From Engineer To Ascetic: Jain Monk Muni Shrutasagara Attains Samadhi At 80 Through Sallekhana
Digambara Jain monk Muni Shrutasagara passed away at 80 after observing Yama Sallekhana, a sacred Jain vow of voluntary death through fasting. A former engineer and entrepreneur, he embraced monastic life in 2019 and was known for discipline and devotion. His passing in Sangli, Maharashtra, was mourned by followers and family as a spiritual act of liberation.
From Engineer To Ascetic: Jain Monk Muni Shrutasagara Attains Samadhi At 80 Through Sallekhana | file pic
Mumbai: Digambara Jain monk Muni Shrutasagara completed the sacred Jain vow of Yama Sallekhana on June 13 at 5:25 pm, bringing to a close a long life marked by the pursuit of education, entrepreneurship, spiritual discipline, renunciation, and service to the Jain faith.
Shrutasagara passed away under the guidance of Acharya Suyashasagara and in the presence of fellow monks. Eyewitnesses said that he passed away peacefully in a composed and meditative state of mind. Family members from Bina, Guna, Thane, Mumbai, and other places had gathered to be with him during his final days at Kasabe Digraj in the Miraj taluka of Sangli district, Maharashtra.
Born as Subhashchandra Jain on September 5, 1945, in Mungaoli in Madhya Pradesh’s Guna district, he belonged to a Terapanthi Digambara Jain family of the Parvar Jain community. An outstanding student, he secured the third rank in the Madhya Pradesh Higher Secondary examinations before earning a Bachelor of Engineering degree in the mechanical stream from SATI, Vidisha.
In 1968, he founded Anil Industries in Bina, which became one of Madhya Pradesh’s leading manufacturers of agricultural equipment. A year later, he married Chandralekha Taraiya of Lalitpur, and the couple had two children.
Following the death of his wife in 2012, he increasingly devoted himself to spiritual pursuits. Embracing the Saptama Pratima under the guidance of Muni Kshamasagara, he rigorously observed the vows of an advanced Jain householder, gradually preparing himself for monastic life, said Mumbai-based publisher Manish Modi.
On May 30, 2019, he received Muni Diksha from Acharya Vardhamanasagara at Kavathesar in Kolhapur district, formally entering the Digambara monastic order. Over subsequent years, he undertook several chaturmas observances and helped spread Jain teachings across Maharashtra, Karnataka, and other regions.
Recognising his declining health, he accepted the vow of Yama Sallekhana on June 4, 2026, with the blessings of his spiritual mentors.
Members of the Jain community have remembered Muni Shrutasagara as a deeply reflective monk whose life embodied detachment, discipline, and an unwavering commitment to dharma. His passing has been widely mourned by devotees, disciples, and family members.
The practice of Sallekhana (also known as Santhara) has previously drawn legal scrutiny, notably with the Rajasthan High Court's 2015 ruling that treated it as a form of suicide punishable under Sections 309 and 306 of the Indian Penal Code. However, the Supreme Court later stayed the ruling, and the matter remains pending.
Jains strongly reject the characterisation of Santhara as suicide, maintaining that the practice is a sacred act of ultimate spiritual purification.
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