Inspired by their children, three Jain couples will embrace monkhood in Gujarat on Monday. They will take the diksha at the Sabarmati Riverfront under the guidance of Acharya Yogtilaksuri. The event will be one of the biggest diksha ceremonies to be held in recent times.
Bhavesh and Jinal Bhandari from Ahmedabad, Jaswant and Dipika Shah from Surat and Sanjay and Beena Sadadiya from Mumbai are among the 35 people who will renounce the material world and follow their children on the path of dharma. The Bhandaris are clearly inspired by their daughter Vishwa, 19, and son Bhavya, 16, who took their diksha two years ago. They say the happiness their children have been experiencing since their diksha ceremony is what prompted them to take the plunge. Leading a monastic life will mean they will have nothing to do with their property and business, worth over Rs 100 crore.
A native of Sabarkantha, Bhavesh recently made headlines when he donated food, clothes and cash during the grand procession that is held as part of the initiation ceremony. Dressed in finery, he and his wife rode an elephant covering the length of Himmatnagar city.
“I started with the auto finance business and later ventured into real estate and automobile dealerships. I have about 20 bighas of land in Ahmedabad. It was my children who first donned the white garments as they renounced all material wealth. They sowed the seed of an austere life in my mind and when I discussed it with my wife, she said she too wanted to give up the life of comfort and luxury,” recounts Bhavesh.
“We have enjoyed everything that money could buy us. We have travelled to many Indian and foreign destinations including Singapore, Australia and Dubai. With my children choosing their paths, all that was left for me to do was accumulate more wealth and nothing else,” Bhandari adds.
Jaswant and Dipika Shah, residents of Bhayandar in Mumbai, will leave behind their property for their daughter.
Their twin sons Arth and Ansh had taken diksha seven and two years ago respectively. Jaswant’s brother Girish had taken diksha 17 years ago. “We want to follow in our sons’ footsteps on the path of asceticism,” says Jaswant.
The Sadadiyas are the last to be taking the diksha in their family. “Our entire family is now on the path of salvation. It will be a new experience, but I believe we will know what true happiness is,” said Sanjay, a textile businessman.
According to the Jain acharyas, renunciation is not just about shaving one’s head and wearing white clothes. A person wanting to become a monk follows the same routine every day, eats the same kind of food, walks barefoot and sleeps on the ground.
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