Jain Monk to Recall 500 On-the-Spot Questions by Mumbai Audience

Hoping to set a world record, a Jain monk -- Munishri Ajitchandra Sagarji -- will recall 500 questions posed by his audience along with their answers in random order on Sunday in Mumbai's Worli area.

About 5,000-strong audience is expected to gather at the National Sports Club of India's (NSCI) stadium on Sunday to witness the Sagarji's "Mahashatavdhan" challenge. Sagarji wishes to make the world record by successfully attempting the challenge, which was also won by his protégé in September after he successfully recalled 100 questions.

The success story of the challenge dates back five centuries ago to the period of Raja Bhoj in whose court another monk, Muni Sunder Suriswarji Maharaj Saheb, had acquired the title of "Sahastravdhani" by recalling 1,000 questions in the former's court, according to The Times of India report.

The organiser, Saraswati Sadhana Research Foundation, has invited thousands of people for the free-entry event where the skills Sagarji, who belongs to Gujarat's Unjha village, will be put to test.

"Spectators will be given pens and papers so they can write down the questions in sequence and judge Maharaj Sahab's skill for themselves. These can include complicated questions about mathematics and history, not just matters of faith," foundation spokesman said.

Sagarji's spokesperson said how after years of meditation, one acquires these skills.

"As soon as a question is posed to me, it permeates from the conscious to the subconscious mind, and then enters the soul. When it is time to recount the answer, I draw it out by reversing the process," he said.