotiated an annual fixed payment of Rs. 15000, rather than an individual tax on each pilgrim.
Gandhi also fought to close a pig slaughterhouse that had been started in 1891 close to Mount Sametshikhar, a holy place of Jain pilgrimage. Gandhi spent six months in Calcutta learning Bengali and preparing his case against the factory. He was eventually successful in getting the factory closed.
Gandhi represented Jainism at the first World Parliament of Religions, held in Chicago in 1893. His statue still stands at the Jain temple in Chicago.
Herbert Warren, who studied Jainism under him and adopted the Jain religion, published a book on his lectures titled Herbert Warren's Jainism.
The American newspaper, the Buffalo Courier wrote regarding him, "of all Eastern scholars, it was this youth whose lectures on Jain Faith and Conduct was listened to with the greatest interest and attention". Later, in Kasanova, he delivered a lecture on 'Some Mistakes Corrected' on 8 August 1894, which prompted the citizens of the city to award him a gold medal.
He propagated the relevance of Jain tenets and Mahavira's message of non-violence. In total, he delivered about 535 speeches on Jainism, other religions, and social and cultural lives in India, all of which received wide publication. He was invited two more times, first in 1897 and then in 1899 to the West.
He founded Gandhi Philosophical Society and the Society for the Education of Women in India (SEWI) for women education. He participated in Pune session of Indian National Congress in 1895 as a representative of Bombay state. He lectured on Indian politics and industry in Large Hall of William Science building on December 19, 1898. He also participated at the international conference of commerce in 1899 and represented Asia. He settled tax disputes of Palitana and Shikharji piggery case.
He died at the age of thirty-seven of hemorrhaging of the lungs on 7 August 1901 at Mahuwar, near Mumbai, India.
More: http://www.jaina.org/?page=vrgandhi_info
“The greatest skeptic must now admit that the land and sea-borne trade of India had given her a world-wide fame not only for her gold, spices and silk, but for her religions and philosophies also.”
“In the history of a soul’s evolution there is a critical point of the human incarnation that decides for us whether we stay there, go down or progress upwards. There is a knot of worldly desires impeding us; cut the knot by mastering desires and go forward. This done, progress is assured.”
“I have heard your orators speak on many questions. One among them the so-called vital question of money which is above all things the most coveted commodity but I, as a Jainist, in the name of my countrymen and of my country, would offer you as the medium of the most perfect exchange between us, henceforth and forever, the indestructible, the unchangeable, the universal currency of good will and peace, and this, my brothers and sisters, is a currency that is not interchangeable with silver and gold, it is a currency of the heart, of the good life, of the highest estate on the earth.”
“...am so deeply impressed with the fair mindedness and tolerance of the American people...”
“We preach and practice brotherhood — not only of man but of all living beings — not on Sundays only but on all the days of the week. We believe in the law of universal justice — that our present condition is the result of our past actions and that we are not subjected to the freaks of an irresponsible governor, who is prosecutor and judge at the same time; we depend for our salvation on our own acts and deeds and not on the sacrificial death of an attorney.”
“In international commerce, India is an ancient country-(19th October, 1899)”
“The heart of vegetarians is healed sooner than those of flesh-eaters.”
“If a person's mind is controlled by forces of revenge and jealousy, it cannot express love & sympathy. And even if they show love and sympathy to others it will yield no good result. The thought will not be reflected in love but in hate.”
“…the designation of wife in India, of the Hindu wife, is higher and grander than that of Empress. She is called Devi”
“In our country religion is not different from philosophy and religion & philosophy don’t differ from science.”
“In more ancient times the life was simpler, but now the discovery of all these different medicines for curing dyspepsia shows that people are suffering from this disease. In this country we know that there are so many kinds of pills and medicines used. We even have those in India now. These things show that not only in America but in all the countries of the world we have to recourse to artificial means for necessary nutrients because people are not aware of right rules of diet. It is better to follow the right rules of diet in the beginning in order to avoid any kind of artificial medicines later on.”
“The universe is not for man alone, but is a theater of evolution for all living beings. Live and let live is its guiding principle. 'Ahimsa Paramo Dharmah' - Non-injury is the highest religion.”
“This is my country, that is your country; these are the conceptions of narrow souls - to the liberal minded the whole world is a family.”
“Since the early beginning of history, India has been the Klondyke of the world”
“May peace rule the universe; may peace rule in kingdoms and empires; may peace rule in states and in the lands of the potentates; may peace rule in the house of friends and may peace also rule in the house of enemies.”