19-year-old Chittoor Woman Goes the Buddha Way to Embrace Austere Lifestyle & Moksha

Hyderabad: What does it take to give up all your comforts and luxuries, and renounce the world? Well, a lot of courage, to begin with. Meet Yogitha Surana, all of 19, and the daughter of a wealthy jeweller in Chittoor of Andhra Pradesh.

While girls her age would go all out to find ways to enjoy life, Yogitha, born with a silver spoon, decided to follow the path of Dharma to attain Moksha (salvation). Yogitha has taken a vow of renunciation to lead a simple life.

As a child, Yogitha was fascinated by mobile phones, electric vehicles and cars. However, as years passed, she lost interest in them all. She wondered why she had to cause pain to a lot of living beings for her comfort. That's when she decided to give it all up.

Yogitha had a happy childhood with her two sisters, Prachi and Bhavna. However, she soon realised there was no end to her desire for materialistic comfort and that the only way to Moksha (salvation) was to follow the path of spirituality.

 

When asked if she was not shirking off her duty towards her parents, she said, “I first have a sense of responsibility towards the supreme father.”

The most surprising thing is the support she received from her family. Supporting her decision to turn a monk, Yogitha's father Padamraj Surana said, “We are happy that she has chosen her own path. It's good that she is building her own identity.”

Her mother Sapna Surana said, “Initially, it was heartbreaking. However, when I observed her determination and sense of detachment from us, it was clear what she wanted.”

Hailing her decision to seek something “higher” than the materialistic life, Sapna Surana said, “We are proud of her as our entire community has hailed her decision and telling us how lucky we are to be her parents. She’s our real heera.”

Yogitha has two siblings with whom she shared a normal childhood. Her sisters said they were not altogether surprised to see her take this path.

One of the sisters, Bhavna, said, “We saw this coming. She would bunk classes to attend spiritual discourses. She was always mindful of her life choices. So, we knew she was set to rise above corporeal existence.”

Before she embarks on her deeksha, the family will organise a grand procession with horses, as part of a ceremony that is held before the individual embraces a monastic lifestyle. The ritual offers one last opportunity for them to engage in worldly possessions before committing to a path of spiritual fulfilment, which encompasses a life of celibacy.

Then comes the ‘Kesh Lok’, a ritual in which the aspiring monk will discard colourful clothes for a white attire and their hair is plucked, by hand, one by one. Yogitha will not use a fan, light, toothbrush, soap and other such material possessions, will walk barefoot, pray for hours, and won't drink or eat anything after sunset.

Yogitha will now live a life of austerity with all the vows of monkhood, which includes asking for alms and maun vrat (vow of silence) for a year on her eventual journey to attain salvation.