Laurene Powell Jobs falls ill at Maha Kumbh, recovering after ‘Ganga snan’

The billionaire businesswoman-philanthropist has been given a new name, 'Kamla', by her guru Mahamandaleshwar Swami Kailashanand Giri of the Niranjani Akhara

Mahakumbh Nagar: Overwhelmed by the huge crowds at the Maha Kumbh, Laurene Powell Jobs, the widow of Apple co-founder Steve Jobs, was briefly indisposed but is recovering after ‘Ganga snan’ and rest.

Her enthusiasm to learn about Sanatan Dharma remains strong, according to a statement issued by the Uttar Pradesh government on Tuesday.

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The billionaire businesswoman-philanthropist has been given a new name, ‘Kamla’, by her guru Mahamandaleshwar Swami Kailashanand Giri of the Niranjani Akhara.

“Laurene was briefly unwell on Monday but is feeling better after ‘Ganga Snan’ and rest. Her enthusiasm to delve deeper into Sanatan Dharma remains strong,” the government statement quoted Swami Kailashanand as saying.

Swami Kailashanand said that she faced some health issues due to the crowds. He described his newest disciple as a “simple, virtuous, and humble” woman with a keen interest in Sanatan Dharma. “She is free from ego and fully devoted to her guru,” he said.

“All her questions revolve around Sanatan Dharma and she finds great joy and satisfaction in the answers,” he added. Mahant Ravindra Puri, chief of Panchayati Akhara Shri Niranjani, said that Laurene’s quest for spirituality brought her to the Maha Kumbh.

“She has a new name here, Kamla. She is very simple, soft and bereft of ego and is here as she was inspired by the timeless sanatani culture,” said Puri, who is also the president of the Akhil Bharatiya Akhara Parishad (ABAP), the apex body of 13 monastic Hindu orders.

“Her quest for spirituality brought her here. The way she has conducted herself in the akhara makes it clear that despite being among the world’s richest and most famous, she is sans all ego and does not show-off. Here she dresses simply and conducts herself gracefully,” he added.

Barring a few short video clips of her that were shared by news outlets last week, Laurene has largely avoided the media at the world’s largest religious gathering so far.