Largest group of Jains to take diksha in Surat

MUMBAI: The Jain community will witness a "record-breaking'' 45 dikshas at Surat on December 1. Community leaders claim this is unprecedented in the past 522 years. At that time Jainacharya Hemvimalsuriji had initiated 500 men and women as Jain monks. Now 45 'mumuxu' aged 12-59 will renounce the world and take diksha. Around 1 lakh Jains will attend the historic ceremony.
The organisers said, "It is a spiritual miracle in this modern age that 45 educated, intelligent and well-to-do people are ready to abandon worldly pleasures.One of them is from LD Engineering College, Ahmedabad. He was planning to go abroad before he happened to listen to spiritual lectures and changed his mind. One young woman had married only 30 months ago, but preferred nunhood to domesticity. Her husband has given her permission to become a monk. Three married couples are also taking diksha as are two young daughters of a wealthy diamond merchant." One gentleman will embrace diksha along with his two young sons. Five pairs of siblings will also renounce the world together.
The eight-day ceremony will be held at Balar Farmhouse in Piplod upon a 10-acre ground. A makeshift Jain temple will be crafted for puja and functions. A big dome is being erected in an area of 1.50 lakh sq ft that can accommodate 50,000 spectators. The dining hall will serve pure Jain food to 5,000 devotees in a single round. All guests will be comfortably seated and served. There will be an exhibition of past Jain child sanyasis with live commentary by child artistes. After a series of rituals and programmes the 'mumuxus' will bid farewell and give brief speeches. On the seventh day, a grand procession of 45 entrants will be held in Surat city. Folk singer Osman Mir will sing religious songs. On the last day, all the 'mumuxus' will take diksha and enter the religious order. There are various orders of monks of which the Vijay Ramchandrasuriji order is the biggest. Acharyashri Vijay Ramchandrasuriji made a record by giving 26 dikshas in 1977. This record was broken by Acharyashri Vijay Gunratnasuriji when he gave diksha to 38 men and women at Palitana in Gujarat.
"Now with the blessings of Acharyashri Vijay Jinchandrasuriji, who is the last pattadhar of the late Acharya Vijay Shantichandrasuriji, 45 people will join the order. Most are inspired by the religious discourses of Acharyashri Vijay Yogtilaksuriji," said a spokesperson. The organisers of this mass diksha ceremony 'Samyam Suvas Parivar' visited New Delhi on October 25 to invite the president and prime minister. They were accompanied by 65 'mumuxus' who will take diksha shortly. Prime Minister Narendra Modi met them at his residence and reportedly said, "Now I am blessing you, but after taking diksha, please give me blessings that I may be able to serve the nation by spreading moral values in people of India." President Pranab Mukherji threw high tea for them in the banquet hall where only Jain food was served.