Jagdish Shah and wife Shilpa of Surat will embrace diksha, while their lone son pledged in 2021. Accompanied by 35 others, the Gujarati Jain couple embarked on a four-kilometer procession during which they generously donated all of their belongings. View the video below.
A prosperous Gujarati Jain couple, Bhavesh Bhandari and his spouse, relinquished nearly ₹200 crore and embraced monkhood. Hailing from Himmatnagar, the couple divested their entire fortune in a ceremonial gesture in February, pledging to lead a life of renunciation at a forthcoming event this month. Their 9-year-old daughter and 16-year-old son embraced monkhood in 2022, serving as inspiration for the couple, who previously owned a construction business, to shed their material ties and embark on the ascetic journey.
The Gujarati Jain Couple Who Took The Oath of Monkhood
On April 22, as they undertake the monkhood pledge, the couple will formally sever all familial connections and commit to relinquishing all “materialistic objects.” Following Jain customs, they will be permitted solely two white garments, a bowl for alms, and a “rajoharan” – a white broom used to clear insects from their sitting area.
The Gujarati Jain couple, accompanied by 35 others, led a four-kilometer procession where they gave away all their possessions. Videos captured them on a chariot, donating items such as mobile phones and air conditioners.
Sanjaybhai Sadariya, a Surat-based textile trader, and his wife Binaben will also take the monkhood pledge from Acharya Yogtilaksuriji Maharaj.
“We run a family business focusing on finance and real estate development under the name Simandhar Finance. After earning a BBA, I joined the family business. I am the proprietor, with my father Girish Bhandari and elder brother Riddhish Bhandari also involved.”
Following the monkhood pledge, the entire family will relocate to a different Upashray, a Jain priest’s religious dwelling.
On April 22, the Jain couple, along with 33 others from their community, will participate in a grand diksha ceremony at the Sabarmati Riverfront in Ahmedabad. Among the 35 individuals renouncing worldly pleasures to pursue liberation, 10 are under 18 years old.
Starting on April 18, the five-day diksha event anticipates thousands from India and abroad at Sabarmati Riverfront. The main pavilion accommodates 30,000, with 2,000 lamps illuminating at night.
Following in the footsteps of their sons who took the pledge a year ago, Jashvant Shah, a textile trader from Surat, and his wife Dipika will also embrace diksha.
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