Ganeshprasad Varni
Encyclopedia
Kshullak Ganeshprasad Varni (Hindi
:पूज्य 105 श्री गणेश प्रसाद वर्णी, Gujarati
: શ્રી ૧૦૫ ક્ષુલ્લક ગણેશપ્રસાદ વર્ણી Kannada
:ಶ್ರೀ ೧೦೫ ಕ್ಷುಲ್ಲಕ ಗಣೆಶಪ್ರಸಾದ ವರ್ಣೀ) (Born
: 1874 – Died:5 December 1961) was one of the foundational figures of the modern Indian Digambar intellectual tradition during early 20th century. He was the founder of several schools and institutions of advanced learning including Syadwad Mahavidyalaya at Varanasi in 1905, Varanasi and Satark-Sudhataringini Digamber Jain Pathshala, now Ganesh Digamber Jain Sanskrit Vidyalaya at Sagar.
Many of the Jain scholars today are products of the institutions found by Ganeshprasad Varni. Sahajananda Varni was one of his disciple. While Jinendra Varni
never heard him speaking, he was deeply influenced by him and had compiled a volume "Varni Darshan" to commemorate Ganeshprasad Varni's birth centenary in 1975.
community. While the Asatis are mostly Vaishnava, his father had a deep faith in the Namokar Mantra. He used to live in a Jain neighborhood and visit the Jain temple near his house in Mandawara. Influenced by lectures there, at the of 10, he took a vow to take meals before sunset through out his life. During his yajnopavita ceremony, he had an argument with the priest and his mother, and declared that he will be a Jain henceforth. his He passed the middle examination at the age of 15. He did not have any aptitude for shop-keeping, his father's profession, and became a school teacher.
He came into contact with a religious minded lady Chiranjibai of Simra through Karorelal Bhaiji, a spiritual man of Jatara. She developed much affection for him and treated him like her son. She supported his desire of obtaining advanced religious education spiritual development.
region. He studied at Jaipur, Khurja, Bombay, Mathura, Varanasi and other places with great difficulty. Because of his lack of funds, he occasionally had to starve accept humiliations. he studied with Pt. Panna Lal Backliwal and Baba Gurdayal at Bombay to pass Ratnakarand Shravakachar and Katantra
-panchsanndhiki examinations. There he also met Pt. Gopaldas Baraiya, with whom he studied Nyayadipika and Sarvarthsidhi after he had studied of Nyaya (logic) and grammar at Khurja. He was sometimes turned down by reputed Brahmin teachers. He studied under Pt. Ambadas Shastri at Varanasi
. He then studied at Chakauti and Navadweep
to acquire the Nyayacharya degree.
of Arrah, Seth Manek Chand, J.P. of Bombay etc. he established the famous Syadwad Mahavidyalaya at Varanasi in 1905. Baba Bhagirath Varni served as the superintendent (supervisor) of the institution. Even though Ganeshprasad was a founder of the Syadwad Mahavidyalaya, he accepted the rules imposed by Bhagirath Varni. A number of influential Jain scholars have been a product of this institution. With the help of Pt. Motilal Nehru
, he was able to get Jain studies introduced at Banaras Hindu University
.
Later with encouragement of Balchand Savalnavis, and the support of Kandya, Malaiya, and other families and Singhai Kundanlal etc. he helped establish the Satark-Sudhataringini Jain Pathshala which is now the well known Ganesh Digamber Jain Sanskrit Vidyalaya at Sagar.
He also helped establish these:
After inspiring and helping establish these institutions, he left the administration to local volunteers, without bothering to remain in control, and moved on.
, he took the brahmacharya
vrata from Baba Gokuldas. He took 10th Pratima in 1944, and became a kshullak
in 1947. He travelled extensively in India. He had donated his only wearing apparel, the Chadar, at a public meeting held in connection with Azad Hind Army at Jabalpur in 1945. It was immediately auctioned for Rs. 3000/- for raising the funds for the army.
At the age of 87, sensing his impending end, he retired to Isri Udasin Ashram which he had himself helped establish. He took the vows of a Jain Muni with the name Muni 108 Ganeshkirti. He passed away in his final meditation (Samadhi-maran) on 5th ecember, 1961.
The recordings of his lectures on the Samayasar have been re-discovered and digitized. They have also been published as a book
A publishing house named Shri Ganeshprasad Varni Jain Granthmala, Varanasi, named after him has published a number of important Jain texts.
Hindi
Standard Hindi, or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi, also known as Manak Hindi , High Hindi, Nagari Hindi, and Literary Hindi, is a standardized and sanskritized register of the Hindustani language derived from the Khariboli dialect of Delhi...
:पूज्य 105 श्री गणेश प्रसाद वर्णी, Gujarati
Gujarati language
Gujarati is an Indo-Aryan language, and part of the greater Indo-European language family. It is derived from a language called Old Gujarati which is the ancestor language of the modern Gujarati and Rajasthani languages...
: શ્રી ૧૦૫ ક્ષુલ્લક ગણેશપ્રસાદ વર્ણી Kannada
Kannada language
Kannada or , is a language spoken in India predominantly in the state of Karnataka. Kannada, whose native speakers are called Kannadigas and number roughly 50 million, is one of the 30 most spoken languages in the world...
:ಶ್ರೀ ೧೦೫ ಕ್ಷುಲ್ಲಕ ಗಣೆಶಪ್ರಸಾದ ವರ್ಣೀ) (Born
Born
Born may refer to:* Childbirth* Born , a limited series comic book featuring the Punisher* Born Feinkost GmbH, a German food company* Born , a lunar crater-Places:* Born, Netherlands, a town in the Netherlands...
: 1874 – Died:5 December 1961) was one of the foundational figures of the modern Indian Digambar intellectual tradition during early 20th century. He was the founder of several schools and institutions of advanced learning including Syadwad Mahavidyalaya at Varanasi in 1905, Varanasi and Satark-Sudhataringini Digamber Jain Pathshala, now Ganesh Digamber Jain Sanskrit Vidyalaya at Sagar.
Many of the Jain scholars today are products of the institutions found by Ganeshprasad Varni. Sahajananda Varni was one of his disciple. While Jinendra Varni
Jinendra Varni
Jinēndra Varṇī, , one of the best-known Jain scholars of the 20th century, is known for his pioneering five-volume Jainendra Siddhanta Kosha and Saman Suttam compilation, the first text accepted by all Jain orders in 1800 years....
never heard him speaking, he was deeply influenced by him and had compiled a volume "Varni Darshan" to commemorate Ganeshprasad Varni's birth centenary in 1975.
Early life
Ganesh Prasad Ji Varni was born to Hira Lal and Ujyari Devi in village Hansera in district Lalitpur (U.P.), who belonged to the AsatiAsati
Asati is a merchant community in Bundelkhand region of Madhya Pradesh. The traditional population centre has been the Bundelkhand region, with their origin claimed to be from the Tikamgarh district.-Origin:...
community. While the Asatis are mostly Vaishnava, his father had a deep faith in the Namokar Mantra. He used to live in a Jain neighborhood and visit the Jain temple near his house in Mandawara. Influenced by lectures there, at the of 10, he took a vow to take meals before sunset through out his life. During his yajnopavita ceremony, he had an argument with the priest and his mother, and declared that he will be a Jain henceforth. his He passed the middle examination at the age of 15. He did not have any aptitude for shop-keeping, his father's profession, and became a school teacher.
He came into contact with a religious minded lady Chiranjibai of Simra through Karorelal Bhaiji, a spiritual man of Jatara. She developed much affection for him and treated him like her son. She supported his desire of obtaining advanced religious education spiritual development.
Education
At that time there were no advanced scholars in the BundelkhandBundelkhand
Bundelkhand anciently known as Chedi Kingdom is a geographic region of central India...
region. He studied at Jaipur, Khurja, Bombay, Mathura, Varanasi and other places with great difficulty. Because of his lack of funds, he occasionally had to starve accept humiliations. he studied with Pt. Panna Lal Backliwal and Baba Gurdayal at Bombay to pass Ratnakarand Shravakachar and Katantra
Aindra school of grammar
The Aindra school of Sanskrit grammar is one of the eleven schools of Sanskrit grammar mentioned in Pāṇini's Ashtadhyayi. It is named after Indra in allusion to Lord Indra, the king of Gods in Hindu mythology. Arthur Coke Burnell, a renowned orientologist, in his 1875 book, "On the Aindra school...
-panchsanndhiki examinations. There he also met Pt. Gopaldas Baraiya, with whom he studied Nyayadipika and Sarvarthsidhi after he had studied of Nyaya (logic) and grammar at Khurja. He was sometimes turned down by reputed Brahmin teachers. He studied under Pt. Ambadas Shastri at Varanasi
Varanasi
-Etymology:The name Varanasi has its origin possibly from the names of the two rivers Varuna and Assi, for the old city lies in the north shores of the Ganga bounded by its two tributaries, the Varuna and the Asi, with the Ganges being to its south...
. He then studied at Chakauti and Navadweep
Nabadwip
Nabadwip is a city and a municipality in Nadia district in the Indian state of West Bengal. Its name means "9 islands" in the Bengali language. The islands are named Antardwip , Simantadwip, Rudradwip, Madhyadwip, Godrumdwip, Ritudwip, Jahnudwip, Modadrumdwip, and Koladwip...
to acquire the Nyayacharya degree.
Establishment of Educational Institutions
Based on his experience of encountering the difficulties in obtaining advanced Jain education, he strongly felt the need for establishing Jain educational institution at Varanasi. He received a donation of one rupee from someone. He used it to by 64 postcards, and sent them to some potential Jain donors. With the assistance of prominent Jain philanthropists like Babu DevkumarChandabai
Pandita Brahmacharini Chandabai was a Jain scholar and a pioneer of women's education in India. She was the founder of the oldest women's publication in India that is still published Jain Mahiladarsh...
of Arrah, Seth Manek Chand, J.P. of Bombay etc. he established the famous Syadwad Mahavidyalaya at Varanasi in 1905. Baba Bhagirath Varni served as the superintendent (supervisor) of the institution. Even though Ganeshprasad was a founder of the Syadwad Mahavidyalaya, he accepted the rules imposed by Bhagirath Varni. A number of influential Jain scholars have been a product of this institution. With the help of Pt. Motilal Nehru
Motilal Nehru
Motilal Nehru was an early Indian independence activist and leader of the Indian National Congress, who remained Congress President twice, and...
, he was able to get Jain studies introduced at Banaras Hindu University
Banaras Hindu University
Banaras Hindu University is a public university located in Varanasi, India and is one of the Central Universities of India. It is the largest residential university in Asia, with over 24,000 students in its campus. BHU was founded in 1916 by Pandit Madan Mohan Malviya under the Parliamentary...
.
Later with encouragement of Balchand Savalnavis, and the support of Kandya, Malaiya, and other families and Singhai Kundanlal etc. he helped establish the Satark-Sudhataringini Jain Pathshala which is now the well known Ganesh Digamber Jain Sanskrit Vidyalaya at Sagar.
He also helped establish these:
- Sri Kund Kund Jain (P-G) College, Khatauli, 1926
- Jain Higher Secondary School Sagar,
- Mahavira Jain Sanskrit Uchchatar Madhamik Vidyalaya, Lalitpur, 1917
- Varni Jain Inter College, Lalitpur
- Shri Ganesh Prasad Varni Snatak Mahavidyalaya, Ghuwara.
- Varni Jain Gurugul, Jabalpur
- Shri Parshwanath Brahmacharya Ashram Jain Gurukul, Khurai, 1944
- Pathshalas at Baruasagar, Dronagiri etc.
After inspiring and helping establish these institutions, he left the administration to local volunteers, without bothering to remain in control, and moved on.
Spiritual Passage
He adopted a life of renunciation and took the vow to celibacy to became Varni. He led a simple and aesthetic life and dedicated himself to the study and teaching of Jain philosophy. At KundalpurKundalpur
Kundalpur is a historical site in India. It is located in central Indian state named Madhya Pradesh, 1.6 km from the ruins of Damoh.Shri Digamber Jain Siddha Kshetra KundalgiriPlace & Post – Kundalpur, Dist. – Damoh Management committee :...
, he took the brahmacharya
Brahmacharya
Brahmacharya is one of the four stages of life in an age-based social system as laid out in the Manu Smrti and later Classical Sanskrit texts in Hinduism. It refers to an educational period of 14–20 years which starts before the age of puberty. During this time the traditional vedic sciences are...
vrata from Baba Gokuldas. He took 10th Pratima in 1944, and became a kshullak
Kshullak
A kshullak is a junior Digambar Jain monk. A kshullak wears two garments as opposed to a full monk who wears no clothes.A kshullak is sometimes accorded the title Varni, when they are engaged in studying and teaching....
in 1947. He travelled extensively in India. He had donated his only wearing apparel, the Chadar, at a public meeting held in connection with Azad Hind Army at Jabalpur in 1945. It was immediately auctioned for Rs. 3000/- for raising the funds for the army.
At the age of 87, sensing his impending end, he retired to Isri Udasin Ashram which he had himself helped establish. He took the vows of a Jain Muni with the name Muni 108 Ganeshkirti. He passed away in his final meditation (Samadhi-maran) on 5th ecember, 1961.
Works
His two-volume autobiography Meri Jevan Gatha has become a major source of information about the Jain society of his time. It is written in a fluid and very readable style.The recordings of his lectures on the Samayasar have been re-discovered and digitized. They have also been published as a book
A publishing house named Shri Ganeshprasad Varni Jain Granthmala, Varanasi, named after him has published a number of important Jain texts.