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AHIMSA TIMES - MAY 2009 ISSUE - www.jainsamaj.org
Page 1 of 13
Vol. No. 107 May, 2009
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"Neither a Sharp sword nor an infuriated Serpent is so much Killing,
as Anger that resides in our own Minds"
SAINTS RIGHTS TO LAST RITES OF HEMRATNA SURI MAHARAJSAHEB SOLD FOR 1.11 CRORES MUMBAI: Hemratna Suri Maharajsaheb had barely shut his eyes and crossed his legs in a meditative padmasana when pain flashed through his chest. In a quiet hamlet of Nadiad in Gujarat, Hemratna Suri Maharajsaheb spiritual mentor to lakhs of Jains breathed last. The next morning, more than 15,000 Jains thronged the tiny temple town of Shahapur in Maharashtra. Many of them were there for the community ritual: to bid for the right to perform the last rites of the 58-year-old Jain monk.
The bidding was spirited, and the amount spiralled steadily. Eventually, an Ahmedabad-based land developer, Kalpesh Shah, lit the pyre after paying the perfectly symmetrical sum of Rs 1,11,11,111 (Rs 1.11 crore). The monk's relatives, though present, were treated no differently from the thousands who attended the funeral because when Hemratna Suri Maharajsaheb took his lifetime vow of diksha decades ago, he had renounced the world and all its comforts, familial and material. Various aspects of the funeral rites are bid for separately. The entire collection will be used to build a temple at Shahapur, but often the ghee-bolo money goes to secular causes such as eye-donation, animal shelters and education.
Bids are not invited at every monk's passing away. Many funerals are simply performed by local Jain associations. Hirabhai Parekh, who heads the Kalapurna Suri Smarak Sangh, said that big-ticket bidding is usually associated with those who have a huge following. "There may be one or two cases a year where it could run into crores. For monks who are not senior or acharyas, smaller sums are asked for.
The practice of bidding or ghee-bolo started 450 years ago to catalyse community charity. "At that time, devotees didn't contribute even a penny to the temple box. So something had to be done to raise funds to build more Jain temples and spread the religion," explained Vimal Sagar Maharajsaheb, a Jain monk. "That was when the idea of ghee-bolo emerged. Initially, it took place only as and when resources were needed, but over the years it has become a regular ritual." About 350 monks die each year. A close to thousand Jains take diksha every year, in a woman-to-man ratio of 3:1. Of the 13,947 monks 10,654 are sadhvis.
STHANAKWASI SAINT SHRI VICHAKSHAN MUNI IN DELHI FOR HEALTH CARE - Revered saint belonging to Shwetambar Sthanakwasi Shraman sangh, Shri Vichakshan Muni, while moving on his Vihar along with other saints in the group through Nasik region, fell ill and was advised complete rest and undergo treatment for his cerebral complaint. Accordingly, on the advise of the doctors, he was brought to Delhi few days ago and has gone through a thorough check-up there. He, alongwith other saints has been staying at a Shwetambar Jain temple "Mahavideh Kshetra" near Shri Navkar Teerth, in North Delhi. On such an occasion, it is most unfortunate that a News Papers based in Bhilwara Distt. of Rajasthan is spreading incorrect information about the saint. This local paper has given a news item, in which he has given totally incorrect news about the saint, having suddenly disappeared from his place of stay at Nasik, leaving no trace behind about his whereabouts. Such a news about a renowned and accomplished saint is highly
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8/11/2009
