BENGALURU: Chants by Jain sadhvis rent the air in a narrow lane in Nagarathpet.“The soul and the body are different“, they said in unison as they surrounded Bastimalalji Borana, 87, administering an oath to him. Clad in white, the octogenarian sat quietly , with no expression on his face. The last morsel of food he consumed was on November 11. On Friday , Borana took the vow of Santhara, a Jain practice of fasting unto death, at his residence.

“He has renounced all worldly pleasures, from food and water to speech. We respect his decision,“ said Vinod, one of his five sons. Borana refused to take food from November 12, the day after Diwali. On the previous day , he said he wanted to visit his shop. That came as a surprise to his family members as he had withdrawn himself from the business (pawn broking) 20 years ago. We asked him re peatedly if he was deterl mined about taking the oath.

He refused to budge and we realized how keen he was,“ added Vinod.“Santhara bahut kathin hai (the practice of Santhara is very difficult). It's about e abandoning all desires,“ said s an elderly man from the come munity who visited Borana e to seek his blessings. “San thara is soul purifying,“ said Bhanuarlal Nahta, another community member.

Heeralal Jain, vice-president of the Jain Terapanth Trust recalled that Borana used to medidate at Cubbon Park every day . “Santhara makes one's life complete and fruitful. No one is forced to undertake the vow,“ he said.

The minute the word spread about Borana's decision, members of the community started trickling in from other districts too. Borana's relative Shankarlal Jain came from Mysuru to see him. “Santhara is the most scared practice in our religion,“ he said.

Borana is an inspiration to many in the community . “In Jainism, Santhara cannot be termed suicide. It is a fast one takes up with full knowledge and intent,“ said Sajjanraj Mehta, former president of Jain Yuva Sangathan. “He (Borana) is not an ordinary man anymore. He is worth worshipping,“ said Mehta.

`Fast purifies the body'

The goal of Santhara is to purify the body, said the Jain community members present at Borana's residence on Friday. The community believes those who die through this fast are sent to heaven. It can be recalled that the Supreme Court recently stayed the Rajasthan High Court's ruling banning Santhara, stating that it's not suicide but a religious practice