Buterai (Budhivijayji Maharaj)

Buteraiji was born in a Punjabi Jaat Sikh family of Dalua village near Balolpur in Punjab in Vikram Samvat 1863. His father's name was Gathapathi Patel who was `Mukhia' (Choudhary) of the village. Karmodevi was mother of Buteraiji. The child of this couple was named `Talsing' according to wish of a Hindu sadhu who had predicted that the child will become an ascetic in his twenties. Later people started to call Talsing as Dalsing. Eventually the family migrated to another village where the child became `Butasing' Butasing learnt Gurmukhi and studied Guru Granthsahib and other Sikh Granths. This created non-interest about worldly things into him. He told his mother that he was not interested in marriage and wanted to become an ascetic. His mother resisted but Butasing was firm. At last she said, `ok, but remember that you should choose the right path only'

With permission of his mother Butasing left his home in search of a true Guru. He traveled all the greater Punjab, Kashmir and Himalaya. He lived with fakirs, Nathpanthis, and even with Charasi, Bhangedi, Ganjedi Sadhus. He found how almost all the sadhus were keenly interested in wealth, money, power and women. He didn't find any true ascetic anywhere.

But one day he came into contact with a Jain monk Nagarmalji of Sthanakwasi sect. Nagramalji was a great Jain monk with lot of knowledge and famous for his right conduct. Butasing became his disciple and took the Munidiksha at Delhi in Vikram Samvat 1888. He became Buteraiji alias Muni Buddhivijayji after diksha. He learned Ardhmagadhi and Sanskrit languages and stared to study Jain Agams.

At that time Punjab was stronghold of Sthanakwasi sect. Buteraiji found that there were many wrong things were going on in this sect. He started to remove such things. He removed Muhpatti in spite of opposition from most of the Stahanakwasi sadhus and shravaks. But with his great knowledge about Jain agams he succeeded in establishing Shwetambar Murtipujak sect in Punajab.