Acharya Vidyasagar

Union Minister Uma Bharati paid a visit to Acharya Ji at the completion of 50 years of initiation at the Samyama Swarna Mahotsav festival. During the Guru Purnima Celebration in 2018, Digvijay Singh received the blessings of Acharya Vidyasagar Ji in Chhatarpur, Madhya Pradesh. In 2018, American ambassador Kenneth Juster paid a visit to Acharya Vidyasagar Ji and assured him he would follow a full vegetarian diet for one day a week. French Diplomat Alexandre Ziegler visited Khajuraho with his family in 2018 and felt "peaceful and blessed" after meeting Acharya Vidyasagar Ji. He vowed to become a vegetarian.

The fiftieth anniversary of his diksha was celebrated in many cities in India with parades and festivities in July 2018. On this occasion, commemorative columns (Swarna Kirti Stambha) were erected in Ajmer, Rewa, Sravanbelgola and other locations.

A documentary titled Vidyoday was released on 25 November 2018 by Landmark Films. A trailer was also released. The film is directed by Vidhi Kasliwal. Vidyoday had its first international screening at the Harrow Safari Cinema in London.

Acharya Vidyasagar's Chaturmas (four-month stay) in 2016 was in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, where he was accompanied by 38 munis. He gave his Pravachana (reading) in the Madhya Pradesh Legislative Assembly by special invitation from Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on 28 July 2016. In 2016, during a trip to Bhopal, Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited him. He was also visited by former Union minister Jyotiraditya Scindia from the opposing Congress Party, now in BJP.

Some of his disciples are well-known scholars in their own right. As of 2001, about 21% of all the Digambar monks were under Acharya Vidyasagara. Muni Sudhasagar and Muni Pramansagar are also his disciples. One of his best known disciples, Muni Kshamasagar ji, obtained samadhi in 2015.

In 1999, then Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee paid a visit to Acharya Ji during his visit to Gomatgiri Indore.

Acharya Pushadantasagar, the guru of Tarun Sagar was initiated as a kshullak (junior monk) by Acharya Vidyasagar, although he took muni diksha from Acharya Vimal Sagar. Upadhyaya Guptisagar took muni diksha in 1982 from Acharya Vidyasagar although he later joined the sangha (community) of Acharya Vidyanand.

He was elevated to the Acharya status in 1972. An Acharya does not eat salt, sugar, fruits, milk, oil, ghee, in addition to what is traditionally prohibited (like onions). He goes out for a meal at about 9:30 a.m.–10:00 a.m. from Śrāvakas (lay votaries). He takes food once a day in the palm of his hand, one morsel at a time.

He was initiated as a Digambara monk in 1968 at the age of 22 by Acharya Gyansagar, who belonged to the lineage of Acharya Shantisagar, at Ajmer. His father Mallappa, his mother Shrimati, and two sisters took diksha and joined the sangha (community of the pious) of Acharya Dharmasagar. Except for his eldest brother, his remaining brothers, Anantanath and Shantinath, followed him and were initiated by Acharya Vidyasagar as Muni Yogasagar and Muni Samaysagar respectively. His elder brother married and continued the blood line.

As a traditional Digambara Jain monk, Acharya Vidyasagar never stays in a single location for more than a few days, except for the four months of the rainy season (Chaturmas). He never declares where he will be next, although people try to guess his next destination. Since his initiation in 1968 he has had: seven Chaturmas in Rajasthan (1968–74), one in Uttar Pradesh (1974), seven in Madhya Pradesh (1976–1982), one in Jharkhand (1983), nine in Madhya Pradesh again (1984–1992), two in Maharashtra (1993–94), one in Madhya Pradesh (1995), one in Gujarat (1996), 11 again in Madhya Pradesh (1997–2007), one again in Maharashtra (2008), eight again in Madhya Pradesh (2009–2016).

Acharya Shri Vidyasagarji Maharaj (born 10 October 1946) is a Digambara Jain Acharya (Digambar Jain Monk) in present time. He is recognized both for his scholarship and tapasya (austerity). He is known for his long hours in meditation. While he was born in Karnataka and took diksha (undertook spiritual discipline) in Rajasthan, he generally spends much of his time in the Bundelkhand region where he is credited with having brought about a revival in educational and religious activities. He has written haiku poems and the epic Hindi poem "Mukamati".

Vidyasagar was born on 10 October 1946 during the full moon festival (Sharad Purnima) in Sadalga, in the Belgaum district, of Karnataka in a Kannada speaking Jain family. The modest house where he was born, is now a temple and a museum.