Muzaffarnagar: A Muslim couple said they underwent a 'spiritual transformation' as they embraced Hinduism through elaborate Vedic rituals at the Yoga Sadhana Swami Yashveer Ji Maharaj Ashram, located in the Baghra block of Muzaffarnagar district of Uttar Pradesh on Sunday.
Both Shahnawaz and his wife, formerly known as Arshi, belong to Kairana in Shamli district. Incidentally, Arshi, who was a Hindu by birth and known as Poonam, married Shahnawaz following Islamic customs three years ago. A change of heart followed, and the couple embraced Hinduism, following a ceremony led by Swami Yashveer Ji Maharaj, who is renowned for guiding individuals towards the path of Hinduism.
In this spiritual journey, Shahnawaz changed his name to Rahul, and Arshi embraced her previous identity as Poonam. On the couple's reversion, Swami Yashveer Ji Maharaj said that both the husband and wife came to the ashram and expressed their wish to join the Sanatan Dharma faith. "They wanted to come home," he said.
"Our ashram facilitated their return by conducting rituals, including the performance of Havan and the bestowal of traditional symbols such as the sacred thread and Ganga water. The couple, adorned with Jai Shri Ram pataka (scarf), received idols representing the essence of Sanatan Dharma," Maharaj said.
According to Yashveer Maharaj, the ashram has till now guided 1,200 Muslim individuals to embrace Hinduism. Poonam had expressed her yearnings for the plant-based dietary habits she followed, when she was practising Hinduism. Poonam said that her in-laws' food habits were quite the opposite of her vegetarian diet. She also claimed that she was against killing animals.
Her decision to revert to Hinduism stemmed from a personal and spiritual quest, leading her to reclaim her name and faith. Shahnawaz, now known as Rahul, agreed to his wife's sentiments, embracing another faith.
The couple took a holy bath in the Ganges. They received blessings in the form of the offerings made during the Havan, accompanied by recitations from the Gayatri Mantra and Vedic hymns.
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