MP: 23-Year-Old Badnawar Woman Shuns Worldly Life To Become Jain Sadhvi

Badnawar (Madhya Pradesh): A 23-year-old woman shunned the worldly life and severed her ties with her family, as she was inducted as a Jain 'Sadhvi' during a grand Jain Bhagwati Diksha ceremony on Tuesday.

Kumari Anjali Bokadia embraced the path of renunciation under the guidance of revered Jain Gurudev Jinendra Muniji and other sants. Amidst chants invoking Lord Mahavir Swami and the esteemed spiritual mentors, Anjali renounced worldly affairs and headed towards spiritual enlightenment.

Addressing the gathering, Muniji emphasised the essence of finding happiness through restraint in a world filled with sorrow. He highlighted the eternal cycle of birth, death, disease, and aging as intrinsic to worldly existence, urging individuals to seek solace in righteous deeds and spiritual discipline.

The initiation ceremony commenced with Maha Nishkramanya Yatra from her residence to the Mandi courtyard. Her grandfather Abhaykumar Bokadia and parents Kavish Kumar, and Sarita Bokadia extended blessings.

The event drew monks and community members from various regions, including Gujarat, Rajasthan, and Maharashtra.

Anjali's decision to embrace renunciation at the age of 23, following her graduation in Computer Science, reflects her spiritual quest. Her great-grandfather late Ratanlal Bokadia had taken Diksha in Chhayan village about 40 years ago.

She would be obligated to follow five major vows: absolute non-violence, absolute truthfulness, absolute non-stealing, absolute celibacy, and absolute non-attachment. She will no longer use footwear, observe strict rules, and lead an austere life.