Pannalal Jain

Sahityacharya Dr. Pandit Pannalal Jain (1911–2001) was a distinguished Jain scholar.[1][2][3][4] Dr. Kasturchand Kasliwal has regarded him as among the 20 most distinguished of the Jain scholars of 20th century[5] His teaching career spanned 70 years, from 1931 to 2001.[6]

Sahityacharya Pandit Pannalal Jain
Bust of Pt Pannalal Jain holding a pen, in Namakmandi, Sagar.
Personal
Born	5 March 1911 Parguwan, Sagar District, Madhya Pradesh
Died	9 March 2001 (aged 90) Kundalpur, Madhya Pradesh
Religion	Jainism
Philosophy	Jain
Religious career
Guru	Shiksha-Guru Dayachandra Shastri and Ganeshprasad Varni
Literary works	Mahapurana (195?) etc.
Honors	Sahityacharyacharya, PhD

Life

He was the son of Gallilal and Jankibai of Parguvan, a small village in Sagar, born in 1911. He moved to Sagar with his mother after the death of his father in 1919. Pannalal studied at the famous institute in Sagar, "Sattarka Sudha Tarangini Sanskrit Pathashala", now Ganesh Varni Sanskrit Vidyalaya, founded by Ganeshprasad Varni. For a long time Pannalaji also taught there. He was married in 1931, same year he was appointed as a teacher at the Vidyalaya. Later he studied at Syadvadad Mahavidyalaya in Varanasi. He earned Sahityacharya degree in 1936. He spent most of his life in Sagar as the guiding scholar at Sattarka Sudha Tarangini Sanskrit Pathashala, later known as Ganesh Digambar Jain Sanskrit Mahavidyalaya, at Moraji, Sagar, from 1933 to 1983. After retiring he taught at Varni Digambar Jain Gurukul at Jabalpur until 8 January 2001.

He edited both volumes of the well known autobiography Meri Jivan Gatha by Kshullak Ganeshprasad Varni which were published in 1949 and 1960.[7][8] He also edited Shri Ganeshprasad Varni Smriti Granth in 1974.[9]

He had served as a guide to prominent monks and nuns. He assisted Acharya Vidyasagar in starting discourses on Dhavala texts in Sagar in 1980. He often advised Aryika Vishuddhamati when she headed the Mahilashram at Sagar. He was also associated with the Jain institutions at Dronagiri and Bada Malahara. In 1955, he helped organize the historic Gajrath as Prachar Mantri.[10] He also assisted in the Gajrath festival at Khajuraho in 1981. He was associated with the Digambar Jain Vidyaparishad, a leading council of scholars, during 1946 to 1985.

A simple, gentle and unassuming traditional scholar, he was awarded a PhD by Sagar University in 1973 for his work on Mahakavi Harichand.[11]

He was honoured by the President of India for his educational contributions to teaching of Sanskrit in 1969.

Works

Jain is best known for his translations and commentaries of Sanskrit Puranic literature including Mahapurana, Uttarapurana, and Padmapurana.

He has also composed several vratodyapana texts based on classical Sanskrit sources.

He was given title Vidya-Varidhi (meaning the ocean of learning) by the Sagar shravakas in 1976.

He was a prolific author. His works

• Samyakavta Chintamani (1983 Mahavir Puraskar)
• Jivandhar Champu, (1959–60 Mitra award, MP Sahitya Parishad)
• Gadya Chintamani (1972 Dhaulpur, Dig. Jain Vidvatparishad) and
• Purudeva Champu (1974 Indore)

were given special awards by literary organisations.

Arhat-Vachan Journal commented on his death: "by his departure, a leading lighthouse of 20th century of the Jain scholarly tradition has fallen."

Memorial and legacy

On 8 March 2001, at the Kundalpur Tirth, in the shadow of Lord Adinath Bade Baba, Pannalal Jain laid down his body, having entered his final meditation. In Sagar, the street passing through the centrally located Namak Mandi has been named Sahityacharya Pandit Pannalal Jain Marg, which has a bust in the middle of the road. His statue has been placed on Namak mandi tiraha, one way.

Achala Jain, who wrote her dissertation on his contributions to Sanskrit literature, was awarded a PhD by the Indore University.[12]

The organisation Pannalal Jain Smararak Samiti honours Sanskrit scholars in Sagar.[13]

Jain Muni Pratyakshsagar was his grandson.[14]

References

1. बहुमुखी प्रतिभा के धनी थे साहित्याचार्य पं. पन्नालाल जैन. Matrix News, 4 March 2011, www.bhaskar.com/
2. नर्इ पीढ़ी के लिए साहित्य में मिलने वाले सम्मान की तरफ इषारा, प्रतिमा अनावरण, 17.11.06 http://gyansagarji.com/?page_id=249%5B%5D
3. जयंती पर पंडितजी के व्यक्तित्व पर चर्चा, http://www.pradeshtoday.com/newsdetails.php?news=NSS-camp-concludes&nid=35143 Archived 12 June 2018 at the Wayback Machine
4. http://www.bhaskar.com › Madhya Pradesh 16 July 2012 – राजेश जैन के बड़े भाई प्रकाशचंद जैन का रविवार की सुबह निधन
5. Kasturchand Kasliwal, Jain Samaj ka Vrihad Itihas, Jain Itihas Prakashan Sansthan, Jaipur, 1969, p. 42
6. Ratanchandra Jain, Svarnayuga ke pratinidhi ka mahaprayan, Jina Bhashita, April 2001, p. 1,
7. Meri Jivan Gatha, Ganeshprasad Varni, 1949, Shri Ganeshprasad Varni Jain Granthmala, Varanasi.
8. Meri Jivan Gatha, Dvitiya Bhag, Ganeshprasad Varni, 1960, Shri Ganeshprasad Varni Jain Granthmala, Varanasi
9. Shri Ganeshprasad Varni Smriti Granth, Bharatiya Digambar jain Vidvatparishad, Ed. Pannalal Sahityacharya, Niraj Jain, 1974.
10. Sahityacharya pannalal Jain Abhinandan Granth, p. 2.71
11. Sahityacharya D. Pandit Pannalal Jain Abhinandan Deepika, Ed. Jain, Jyoti Prasad, Bhagchandfra Bhagendu, Bharatiya Shruti Darshana Kendra, Jaipur, 1989
12. संस्कृत भाषा के संरक्षण और संवर्धन की आवश्यकता है : ब्रह्मचारी डी. राकेश भैया, साहित्याचार्य डॉ. पंडित पन्नालाल जैन की 103वीं जन्म जयंती पर कटरा नमकमंडी स्थित कीर्ति स्तंभ के समीप प्रतिमा स्थल पर कार्यक्रम हुआ, Bhaskar News Network, 6 March 2014
13. आर्यिका संघ के सानिध्य में निकली श्रीजी की पालकी शोभायात्रा, Matrix News, 23 September 2013
14. समाधि साधना के लिए इंद्रियों पर काबू होना चाहिए, Apna Hindustan, http://jain.apnahindustan.com/?p=2204%5B%5D, मुनि श्री प्रत्यक्ष सागर जी महाराज के गृहस्थ जीवन के नाना पं. पन्नालाल जी साहित्याचार्य थे।