Acharya Bhikshu

Acharya Bhikshu was one of the great revolutionary saints of Jainisim. He is regarded as the founding father and first spiritual head of Jain Shvetambar Terapanth denomination. He was an ardent disciple of Lord Mahavira. Acharya Bhikshu had completely immersed his life in the teachings of Lord Mahavira and also religious;ly followed the path given by him. In the initial phase of his divine revolution, he had shifted himself from the group of Sthankvasi Acharya Raghunath. At that time he had thirteen saints, thirteen devotees and thirteen fundamental rules. This coincidence results in the name of "Terapanth"

Early Life of Bhikshu
Acharya Bhikshu was highly influenced by the different beliefs and teachings of various religious orders of that time. He thus wished to follow the path in search of truth and to understand it. He even did an in-depth study of the Jain religion and tried to analyse the different disciplines. Based on these he even formulated his own ideologies and tenets of the Jain way of life. Rigorously following the path of Jainism he set an example for all to follow. He showed the importance of discipline, purity and self-control. The ways propagated by Acharya Bhikshu later became the foundation principle of Terapanth. The Letter of Conduct was written by him is still pursued in the same manner with due respect with slight changes as per the time and situation. The original copy of letter written in Rajasthan language is still available. He was lovingly called by his devotees as `Swamiji`.

The life of Acharya Bhikshu was a prodigy of ups and downs that helped him to become a supreme person. In the first half of the life, he went through a lot of pain and difficulties while in the second half reflects his success and accomplishments.

Later Life of Bhikshu
Acharya Bhikshu through his dynamic personality had a very broad vision. He always remained far ahead of his times. He rose above the current circumstances of the society and tried to present an example to the people of all times of a life of discipline and truth. To achieve his goal he even sacrificed materialistic goals, honour and luxuries He revolutionized the different tenets which had become meaningless with the passing of time and gave conception and birth to these tenements.

Acharya Bhikshu visualized a systematic, well established and orderly religious denomination and saw it taking shape through Terapanth. He also propagated the ideology of one guru to organize and stabilize this religious order. In this way his ideology of one Acharya, one principle, one thought and similar thinking became the ideal for other religious denominations. Acharya Bhikshu also paved the way to eradicate ones desires. According to him the common man should understand and practice true religion which would take him to the path of redemption.

In the middle of the 18th Century, Acharya Bhikshu led a reformist movement in a society griped in fundamentalist religious philosophy and blind faith. He was a famous philosopher, writer, poet and social reformer. As the Jain leader he wrote almost 38,000 shlokas (hymns). These works have now been compiled in two volumes as Bhikshu Granth Ratnakar. His Nav Padarth Sadbhav, which advocated a society free from exploitation, is regarded as a significant philosophical composition that deals with the nine gems of Jain doctrine.