Veerayatan Newsletter,
February 2024, Edition-44

Pujya Tai Ma’s Health

Pujya Tai Ma was brought to Jupiter Hospital, Pune, on the evening of 25/01/2024 with a mild stroke (ischaemic stroke) to the left upper and lower limbs and slurring of the speech. With God's grace and her own resilience, she has shown remarkable progress in her recovery.

The swift and crucial decisions taken during this time were made possible by the support and guidance of Veerayatan President Shri. Abhay Firodia, Dr. Ajay Thakkar and Dr. Mahesh Shah. Their invaluable assistance proved to be a crucial factor in navigating through these challenging times.

The doctors and the medical team overseeing Pujya Tai Ma’s treatment are impressed by her remarkable progress and hold an optimistic outlook for her complete recovery soon. With the support of your kind prayers and well wishes, she is making rapid strides towards full recovery.

Pujya Tai Ma is sending her blessings, love, and warmth to all of you.

A positive outlook always

by Pujya Tai Ma

It is easy to laugh in a comfortable environment at home, but "those who can laugh in hospital, can laugh anywhere." This simple yet profound statement made by Pujya Tai Ma at Jupiter Hospital, serves as a poignant reminder that true happiness is not dependent on external circumstances but rather an internal state of mind that can be cultivated regardless of the situation at hand - even in the midst of a hospital environment that can often be daunting and stressful. Learning to embrace laughter can help alleviate stress and anxiety for patients and foster an uplifting environment for all involved in the healing process.

Let us all strive to carry this message of inner happiness and contentment with us, whatever circumstances we may encounter in life.

A precious gift from Shri Abhaybhai Firodia

Veerayatan President Shri Abhaybhai Firodia showed his unconditional and unwavering love and respect for Pujya Tai Ma, spanning many decades, by presenting her with a solid gold cast of her pious hands and feet for her birthday.

Creating a just and compassionate world

by Atul Shah, First Vice President of JAINA USA

Today, we come together to mark a significant milestone – the 88th birthday celebration of an extraordinary individual, Pujya Tai Ma. This day is not just about the passage of time; it is a collective acknowledgment of the profound impact that Tai Ma has had on our lives and the broader world. Pujya Tai Ma, through unwavering compassion and tireless efforts, embodies the essence of true humanitarianism. Driven by a vision to alleviate the suffering of others, Tai Ma’s journey transcends individual success, focusing instead on the collective well-being of humanity. To read further……

Launch of 'Abhinav Dhrishta'

A beautiful book, Abhinav Dhrishta, written eloquently by Upadhyaya Shri Yashaji Maharaj, was launched on Pujya Tai Ma’s birthday. Not just as a book but also in audio format too. This is a book about Pujya Tai Ma’s vision and how her remarkable work has blossomed into a gigantic tree giving solace, love, a helping hand, creating friendships and transforming millions of lives. This book promises to be a very interesting and informative read and an inspiration for all.

We humbly thank Jayant Shah from Pune for sponsoring and bringing this book into fruition.

Preface to Abhinav Dhrishta

by Pujya Tai Ma

The Veerayatan that you are seeing today is the result of the blessings of God and the immense grace of respected elders and gurus. You are observing all this, and I am also observing. You are happy, I am also happy. Everyone is listening wholeheartedly, I am also listening in the same way. There is not even the subtlest corner of my heart that allows me to say that I have accomplished this. Neither have I done it, nor do I own anything.

When deciding on what I wanted to achieve, my aim was not only to do social work, but I had absolute clarity to implement the divine message of Lord Mahavir with the light of compassion and wisdom. And that too in the pious land of the Tirthankaras.

Whatever has been achieved has been possible due to the immense grace and blessings of God and the trustworthy support of all the people. My happiness, my blessing is only that I have been able to become an instrument.

Launch of Gujarati translation of Uttaradhyayan Sutra

Uttaradhyayan Sutra, originally written in Prakrit, is a profound scripture based on the last divine discourse of Bhagwan Mahavir before his nirvana. Pujya Tai Ma, who for 12 years took the vow of silence and read and contemplated on all the scriptures, whether Jain, Vedic or Buddhist, wrote a commentary on Uttaradhyayan Sutra in Hindi in 1972. Her understanding of the Prakrit language, her clarity of thought and her deep understanding of Bhagwan Mahavir’s profound messages has meant that the commentary written by Pujya Tai Ma grasps the very essence of the teachings and is a resource which is used widely amongst the monks and nuns and the lay community.

It is our great pleasure to announce that the Gujarati translation of this commentary is now published. Sadhvi Shri Chetanaji, who is highly proficient in Gujarati, carried out the translation. We humbly thank Suchetaben and Viralbhai Doshi for sponsoring the translation of this book.

Transformational change

by Avinash Kumar

Avinash Kumar, an ex-student of Tirthankar Mahavir Vidya Mandir, Lacchuar talked about the transformation change which occurred in Lacchuar and to him personally because of the vision, love and compassion of Pujya Tai Ma.

The gift of sight

Every year Pujya Tai Ma’s birthday is celebrated in Rajgir by giving the gift of vision to those in need in and around the district of Nalanda. This year was no different. The eye camps were organised over 6 days and in total 946 patients from nearby towns and rural villages benefitted from free cataract operations with many more patients to be operated throughout the year.

Patients are not only given the gift of vision; they are also given the inspiration to lead a non-violent and alcohol-free life. A heartfelt thanks to all the doctors and other staff for all their hard work and dedication.

To learn more about Netra Jyoti Seva Mandiram, the eye hospital in Rajgir, visit: https://veerayatan.org/rajgir/

Opening of Gautam Gurukul

A school by the name of Gautam Gurukul was opened in Veerayatan Rajgir by Tansukh R and Shantiben Dagaji and their family. This free school is for the very disadvantaged children in communities in and around Rajgir giving them an opportunity to learn and break the cycle of poverty and discrimination. This school will start in April, in the new academic year, and the children are eagerly waiting to start.

Birthday celebrations in Kutch

Pujya Tai Ma's birthday was celebrated with much devotion and enthusiasm. Students and faculties prayed for Tai Ma's wellbeing. Students of Rudrani and Jakhania schools presented joyous cultural programs.

Birthday celebrations in Kenya

Celebrating any momentous occasion at Shri Chandana Vidyapeeth (SCVP), Nairobi is always a joy, and celebrating Pujya Tai Ma’s birthday was no exception!

Saturday morning was a hive of activity as each child participated in one of many different activities meticulously planned by their teachers, ranging from making medals to celebrate Pujya Tai Ma, depicting her values on a ‘tree of life’, to making book marks utilising a buddy system with the youngest at 5 to the oldest at 15! Others beautifully decorated bowls and made cards thanking their own mothers for sending them to SCVP!

Immense fun was had working in teams searching for various clues in a treasure hunt. The students were given a question sheet per team and had to search for envelopes containing the answers to many informative questions on Pujya Tai Ma and Veerayatan.

The highlight of the morning was a bake sale run by the children that raised a healthy amount of funds to support the children at the Cerebral Palsy Unit in Nairobi, a project dear to Pujya Tai Ma.