- On the 14th day of the Chaitra month, 35 people in the age group of 11 to 56 will embark on their spiritual journey under the guidance of revered Acharya Dev Vijay Yogatilaksurishvarji Maharaj at the Riverfront
NE NEWS SERVICE
AHMEDABAD, APRIL 12
The first-ever mass Jain Diksha ceremony of the community’s 35 members, set to renounce worldly pleasures, will be held in Ahmedabad in a grand and befitting manner where gaiety and piety will compete with each other. The five-day programme will begin on Thursday, April 18 and conclude on Monday, April 22, inside the stately Adhyatma Nagari created on the Sabarmati Riverfront here.
As part of the celebration of 2,550 years of the nirvana of the 24th Tirthankara, 35 Mumukshus, with an aim to attain moksha, will renounce the sansar (worldly pleasures) and embark on the path of Lord Mahavira on April 22.
On the 14th day of the Chaitra month, 35 people in the age group of 11 to 56 will embark on their spiritual journey under the guidance of revered Acharya Dev Vijay Yogatilaksurishvarji Maharaj at the Riverfront. This sacred Jain ceremony, diksha (the first step of their initiation into monkhood), marks their departure on the path shown by Lord Mahavir.
The five-day festival will commence on Thursday, April 18 for the Mahabhinishkraman, done by the Mumukshus. Thousands of Jain devotees from across the globe are likely to attend the grand event.
The festivities will commence with a ceremonial welcome procession for the revered guru bhagwants and 400 shraman-shramani bhagwantsis on the morning of April 18. Subsequently, the grand aristocratic procession for the varsidaan (donation procession) will take place on Sunday, April 21, spanning an estimated length of 1 km.
Day 1-Thursday, April 18
The event will begin with a majestic welcoming procession for the guru bhagwants entering the city, followed by entry into the city of diksha and inauguration sermon will be held. In the evening, sandhya bhakti will be held. In the night, a unique event named vandoli will be held, on the roads of Ahmadabad.
Day 2-Friday, April 19
Book about raas, based on the Jain literature from the Middle Ages and also a Hindi translation of Reverend guru bhagwant’s sermons will be published. In the morning, chhaab-bharan and a magnificent snatra (a type of abhishekpooja) festival will be held. At night, the farewell festival for the people taking diksha will be held. In which, the mumukshu will talk about their emotions.
Day 3-Saturday, April 20
In the henna festival, the relatives of the people taking diksha, will colour the hands of mumukshus with henna, for the last time and give them a farewell. This festival will be held in the company of music. In the night, sandhya bhakti will also be held.
Day 4-Sunday, April 21
On the fourth day morning, a 7-km long procession with chariots will be held. After which, the articles required for the abstinent lives of mumukshus will be auctioned. At night, mumukshu Devesh from Surat, will help with doing bhakti of paramaatma in a special way. A splendid ‘Maha-pooja’ will also be held. At night, a competition of children’s drama will be held by students from various paathshala (religious school). Later, in the form of a conversation between Akbar-Birbal, a live drama will be played on the subject of “what is the greatest task in the world?”
Day 5-Monday, April 22
On the fifth day morning, at 5.31 hours, with the auspicious entry of guru bhagwants, the ritual of diksha will commence. At 7.02 hours, mumukshus will be given the ‘Rajoharan’, which is the symbol of a sadhu’s life. After that, at 9.30 hours, the ritual of ‘Loch’ (removing hair from the head by hand) will take place. The newly initiated sadhus will have their names from samsara permanently cancelled. Then, they will be given new names for their lives as a sadhu-sadhvi.
