Vardhaman Book on Jainism

Author(s): Jayshree Menon
Publisher: Bennete Coleman & Co Ltd

Page 43

hand. ("We are not allowed to eat leftovers".) At 8.30 they get down to their specific tasks for the day, be it in front of a computer, attending degree course classes or interpreting the scriptures.
After sunset they are not allowed to eat or drink even a sip of water till sunrise. By now they have retired to their quarters where five share a little room with a low-slung desk, a bookshelf and a cupboard in which they hang their one spare gown (even the cloth used to stitch the gown is given to them as charity). After group meditation and yoga they finally go to sleep at around 10 o'clock with only a thin sheet separating them from an unyielding hard floor.
The order is not for recluses or runaways. Girls are accepted into the fold only with the consent of both parents. There are no restrictions: a girl may be of any age or of any religious background; so long as she believes that her karma is to be a Jain sadhvi, she is welcome.
Initially girls are initiated as mumuksus or trainee sadhvis and must reside at Parmatic Sikshan Sanskar, the training center for novice nuns. After a period of around five years, during which time they earn a B.A. degree and fluency in English and/or Hindi, the Acharya decides whether they become full-fledged sadhvis or Samanis. And yes, a Samani may at some later stage become a fullfledged sadhvi.
Currently there are around 550 full-fledged sadhvis and 95 Samanis, in addition to around 105 munis in the order.
A young Nepali mumuksu fielded my questions with unblinking honesty. "Of course, my parents were disappointed at first when I refused to get married. But I finally convinced them that rather than devote myself to looking after one man, my life would be so much more meaningful if I dedi
cated it to serving all creation."
Parents do come to visit their girls who are happy to see them; just as they would be happy to welcome anyone else who comes to Ladnun for spiritual rejuvenation. I look closely to see if there was a hint of emotion on the face of one mumuksu whose parents had recently spent a month at the guesthouse attached to the Jain Vishva Bharati Institute. I saw none.
The girl joined the other Samanis who sat in a row to demonstrate their meditation techniques. One of the senior sadhvis led the session with a
divine invocation. Her colleagues picked up the last syllable before it died and sustained it as a hum. In the reverberation of their voices, the materialistic baggage that I was burdened with shook loose and fell away. I found myself floating on the wings of detachment. And for one brief moment I had a flash of insight into the Saman way of life: Happiness is a divine bowl!
43 VARDHAMAN
cation International