acharyas/dharmasagar.jpg · 1000×1250Born Chiranjilal in 1914 at Gambhira village in Bundi district, Rajasthan, he was orphaned young and raised by his elder sister, who guided him towards temple worship. He left a job in a cloth mill because of its violence to living beings and refused marriage. He took kshullak diksha from Acharya Chandrasagar in 1944, and in 1951 at Phulera, Rajasthan, received muni diksha from Acharya Veersagar as Muni Dharmasagar, becoming a guru-brother of Shivsagar.
When Acharya Shivsagar died suddenly in February 1969, the sangh at Shri Mahavirji chose Dharmasagar as the next acharya — the third pattadhar of Shantisagar's line. Known for simplicity and firm adherence to scripture, he led his sangh to Delhi for the 2500th Nirvana Mahotsav of Mahavira in 1974 and gave diksha to many monks and aryikas. He even refused a commemorative volume in his honour. He attained samadhi at Sikar, Rajasthan, in 1987; his line continues through later pattadhars.
