Acharya Hemchandra
Acharya Hemchandra was born in 1087 to Chachadeva and Pahinidevi in Dhandhuka Gujurat. He was initiated as a monk at a very young age and by age 21 was given the title of Acharya which is one of the highest ranks bestowed on a monk. Only monks with intense knowledge, understanding, and adherence to the rules of monkood are bestowed such a title.
Kumarpaal and Hemchandra
One day as Acharya Hemchandra was going to give a lecture in Raja Kumarpaal’s country one shravak (layman) sees him and thinks it is a great honor for a small layman as me to meet such a great monk. He may have a opportunity to do give him something or do something for him and receive a blessing. Though he doesn’t have anything to give him but one pair of his clothes that he made. That if the monk were to wear something that he has given it would be such a great honor and blessing. So he goes to Hemchandra and offers the clothing to him. The acharya says as of now he is not in any need of clothing so there isn’t really a chance for the shravak to get this honor at the moment. The shravak says, “O Gurudev I know that you and those like you are such great monks but if you let me have this honor it would bring happiness to my life that I was able to do something for a great monk like you. Please let me have the honor of obtaining this blessing. please take this cloth, my soul will be so happy to have done this for you.” Hemchandra saw the intentions of this shravak and immediately took of his own clothes and wore the clothes the shravak had given him. He went on his way to give his lecture. Once he reaches there Kumarpaal see him and is shocked at what he is wearing says, “Gurudev you have come here wearing such clothes I feel embarrassed by what you are wearing.” Hemchandra knew what reply to give to open the raja’s eyes. “Kumarpaal I came here wearing these clothes and you feel embarrassed yet in your country there are shravaks that are always trying to do things to benefit the guru’s of their religion. This cloth was given to me by one of these shravaks and he must have given me the best cloth he had available. But this cloth that I am wearing you feel embarrassed by it. So I want you to think what he must be wearing on a daily basis. Here you are king of 18 countries and in your own country where you reside there are such pious people living in such poor conditions that does not embarrass you?!” Kumarpaal was shocked at gurudev’s response. The next day Kumarpaal goes to Acharya Hemchandra crying saying “You have opened my eyes gurudev. I am going to make sure all those who have such dedication to our religion will be taken care of from now on. That is the only way my God’s religion can be prosperous if the people following it are prosperous. So he helped everyone he could get jobs, have better living conditions, get better medical treatment, and help rid of any other difficulties they were having.
Hemchandra, Kumarpaal, and Brahmins
The fame of Hemchandra's efficacy and knowledge gradually spread everywhere. The noble culture was on the rise in Gujarat due to the ability of Hemchandra and the cooperation of King Siddharaja of Gujarat. King Siddharaja was succeeded by Kumarpal. Hemchandra had predicted seven years earlier that Kumarpal would be the king. Also, the acharya had once saved Kumarpal's life. Therefore, Kumarpal considered Hemchandra his spiritual teacher (guru) and benefactor. Kumarpal gave him the exceptional honor and sought his advice in the shaping of his kingdom in Gujarat. In a very short time, Gujarat became a center of non-violence, learning, and good culture.
Hemchandra did not only think of the development of his own career, but always thought of the universal welfare. In spite of this, some Brahmins were very jealous about this and they were trying to disgrace Hemchandracharya and Jainism. Therefore, some Brahmins approached King Kumarpal and said, "Hemchandracharya is a very egoistic person and he does not respect Hindu Gods." King Kumarpal was not ready to accept these views about his spiritual teacher, Hemchandracharya. Brahmins requested King Kumarpal that he should invite Hemchandracharya to come to the temple of Lord Shiva (God of destruction). The purpose of this was to humiliate Hemchandracharya because they thought he would not go to the temple of Lord Shiva and bow down to him. When Hemchandracharya came, King Kumarpal said, "We would go to the temple of Lord Shiva." He accepted the offer without any hesitation. Brahmins were happy in their mind thinking that they would be able to make their point today and glorify their religion. Yet, they were wrong. They underestimated Hemchandracharya. To the surprise of those Brahmins, Hemchandracharya bowed down in front of Lord Shiva but by saying,
"Bhavbijaskurajanana ragadayah kshaymupagata yasya; Brahma va Vishnurva haro Jino va namastasmai." Meaning, "I am bowing down to that god, who has destroyed the passions like attachment (Rag) and hatred (Dwesh) which are the cause of worldly life, whether he is Brahma, Vishnu, or Jina."
This showed that indeed the acharya was genius and had a broad-minded attitude based on basic Jain principles. Under Hemchandra's influence, King Kumarpal accepted Jainism. He prohibited violence and killing of any animal in his kingdom. King Kumarpal made many laws that nurtured the Jain religion. Vegetarianism was found not only in the Jains, but also in all the people of Gujarat. Jainism became the land of the region.
Hemchandra composed several literary works that included many verses. The acharya was the first one to put non-violence on a political platform. He was the architect of the greatness and unity of Gujarat. In the field of metaphysics, he was a Yogi. His work Yoga-Shastra, a treatise on yoga, is very famous. People called him 'Kali-kala Sarvajna' meaning ‘all-knower in the dark period’. He died in 1173 A. D. at the age of eighty-four. The Jain culture still shines brightly in Gujarat, due to the influence of the literary works contributed by the great Acharya Hemchandra.