Money Can't Buy Me Love, Indian Jain Ascetic Version

Indian Jain monk Varshil Shah © AFP


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.

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.

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.

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

Maybe you admire ... or not ... the kid's vision and determination at such an early age to enter such a rigorous discipline.  Perhaps you think he is wasting his apparent intelligence.  Maybe he's incomprehensible since why doesn't he want a big, black car just like everyone else.


There's no way the Rockhouse can reply to any of those and in part because we loathe the technique of posing questions only to answer them yourself.  In any case, I can't write of whatever is revealed to a Janist monk without actually being one.  We often see such ascetics in movies within any Asian locale but, judging by all the cars in China and India, the ascetic way isn't selling all that well.


The only reason for the comment is the kid views his choice as a path to happiness and that aspect isn't clear since the Rockhouse is deeply suspicious of parameters defining happiness when they're coming from false sources (e.g. Madison Avenue advertising, etc).  "You will be the happiest Mother on the block when you get the first new Frigidaire refrigerator this season."

From my own standpoint, I can state categorically poverty doesn't bring happiness.  My situation is different insofar as an ascetic lifestyle was forced rather than chosen but I doubt there's much substantive difference.  However, the lifestyle makes up for that absence in the fulfillment it does provide with visions of how things really are as opposed to how we are typically told they are by MSM or any number of questionable sources.

Writing of such revelation and fulfillment would take, minimally, creation of the new Great American Novel but there isn't time in the allotted span for such things, particularly when there are other things I want to do.  That Novel would take a year and possibly two to write.  I don't question the value in writing the book but I do question what else I might accomplish instead.


The perspective may seem narcissistic but, I submit, it's the same one in front of all and, in that context, I'm about one seven billionth of the perspective.  The kid makes another seven billionth so it's not quite a party yet but all in time.

Note:  there's a hat tip and deep respect to Peter Green since he knows exactly the decision the kid made.  He was one of original founders of Fleetwood Mac.


In general, I submit, practically everyone would benefit from an ascetic lifestyle and as evidence I offer just about any old person since one of the first things we do is start getting rid of stuff.  Cadillac Man makes the perfect case study since he's aware he didn't really own his house but rather had temporary stewardship of it and now his needs have changed so lose the house.