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{{Infobox religious biography<br />
| religion = [[Jainism]]<br />
| sect = [[Svetambara]]<br />
| birth_date = 1526<br />
| death_date = {{death year and age|1595|1526}}<br />
}}<br />
{{Jainism}}<br />
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'''Hiravijaya''' (1526–1595), also known as '''Muni Hiravijayji''' and '''Hiravijay Suri,''' was the supreme pontiff of [[Tapa Gachcha]] order of [[Jain]] [[Svetambara]] tradition. He is known for propounding the [[Jain philosophy]] to [[Mughal Empire|Mughal]] [[Emperor Akbar]] and turning him towards vegetarianism.<br />
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==Early life and monkhood==<br />
Hiravijaya was born in a Jain [[Oswal]] family in [[Palanpur]] in [[Gujarat]] in 1527.<ref name=roy140>Roy, A. K. (1984) p. 140</ref> His parents had died when he was still an infant, and he was brought up by his two elder sisters. He became the disciple of a [[Jain monasticism|Jain monk]], Vijayadana Suri in 1540 at the age of 13, and a new name Hira Harsh was given to him. He was taken to [[Devagiri]] – a center of [[Sanskrit]] learning in those days, for further education. He successively won the title of ''Pandit'' in 1550, ''Upadhyaya'' in 1552 and ''Suri'' in 1553.<ref name=roy140/> This last title he won at Sirohi. Hence-forth he was known as Hiravijaya Suri. In 1556 when his guru died, the [[Svetambara]] [[Tapa Gaccha]] community of Gujarat selected him as their [[Acharya]] (head of congregation). At that time there was a large community of around 2,000 students studying under him.<ref name=mehta55>Mehta, Shirin (1992) p. 55</ref><br />
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==Influence on Akbar==<br />
In 1582, [[Emperor Akbar]] invited Hiravijaya to explain him the [[Jain philosophy|principles of Jainism]].<ref name=bakshi>Bakshi, S. R. (2005) p. 200</ref> He first discussed the various aspects of religion and philosophy with [[Abu'l-Fazl ibn Mubarak|Abul Fazal]] and the later with Akbar. The emperor was so impressed with Hiravijaya that he bestowed on him the title of ''Jagatguru'' which means World Teacher or the Preceptor of the World.<ref name=mehta55 /><ref>Sharma, S. R. (1999) p. 292</ref> Akbar was so much influenced by the religion of [[Ahimsa in Jainism|non-violence]] preached by the Jain monk that he became vegetarian most of the days, prohibited slaughter of animals and birds, released prisoners and gave up fishing and hunting which were his favourite pastime.<ref name=bakshi /><ref name=Jaini>Jaini, Padmanabh (1998) p. 284</ref><ref name=mehta5859>Mehta, Shirin (1992) pp. 58-59</ref> Hiravijaya is reported to have told Akbar: "''How could a man’s stomach be a tomb of animals?''" creating an aversion for meat eating in mind of Akbar.<ref name="mehta5859"/> Out of respect for [[Jainism]], Akbar declared [[Firman (decree)|firmans]] (royal decree) for ''Amari Ghosana'' banning the killing of animals during the Jain festivals of [[Paryusana]] and [[Mahavir Jayanti|Mahavir Janma Kalyanaka]] (birthdate of [[Mahavira]]). He rolled back the [[Jazia tax]] from Jain pilgrim places like [[Palitana]]. Furthermore, he issued firmans for ban on slaughter of animals for six months in [[Gujarat]], abolishing the confiscation of property of deceased persons and removal of the Sujija Tax (Jazia) and a Sulka (possibly a tax on pilgrims).<ref name=toi>{{cite news<br />
| url =http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2009-11-23/ahmedabad/28111782_1_mughal-emperor-akbar-jainism-architecture<br />
| archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20121025102301/http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2009-11-23/ahmedabad/28111782_1_mughal-emperor-akbar-jainism-architecture<br />
| url-status =dead<br />
| archive-date =2012-10-25<br />
| title =Ahmedabad turned Akbar veggie<br />
| date =2009-11-23<br />
| access-date =2009-11-23<br />
| first1=Ashish<br />
| work =[[The Times of India]]<br />
| last1=Vashi<br />
}}</ref><br />
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Indologist and biographer of Akbar, [[Vincent Arthur Smith|Vincent Smith]] notes: "Akbars action in abstaining almost wholly from meat and in issuing stringent prohibitions, resembling those of Asoka, restricting to the narrowest limit the destruction of animal life, certainly was taken in obedience to the doctrine of his Jaina teachers."<ref name="Jaini" /> Akbar developed such fondness for the Jain ideology that he repeatedly requested Hiravijaya to send his itinerary one after another.<ref name="mehta56">Mehta, Shirin (1992) p. 56</ref> At the request of the Emperor he left behind his brilliant disciple Shantichandra with the Emperor, who in turn left his disciples Bhanuchandra and Siddhichandra in the royal court. Akbar again invited Hiravijaya’s successor Vijayasena in his court who visited him between 1593 and 1595.<ref name="mehta56" /><br />
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==In literature==<br />
In ''[[Ain-i-Akbari]]'', Abul Fazal gives a list of 140 influential learned persons during Akbar's time. Out of this, he places 21 persons in the highest class as “persons who understands the mysteries of the both worlds”. He thus places Hiravijaya Suri in this list of twenty-one most learned persons in the [[Mughal Empire]].<ref name=roy140/> His ardent disciples Devavimal Gani composed ''Hira Saubhagya Kavya'' and another disciple Padmasagara composed ''Jagatguru Kavya'' in his honour. Both works of poetry written in [[Sanskrit]] were composed in 1590.<ref name=mehta55/><br />
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==References==<br />
{{reflist}}<br />
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==Bibliography==<br />
*{{citation | last =Bakshi | first =S. R. | title = Early Aryans to Swaraj | publisher = Sarup & Sons | year =2005 | isbn =81-7625-537-8}}<br />
*{{citation | last =Jaini | first =Padmanabh | title =The Jaina Path of Purification | publisher =Motilal Banarsidass | year =1998 | location =New Delhi | isbn =81-208-1578-5 }}<br />
*{{citation | last =Mehta | first =Shirin | title = Akbar as Reflected in the Contemporary Jain Literature in Gujarat | journal =[[Social Scientist]] | volume =20 | issue =9/10 | pages =54–60 | location =New Delhi | date =Sep–Oct 1992 | doi =10.2307/3517717 | jstor = 3517717 | issn =0970-0293}}<br />
*{{citation | last =Roy | first =Ashim Kumar | title =A history of the Jainas | publisher =Gitanjali Pub. House | year =1984 | location =New Delhi | oclc =11604851}}<br />
*{{citation | last =Sharma | first =S. R. | title =Mughal Empire In India : (A Systematic Study Including Source Material), Vol. 1, Revised Ed| publisher =Atlantic Publishers & Distributors| year =1999 | isbn =81-7156-817-3}}<br />
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{{Jain Gurus}}<br />
{{Jainism topics}}<br />
{{Authority control}}<br />
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[[Category:Indian Jain monks]]<br />
[[Category:16th-century Indian Jains]]<br />
[[Category:16th-century Jain monks]]<br />
[[Category:16th-century Indian monks]]<br />
[[Category:1527 births]]<br />
[[Category:1595 deaths]]<br />
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