HYDERABAD: In a world where people are obsessively shifting from one materialistic desire to another, a 19-year-old Jain woman has decided to give it all up. A daughter to Padamraj Surana, a jeweller, and Sapna Surana, Yogita Surana, who was expected to revel in the luxuries of her age, is instead becoming a ‘saadhvi’ (nun) and will live her life sans modern comforts — such as electricity and toiletries.
Initially, the teenager wanted to become a pilot, a chartered accountant next, an engineer after that and so many other things. “Before embracing diksha (the process of becoming a Jain nun), I transformed from a person driven by desires to one free from them, from attachment to detachment,” she tells TNIE.
At a time when youngsters are looking inwards in search of higher meaning, Yogita acknowledged the ceaseless nature of worldly desires and comforts and decided to embrace a life devoid of materialism.
When asked about the difficulties she faced while following different customs of Jainism, she says, “Initially, it was difficult for me to follow these practices. However, when I met a nun in the Chittoor district of Andhra Pradesh, learnt about the practices in depth and stayed with them through the entire day, I overcame my fears of living the life of a nun and started getting to know about the practices.”
Convincing parents
However, like any other Indian child in their teenage and early 20s, this 19-year-old had to first convince her parents to allow her to live a life of asceticism. When sent to Bengaluru to test her resilience in a life detached from her family, she proved her commitment by following Jain practices, spending a large amount of her time in the temple with a nun and immersing herself in the teachings of Jainism.
Overcoming initial doubts like whether she would be able to live without her family and undergo regular fasting, her parents eventually supported her choice, granting her the gift of Diksha on her birthday.
During the final day of the five-day programme from January 13 to 16, in Hyderabad, a ‘Diksha Mahotsav’ will be held featuring elephants, camels and horses, symbolising the final moment when Yogita, adorned in her finest attire, bids farewell to worldly indulgences.
Reflecting on the same, she shares, “The ceremony is an elaborate process in Jainism. After a year of spiritual grooming, the final function spans five days and we are expecting around 50,000 attendees.”
After the Diksha ceremony, Yogita will adopt a life of simplicity, sacrificing modern conveniences such as fans, lights, toothbrushes and soaps. Embracing the unique practices of Jain monks and nuns, she will refrain from using electricity, will only travel barefoot and eat twice a day before sunset, among many other things. Additionally, she would undergo the ‘Kaya Klesh’ ritual, which is the removal of every strand of hair without blades or knives.