Dr. Sohan Lal Gandhi, President of Anuvrat Global Organization (ANUBIS) and an esteemed member of the Board of Governors of Intercultural Open University Foundation (IOUF), recently published his new book Acharya Mahapragya: A Journey to Wisdom. Acharya Mahapragya: A Journey to Wisdom traces his growth from little Nathmal, who would fly into a rage and refuse to eat, to his asceticism, which earned him the name of Mahapragya – the very embodiment of wisdom and inner peace. It offers insights into his thoughts on science and spirituality, and the philosophy of anekanta. 

The book discusses about Acharya Mahapragya, the tenth Acharya of the Jain Svetambar Terapanth. Mahapragya was a Jain spiritual leader, author, philosopher and poet. He is widely considered as one of the most revered Jain thinkers of the present times, popularly known as ‘modern Vivekananda’. Mahapragya played a major role in Anuvrat movement and developed Preksha meditation, a well-organized way of meditation. Born in a small village in Rajasthan, he became a monk at the very early age of ten. Mahapragya received his education under Acharya Tulsi, who launched the Anuvrat Movement in 1949 to rid the world of hatred. Anuvrat which literally translates into small vows is a short version of mahavratas for the monks which can be followed by lay people. The movement encouraged people to apply the Anuvrats in their personal lives, even when dealing with non-religious aspects of the society. Acharya Mahapragya himself undertook the Ahimsa Yatra in 2001, traversing more than 10,000 km on foot. This remarkable feat at the age of eighty-one won him the Communal Harmony Award in 2004.

Dr. Gandhi is the president of ANUBIS which works towards the goals set by the Acharya. He is Professor of Social Science at IOUF, a non-profit university which offers accredited distance PhD programs to learners in consortium with Universidad Azteca and Universidad Central De Nicargua. Dr. Gandhi in addition holds a dual PhD degree in Social Science from UA and UCN.