Family pours Rs 21 crore on water used to break Jain muni's fast

A family bid Rs 21.33 crore to offer moong dal (green gram) water to Jain sadhu Panyas Hansratna Vijayji Maharaj as he broke his 180-day fast on Friday.

Parna, as breaking of fast among Jains is called, was held on Friday at the Wilson Gymkhana ground, Marine Drive. The family that bid the amount was identified as Matushri Garjaben Girdharilal Jivanlal Shah Parivar from Marine Drive. The organisers said the family members will not talk to the media.

As many as 10,000 Jains -- from all sects – and 50 sadhus and sadhvis thronged the ground on the 181st day as Vijayji ended his fast.

Jains believe fasting can purify the soul and help attain internal peace. Vijayji is only the 12th person in Jain history to have fasted so long.

Though the 'parna' rituals started around 6:30 am, the almost one-hour long bidding process delayed it.

The bid amount that started with a few lakh rupees soon scaled up to the seven-digit figure, broke the eight-digit barrier and finally settled at the nine-digit amount.

Jaws dropped as the bid amount scaled – especially when it reached the Rs 10-crore mark and crossed multiples of five.

The money will be strictly used for the welfare of sadhus. "Since Jain sadhus don't have anything of their own, this money will go into an account meant for their welfare," said Sudhir Patani, trustee of Matunga Jain Sangh.

Many other Jain Sanghs also participated under the banner of Shri Samast Mumbai Shwetambar Murti Pujak Jain Sangh.

dna, in its February 22 issue, had reported how the community was gearing up to celebrate the achievement of the sadhu. The 47-year-old Vijayji, a thin figure, survived only on boiled water, which was consumed between 9 am and 6 pm.

Lord Mahavir started this soul-testing fast and did it twice in his lifetime. The last such fast was observed three years ago by Ahmedabad-based Kinjal Shah. She, too, was felicitated in Mumbai in a big way.

Vijayji's fast is considered different as he has been continuously travelling in the city even while he was fasting. Since he started the fast in a Jain temple in Marine Drive, he has moved to different Jain temples each day, travelling up to Borivili and coming back to Marine Drive. During the last five days, he stayed at Marine Drive.

"Fasting among Jains is not just about not eating. It is about not feeling hungry at all. It is reaching that state," said Padmamodi Maharaj, Vijayji's guru-bhai (a brotherhood based on having a common teacher).

"The idea behind the fast was to purify the soul and attain internal peace. It was to ensure that good things prevail in life," said Vijayji.