Author of immortal Jain anthem, 'Maitri Bhavnu Pavitra Zarnu', Gurudev Shri Chitrabhanuji is remembered for being the first ever Jain sadhu to travel overseas. He is revered as an ambassador of Jainism to the West. A controversial man in his own right, Shri Chandraprabh Sagarji Maharaj is still not forgiven by many for leaving monkhood and starting a family.
Born in Rajasthan on July 22, 1922 to Chhogalaji and Chunibai, he was named Ruprajendra. Chitrabhanuji was handsome, intelligent, and a free thinker. Having lost his mother at the age of 4, his sister at the age of 11, and a dear friend at the age of 19, he had a rather troubled childhood that lead him to question the meaning of life from early on in his life. He then met and sought guidance from Shri Aurbindo in Pondechari, Shri Raman Maharshi and Jain Acharyas in Palitana. Chitrabhanuji tried to open independence movement and met Subhash Chandra Bose and Gandhiji, however, his quest for spiritual advancement won in the end. After graduating from college at the age of 20, he took permission from his father and took Diksha. His father, who never re-married, had religiously raised his only child, took Diksha a few months after Chitrabhanuji.
Both father and son traveled together all across Gujarat as guru and disciple for 18 years. During those years, our Maharaj studied Jain scriptures and world religions, real literature, observed silence for years and walked over 30,000 miles barefoot. In 1958, on his 37th birthday, his father died peacefully in his arms. He eventually took up writing in newspapers under the pen name of Chitrabhanu and moved to Mumbai, his second 'Karmabhoomi'. His days in Mumbai were a meteoric ascendance of Chitrabhanu as a thinker and orator. He soon attracted politicians, both local and national. He used his popularity to lead in humanitarian work in the aftermath of devastating floods in Bihar.
Maharaj had a charismatic effect on people, especially the Harijan community which invited him to speak. He became a founder president of The Vegetarian Society, which is still functions in Mumbai. He persuaded the then mayor of Mumbai to close slaughterhouses on Mahavir Jayanti and later expanded the ban to seven other Hindu holidays. Chitrabhanu established the Divine Knowledge Society to publish books in English on Jainism, and around that time, was being visited by foreign students from all over the Europe who took back his writings to their countries. He had read a lot about Shree Virchand R Gandhi, a Jain citizen scholar and an accompanied Barrister who had accompanied Swami Vivekanand to the Parliament of world religions in Chicago. The first person to introduce Jainism to the west, he was largely forgotten. However, Chitrabhanu had read a lot about VRG's life and thought the Jain Samaj owed him a lot. Which is why, he commemorated his centennial year in the presence of Jain leaders like Shri Lalchand Heerachand, CT Shah and Ratilal Nanavati. He reminded everyone of Veerchandji's other accomplishments, like campaigns that shutdown slaughterhouse.
In 1968, Chitrabhanu was invited to the newly formed 'Spiritual Summit Conference' promoted by Shri GD Birla in Calcutta. Due to prior commitments, he could not accept the invitation and sent one of his disciples, Kumari Vatsala Amin in his place. Her presentation on Jainism was so impressive that they wanted to know more about Chitrabhanu and his religion. Organisers then invited him to the second conference in Geneva in 1970. Chitrabhanu faced a lot of trouble reaching Geneva, which the organisers were aware of and they honored them by giving him the privilege of opening the conference. He addressed the gathering by speaking of Non-Violence and Anekantvad as guiding principles for a peaceful world. Thousands came to listen to him for the whole week as curiosity to learn more about Jainism increased. As it happened, a large community of Jains in Africa – Visha Oswals - had been urging Chitrabhanuji to visit them for years. Chitrabhanuji decided to accept their invitation and also accepted the invitation of World Vegetarian Congress in Hague.
After, Chitrabhanu traveled to France and the UK, spoke at Oxford University and Cambridge University. His talks were covered by BBC, Voice of America radio, and also Radio Canada. He then went to Amsterdam, Munich, and Rome, where he met with Pope Paul VI. Before he went overseas again, Chitrabhanu had qualms about the new direction he was taking and norms of being a Jain Sadhu. By that time, he had become fully aware of certain vibrations he had been experiencing in the presence of one long-time student, Pramoda Shah, but was not allowing himself to express them. He felt that Usha, a girl he had considered his soulmate during his college days and had died of malaria had come back in his life in the form of Pramoda. He soon renounced his high position and disengaged himself from monkhood.
Chitrabhanu and Pramoda married in early 1971 in a private ceremony, Gandharv Vivah, no rituals or family participation and just two witnesses. He decided to not many any public announcements of marriage at the time out of consideration of feelings of several people who were incensed by his decision to travel to Geneva. He then proceeded to Africa, where his first stop was Nairobi, Kenya. He stayed there for 52 days and emphasised the message of Maitry, the religion of friendship. He praised humanitarian initiatives of the community and encouraged them to do even more for their adopted homeland. He then flew to London. He spent a week addressing thousands of people.
His next destination was The World Vegetarian Congress in the Hague. He shared his thoughts and perceptions on the vegetarian way of life from a variety of viewpoints including spiritual growth, morality, health, aesthetics and ecology. When he returned to India, he was greeted by an invitation to deliver a speech at the Third Spiritual Summit Conference at the Harvard Divinity School. He was chosen as a keynote speaker with an air ticket awaiting his consent.
When he landed at JFK airport on September 11, 1971, with not much as a penny in his pocket, he stood in stark contrast to the hundreds who came to greet him on arrival. It is said, Chitrabhanu had attracted a western follower within one hour of arriving in America. His presentation at the Spiritual Summit Conference as the 'Hit Speaker of the Day'. He was invited to a reception at the home of the Governor Sergeant Shriver after the conference. The accolades and respect he received made him a speaker very much in demand at churches, universities, and seminars all over the east coast. America became his third Karmabhoomi. After the summit conference, he went to Chicago where Pramoda met him. On January 26, 1972, Pramoda gave birth to their first son Rajeev. Their second born son Darshan was born in a home offered by Chitrabhanu's American student Elizabeth Cattell. The former returned from India in March 1972 with renewed energy to New York. He began teaching meditation at a college at night. In 1973, he led the Mahavir Jayant celebration at the United Nations Chapel.
Chitrabhanuji made his presence so well known that in December of 1973, The New York times did a long story on him calling him Pope John Paul of Jainism. Many of Chitrabhanuji’s American followers urged him to establish a place where they can avail themselves the opportunity to hear him regularly. Chitrabhanuji, from the savings of his teaching and speaking jobs, spared some funds to rent a place in Manhattan and established the “Jain Meditation International Center”. Eventually Jains also started coming to the center. They brought with them a marble statue of Shri Mahavirswami, thus Chitrabhanuji established the first Jain place of worship in America.
Chitrabhanuji began for his American student's annual pilgrimages to Shatrunjay and Mt. Abu. Students were required to adopt vegetarianism and meditation as a condition for Joining him in Yatra. After completing the yatra, students were given new names signifying their new spiritual life. In one of the annual yatras, in 1974 students got to meet with the Prime minister Indira Gandhi and attending “World Fellowship of Religions” in Delhi. The organizer of the conference – Muni Sushil Kumarji – was impressed by hearing Navkar Mantra from the westerners that Chitrabhanuji had brought with him.
Chitrabhanuji traveled all across America and helped establish 40 Jain centers. He and Muni Sushil Kumar inspired formation of JAINA – a federation of Jain Associations in North America – representing all the Jains without distinction of sects or the region they came from. Today almost forty years later, JAINA is the largest Jain organisation outside of India representing over 100,000 jains. In the seventies and eighties, Chitrabhanuji made many trips to UK, Antwerp, Singapore and African nations.
In one of the American groups, he was once addressing someone asked him how was it that as a messenger of Non-Violence he consumes milk. Chitrabhanuji was shocked. He admitted that it had never occurred to him that milk is a product of so much violence. He promised to study the subject. And that is how Chitrabhanu and Pramodaben started their research on Veganism once they were back in New York. It was a new awakening for them. Not only they both became lifelong devout vegan but Chitrabhanu changed his message completely. He was no longer preaching about finer points of Jainism. He argued in Jain Center against use of Milk in Pooja or Ghee in Dipak. The campaign for veganism did not impress many adult Jains of America. In fact, there were many who opposed him for that message arguing that our Tirthankars used milk and never forbade us from using but hundreds of Jain youngsters converted to Veganism.
The criticism did not deter Chitrabhanuji. He considered words of the immortal Song he had composed.
"કરે ઉપેકશા એ મારગની તોયે સમતા ચીતત ધરુ"
He continued to speak at various venues spreading the message of Non-Violence. He was honored by many politicians, universities and churches etc. The pinnacle of the honors was the 2001 invitation from House of Representatives in Washington with opening prayer in recognition of 2600th anniversary of Mahavirswami.
Later in 2014 Claremont Lincoln University in California awarded “Ahimsa Award “ to both Chitrabhanuji and Pramodaben. Thus the Ahimsa Yatra of Chitrabhanuji that began at Harvard University in 1971 reached another University on the west coast. As of that time Chitrabhanuji decided to stop all his public appearances bowing to his age. In June of 2018, the Jain Society of Chicago decided to honor Chitrabhanuji during 25th Anniversary of their Temple. Chitrabhanuji had officiated their Prathistha ceremony and made numerous visit to their Temple after that. The Chicago Jain center had installed a bust of Shri Virchand Raghavji in their center and recognizing the pioneering work of Chitrabhanuji in the footsteps of VRG, they installed a bust of Chittrabhanuji as a Jivant Smarak.
