CM pays tribute to Acharya Bhikshu Swami on 300th birth anniversary

Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini paid his respects on the 300th birth anniversary of Acharya Shri Bhikshu Swami here on Tuesday.

On the occasion, he paid his respects to all the saints present on the dais, including Munishri Vinay Kumar Alok, Munishri Sudhakar, Munishri Abhay Kumar Alok, Munishri Naresh and Swami Sampurnanand Brahmachari Maharaj.

He said India was a land of saints, and it was because of them that their cultural heritage remained vibrant. The Chief Minister praised the austere lifestyle of Jain monks, describing them as symbols of sacrifice and self-discipline in today’s materialistic world. He added that the principles laid down by the saints and sages continued to give direction to humanity.

The CM said Acharya Shri Bhikshu Swami was not merely a monk, but a courageous and revolutionary thinker. He challenged the prevailing distortions in religion and gave spirituality a rational and enlightened direction. Born in Vikram Samvat 1783 in Kantalia village, the early life of ‘Bhikkhan’, as he was known before becoming an Acharya, was marked by sacrifice, penance, and a deep pursuit of truth.

In Vikram Samvat 1817, he founded the Terapanth sect — not merely as the inception of a new tradition, but as a bold movement to restore religion in its purest and most principled form.

The foundational principle of “one Acharya, one discipline, one ideology” became the hallmark of Terapanth, symbolising discipline, unity and unwavering devotion.