The article published by 'pioneer' at the time of His passing away gives some idea of Shrimadji's life, which can be seen from the following extracts.
"At the age of twenty He completely disappeared from the public gaze.
He determined to use His powers and abilities for the instruction and enlightenment of His community and the people at large.
From His very early age He was a voracious reader.
He studied the six schools of religions (Shatdarshan) and other systems of Oriental and western philosophy.
Strange though it may seem, it was a fact that a book was required to be read only once in order to be digested, and without any regular study of Sanskrit and Prakrit, He could accurately understand works in those languages and explain them to others, as only learned scholars could be expected to do."
"Shrimadji now began to inculcate His taste for knowledge in others and soon attracted a large number of disciples, whom He guided to the proper study of jain philosophy.
He found that the Acharyas (religious teachers) of the time held narrow and sectarian views and did not appreciate the change of the times."
"Again, those who renounced the world were generally lacking in some of the good things of the world, and had some reason or other to be dissatisfied with their slot in the world.
Such men could not impress their congregations by their examples. He believed that if a man of wealth, social position, renounced the world, He could work real good by his example; convinced of His sincerity and disinterestedness, the people would more readily follow His guidance and profit by His preaching.
Holding such views, He had believed that He had not sufficiently qualified himself to appear before the public as an ascetic and a spiritual guide, and He continued steadily a man of the world, though His inclinations were all the other way."
