On 2nd September in the palace grounds of Bengaluru, a spellbound audience will witness a 17 year old Jain Monk reciting answers to 200 questions in the same order in which they were asked.
Muni Padma Prabhchandra Sagar, a 17 year old Jain Monk will take 200 questions from the people randomly but will answer them in the proper sequence they were asked, reported TOI. If a person asks question number 55 first then question number 105 next, he will answer in the same order they were asked.
By showing his impeccable memory, the young monk will become ‘Maha Shatavdhani’ in the Jain monk community, a person who is able to store 200 pieces of information on a variety of subjects ranging from shlokas and mathematical equations to synonyms, antonyms and foreign phrases.
Photo: The Times Of India
Prabhchandra Sagar, has already performed ‘shatavdhan’ which involves answering 100 questions in one go in 2014 in Mumbai. He is one of the three disciples of Acharya Nayachandrasagarji and has attained education till class 8. ‘Avdhan’ means covering an activity in one go and the demonstration typically involves answering questions, singing a raga, doing mathematical equations, recalling foreign phrases.
While loud music is played in the background to distract the, the first demonstration like this took place in 11th century AD in the court of King Bhoj. Isolation and meditation act as robust forces in sharpening the memory.
Photo: Isha Sadhguru.org
“Monks becoming shatavdhani is rare,” said Nayachandrasagarji. “Rigorous training builds a tranquil mind. Three disciples achieving this feat underscores the fact that great memory does not have to be a gift one is born with.” he told TOI.
In order to remember nuggets of knowledge, a person needs to have a strong neural network which can only be built over a period of time using meditation training.