Gujarat businessman, wife donate Rs 200 cr wealth to become Jain monks

Bhavesh Bhandari and his wife have taken a vow of renunciation (diksha) to commit to "Saiyam Jeevan" or the way of Jain ascetics

A Gujarat-based businessman and his wife have donated their lifetime earnings of Rs 200 crore to embrace Jain monkhood.

Bhavesh Bhandari and his wife, who live in Himmatnagar, donated their wealth in February and will commit to a life of renunciation later this month, according to a report at India Today website. The couple’s 16-year-old son and 19-year-old daughter adopted monkhood in 2022.

The Bhandari couple has taken a vow of renunciation (diksha) to commit to “Saiyam Jeevan” or the way of Jain ascetics. The word "Saiyam" translates to "restraint," whereas "jeevan" signifies "life" – thus, Saiyam Jeevan embodies a lifestyle centred around self-discipline and spirituality rather than materialistic endeavors.

 

Accompanied by 35 individuals in February, the couple participated in a four-kilometre procession as a symbolic gesture of renouncing their wealth and embracing a life of monkhood. Adorned in rich attire and jewelry, they stood atop a truck adorned to resemble a chariot, tossing garments and banknotes to the people standing below, India Today reported.

VIDEO | Gujarat-based businessman Bhavesh Bhandari and his wife donated their lifetime earnings of over Rs 200 crore to adopt monkhood. The couple led a procession in Sabarkantha, Gujarat, yesterday as they donated all their belongings.

(Full video available on PTI Videos -… pic.twitter.com/eWu9IQEZo3

— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) April 16, 2024

Bhavesh Bhandari and his wife will officially commit to a life of asceticism on April 22. To do so, they will sever their familial ties and give up materialistic possessions. The lifestyle entails walking barefoot across the country and surviving on alms. The India Today report said the couple will be allowed to own two white garments, an alms bowl, and a "rajoharan," a white broom used by Jain monks to clear insects from an area before sitting — a symbol of the non-violent path they adhere to.

In a similar incident in January, the 8-year-old daughter of a Gujarati diamond merchant had renounced material comforts to embrace monkhood. Devanshi Sanghv had taken part in a grand procession with camels, elephants, horses and great fanfare before embracing a life of monkhood, according to a report at Moneycontrol.com.

Last year, a multi-millionaire diamond merchant and his wife in Gujarat embraced monkhood, five years after their 12-year-old son adopted monkhood.

In 2017, a couple from Madhya Pradesh donated Rs 100 crore and left their three-year-old daughter to become monks. Sumit Rathore (35) and his wife, Anamika (34) left their daughter with her grandparents to embrace monkhood, Moneycontrol reported.