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then what roles do the laypeople have in the movement's activities? According to one
senior Anuvrati: "The lay community possess great organizational skills and the capacity
to secure funding for the effective functioning of the Anuvrat activities. But they were
not successful role models in inspiring others to accept the Anuvrat vows."82 Therefore,
the above statement implies that the source of inspiration lays within the ascetic
community as they continue to influence whoever comes in their contact.
From several of my Indian interviews and informal discussions, it seemed to me
that the movement lost focus and was diverging in different directions. Some of the
respondents were sympathetic while some others were bitter in their responses about the
present status of the movement. Eventually, Terapanth activities increased significantly
under the banner of the Anuvrat Movement. Some respondents chorused the following
statement: "Over time however, the focus shifted to Preksha Meditation and Science of
Living and interest in the Anuvrat Movement declined.
Such statements led me to
conclude that initially, though both these innovations were conceived within the Anuvrat
Movement with the intention to strengthen it, they ended up diverting focus away from
the original purpose of taking vows. Moreover, people also found meditation as a more
effective approach to remedying their everyday problems than accepting vows.
What has become clear from the monastic community is that they have responded
better in fulfilling the requirement of teaching meditation to the lay followers than in
explaining and promoting Tulsi's practice of taking vows. In my own experience, I
wondered why no monk or nun ever approached me to become an Anuvrati, like I had
*2 Amreesh Dubey, interview by Shivani Bothra, trans. Shivani Bothra, August 12, 2012.
83 Verma, interview.
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