‘Scoring Top Marks Doesn’t Give Happiness’: India’s Best Student Renounces the World to Become Monk

Newsline ^ | 9 Jun, 2017

[nickcarraway]

‘Scoring top marks doesn’t give happiness’: India’s best student renounces the world to become monk

A top Indian student who received the highest score in the exams has decided to take an unusual path. Instead of applying for prestigious college, he renounced the world’s pleasures and became a monk, saying that scoring top marks in exams “does not give happiness”.

Varshil Shah from the city of Ahmedabad in Gujarat state scored 99.9 percent in the May 27 Class 12 exam, topping the state, the Gujarat Secondary and Higher Secondary Education Board (GSHSEB) said.

He is Varshil Shah. He is from Ahmedabad and he scored 99.99%percent and topped. OK done. AB YE SANYASHI (BRAHAMACHARI) BANNA CHAHTA HAI 😂😱😵 pic.twitter.com/LURPi3bNMo

— Sanjesh Kumar (@Sanjesh786) June 7, 2017

However, the teen said that he was not interested in a prestigious college or high-ranking job and announced his decision to become a Jain monk. He began his spiritual quest in an elaborate ceremony Thursday.

READ MORE: Hundreds of Buddhist monks in violent standoff with Thai police (VIDEO)

The 17-year-old boy shaved his head and wore white robes for the initiation ceremony. He also sought permission from his parents to renounce the world. Now he will commit to the austere life of a monk and will live an ascetic life, meditating.

The teenager reportedly told his uncle that his exam result was “per expectations,” the Hindustan Times reported.

“But to attain and maintain peace, I think renouncing the world is the only way,” his uncle quoted Varshil as saying.

“Though I scored high marks, I don’t want to pursue the usual path where people run behind earthly possessions. My goal is to attain inner peace and eternal happiness. That will be possible only when I leave behind everything and become a Jain monk,” he said.

Varshil, a son of an income-tax officer, was raised in a house without television or a fridge, HT reported, and where electricity was used only when necessary.

Before the holy ceremony, the teenager told journalists that he has always aspired to attain “eternal happiness without hurting anybody,” according to NDTV.

“Scoring top rank in board exams does not give happiness. The material world does not give eternal happiness that millions seek,” said the teen who was renamed Suvirya Ratna Vijayji Maharaj after the ceremony.

Janism is an Indian religion which teaches “a path to spiritual purity and enlightenment through disciplined nonviolence to all living creatures,” according to Encyclopedia Britannica.

Jain monks and nuns must “fight against the passions and bodily senses to gain enlightenment, or omniscience and purity of soul.” The Jain believers follow a strict vegetarian diet and promote the ideals of non-violence.

[WMarshal]

Kudos to this young man. Not doing what everyone expects of you is not easy. He has worked hard and excelled and deserves the right to choose his own path. I am sure that he will be a a great monk in his chosen religion.

[beelzepug]

That will be a tough road to walk. I wish him the best.

[tumblindice]

READ MORE: Hundreds of Buddhist monks in violent standoff with Thai police (VIDEO)

Thai monks roll a little differently:

When you’re a monk,
You’re a monk all the way
From your first cigarette
To your last dyin’ day.

[Secret Agent Man]

Plus he’s going to skip over a lot of female relationship drama. Smart guy.

[Tax-chick]

Interesting. The Jain religion has always been a minority in India, but their principles have been very influential on the majority. I have read that, to the extent that the Hindu religion embraces nonviolence, it was under the influence of Jain belief.

I wish the young man peace and enlightenment.

[TChad]

Dance, monkey boy! Dance for us!

Why did you stop dancing?

[PGR88]

In certain countries, such as Thailand and India, it is common that boys will go through a period of training as a monk - even if they don’t expect to stay in that life.

Think of how different American society would be if a portion of our teenage boys and girls spent even a few weeks in a monastery or a convent.

[BBell]

In Myanmar the Buddhist monks are at the head of the movement to purge muzzie infiltrators from other countries. Monks are not stupid.

[Falconspeed]

Jain monk. He’s a good test taker and a bad discerner of the weaknesses of Hinduism. More than one God? Yeah, right. As if God is physical. Impossible. Jains were updated by Buddha in the 4th B.C. So joining a Buddhist monastery would be a step up from the Jains.

[tumblindice]

Thailand?

[BBell]

Myanmar,aka Burma.

[Albion Wilde]

When you’re a monk,
You’re a monk all the way
From your first om mani padme hum
To your last dyin’ day...

[Cronos]

Jainism is not Hinduism. Jainism doesn't believe in a creator god -- essentially the beliefs are:

• The universe was not created, nor destroyed
• there is no creator god or gods
• there are "gods" but they are just higher up on the "reincarnation ladder" and are also subject to karma and death
• the aim is to become an sidda i.e. a being that renounces all connections to the universe and ascends (the StarGate universe ripped this off) -- the thing is that once you ascend, you leave every connection and even will be connected to this universe. i.e. there is no point praying to an advaita as they don't hear you or care that they don't hear you
• their supernatural map looks like

So they have more than one "god" (small g) but they are not worthy of worship in Jainism.

And Buddhism just took off the most strict versions of Jainism (like the strict veganism to the extent of not eating anything that grows underground for fear of harming microorganisms when you uproot, or that you should starve yourself to death to atone for the eating of living plants)

[sagar]

Hindus before Jainism ate beef, drank liquor, had orgies, fought and were just a materialist lot. Jainism basically restricted whatever fun they had. Sort of like non-violent Islam. No fun for you.