19 Year Old Chittoor Girl Goes The Buddha Way To Embrace Austere Lifestyle & Moksha

Hyderabad: What does it take to give up all your comforts, luxury 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, 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 comforts. 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 desire for materialistic comfort and that the only way to Moksha (salvation), was to follow the path of spirituality.

When her parents asked her what she wanted for her birthday, Yogitha said without batting an eyelid, that she wanted them to sign the consent form for her monkhood.

When you see Yogitha, you just cannot fathom the depth to which she has understood and analysed life. While one might think that the young girl's step is rather drastic, she is quick to reassure that it was a very well thought out plan. Brushing aside any speculation that her decision was influenced or manipulated by anybody, Yogitha says, "I want to become desireless. Everything is impermanent in life. When a family member passes away, we shed a few tears and forget them after a few days. Hence nobody is permanent. I would like to renounce this materialistic world of attachment."

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 says, "We are happy that she has chosen her own path. It's good that she is building her own identity."

Yogitha's goal is to get liberated from the endless cycle of rebirth and achieve moksha.

Her mother Sapna Surana adds, "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 adds, “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 like any other person. However, her sisters say they were not altogether surprised to see her take this path.

One of the sisters, Bhavna says, "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."

What happens next?

Before she embarks on her ‘Diksha’, the family will organise a grand procession with horses. The diksha ceremony is held prior to the individual embracing a monastic lifestyle. The ritual offers one last opportunity for them to engage in worldly possessions before committing to a path of spiritual fulfillment, which encompasses a life of celibacy.

Then comes the 'Kesh Lok', a ritual in which the person turning nun will discard colorful clothes for a white attire and their hair is plucked with hands one by one. Yogitha will not use a fan, light, toothbrush, soap etc. she 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 nunhood, which includes asking for alms and ‘maun vrat’ for a year on her eventual journey to attain salvation.