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The Unknown Pilgrims
Mahāsati Sri Yaśakumvara 81
In a well-watered village of Madhya Pradeśa a girl called Jānaki was returning to her bonher's house, carrying a vessel of water on her head. Suddenly she stopped, in order to listen attentively to some words of a muni who, hard by, was giving a pravacana. The vessel of water was heavy, Janaki could not linger, but she decided to go the next day to listen to the muni. Till that moment, she had never had any contact with Jainas, this was her first encounter. She acquired a taste for pravacanas. After several days she asked the muni to give her dikṣā. He replied that it was possible, but only with the permission of her parents, and that if she was fully decided, she should not wait long before making her commitment. Straightway, Jänaki set to put her plan into action. Now, this was extremely difficult, for Jānaki came from a very well-to-do family of the Hindu sect known as vairāgi-sādhus, though in Tact a number of its members are not sādhus. She had had a pampered childhood and then the death of her father had ruined thc family's fortunes. She was married off at the age of five and lived in her family by marriage.
Many pages would be needed to describe the incredible struggle Jānaki was obliged to undertake, with her own mother as well as with her husband and parents-in-law, a struggle that was the more painful because she was alone, not being as yet a member of the Jaina samgha. The struggle ended in Jānaki's favour, for a śrāvaka, impressed by her courage and determination, invited her to come and receive dikșă in his village, assuring her of his protection. To avoid any violent intervention on the part of the family-in-law, the procession was flanked on either side by armed soldiers. All passed off peaccably and Janaki became Mahāsati Yaśakumvara, yasa mcaning glory, honour, splendour, praise and kumvara being an alternative to kumari. All this took place in 1937 and Mahāsati Yasakusvara, an admirable and much-loved guruņi is still among us.
After dikşā she continued her struggle on other fronts. Attacked by tuberculosis, she showed extraordinary moral strength. When the doctors had lost hope and the sădhvis were filled with consternation,
81 This sub-section draws from Āryā Premakumvara, 1973.
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