

Acharya Shri Atmaram Ji



The great Jain Acharya Shrimad Vijaya Anand Suri, popularly known as Swami Atmaram Ji Maharaj was born in 1837 in lahara, Punjab in a Brahmaksatriya family who was a Śvetāmbara Mūrtipūjaka Tapā Gaccha mendicent leader and an important reformer of Jainism in the late 19th century. While attending school he came across Sthanakavasi monks and in 1853 he initiated Sanot Atmaramji.He was studying scriptures during his young age, and it this study which led him feel orthodox about conviction of image worship.

Acharya was a great Jain and his foremost service was to awaken the slumbering Jains to their duties and spiritually study jainism. He was a impressive Lecturer and this excellence in him that made people follow this thoughts and believes. He was a truthful, patient; straightforward, noble character and indomit character that helped people trust him in those changing era in the society.
He understood the ailing community then and just like a expert physician, he tried to diagnose the community in the right path. He knew illiteracy was the root cause of the downfall in the nation, so he started educating and counseling people, both men and women to educate themselves. He made education obligatory for the people under qualified teachers and made it essential for self realization.
In his whole life, he only wished day and night to eradicate vices and inculcate virtues in the Jain community. To fulfill his mission he travelled bare foot across Punjab, Marwar, Mewar, Kathiawar and Gujarat areas to infuse the knowledge of Jainism in mankind. Because of such acts he had to face lot of oppositions by independent existence and antiquity of the religion.
He was a deep thinker and a philosopher. He wrote quite a number of books, in easy Hindi on Jainism and its philosophy. Most important of these are Jain Tattwadarsh, Agnan Timeer Bhaskar, Tattwa Nirnayprasad, and Chicago Prashnottar. Some of his books have been very much appreciated by European scholars and Indian writers.
He knew the strained relationship building up between the different communities like Oswals, Aggarwals, Khandelwals and many more. Swamiji had taken full advantage of his position that helped them and emphasized the desirability of their interdining and intermarriage. By doing so, he could succeed in cordial relations in many places. His endeavors led to the resuscitation of Jain religion, art and literature about which very little was known to the world at that time.
Acharya Shri Atmaram Ji was the first ever known Jain Acharya Samrat of Jain santhanakvasi shwetamber shraman sangh.
Acharya Shri Atmaram Ji’s soul left his body on dated 20th May 1896.
Acharya Shri Vijay Vallabh Suri ji