Andhra Pradesh - Vijayawada   

Toeing the ‘sadhvi’ line for ‘true life’

Jain Sadhvis at Aradhana Bhavan in Vijayawada.

VIJAYAWADA: The New Age apologists may tirelessly denounce spiritual renunciation as ‘world-denying’ and ‘self-negating’, but those taking the plunge seem to realise the necessity for a spiritual renewal that stands in direct contradiction to the egocentric values of the materialist world.

Basking in the bliss of their spiritual sojourn is a group of Jain Sadhvis from the Shwetambar sect, which descended on the Aradhana Bhavan of the Shwetambar Murti Pujak Sangh in One Town. After completing ‘chaturmaas’ at Chennai, a four-month rest period, they resumed their ‘padayatra’ to Raipur in Chattisgarh to meet their Guruji, Mani Prabha Sri.

“We are glad to have woken up to the ‘real world’ and the ‘true life’. Only the longing for God and renunciation of the rest can save us,” says 50-year-old sadhvi Hem Pragna Sree. She felt the urge to opt for ‘deeksha’ and renounce worldly possessions when she was barely 16. It took her five years to secure parents’ nod for her tough decision.

“After M.A and M. Phil, I opted for Ph.D. in Sanskrit. But the urge to disengage from all social relations only grew stronger,” she recalls.

“Everything in this world is transitory. So also is worldly happiness. If abiding happiness is to be found, that which is eternal will have to be realised,” explains Atmanidhi Sree. Impressed by the minimalism of a sadhvi’s life, she has put aside her M.A and B. Ed degrees, abandoned her parents in South Delhi and embraced the life of renunciation.

“Practising renunciation helps dissolve worldly barriers and allows love and compassion to flow unhindered into our lives,” she elucidates.

A degree in M.A (sociology) has meant nothing for the 24-year Neha Surana, a resident of Balaghat in Madhya Pradesh, who is eager to toe the sadhvi line. “She has been accompanying us for the last five years in ‘padayatras’ to get a first hand account of the harsh circumstances we live in. This is mandatory to ensure that the person does not waver at a later stage,” says a 42-year-old Atul Prabha Sri, who fought silently for her parents’ nod for eight long years. “They ultimately realised that there was no point in preventing me bodily when my soul had already taken the plunge,” she says happily.

Leading a life of stark simplicity, the sadhvis abstain from using any means of transport, sleep on the floor, seek alms for food, do not use unboiled water and pluck their hair every six months without using scissors.

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