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Concept of Santhärä (Samadhimaraņa) in Jainism : 73
Section III
Santhārā is not a Suicide: Those who have not understood the correct meaning of the Santhira misinterpret it as suicide. But in depth study proves that both are entirely different. In the Acārārgasūtra, we find an aphorism, kasāye payaņue kiccă appāhāro titikkhāye.? In this sūtra, the thinning of the passion and the reduction of the diet have been propounded as a twofold austerity. The mere reduction of diet without thinning the passions cannot achieve the end. Therefore the internal austerity of thinning the passions and the external austerity of reducing the diet, both are accepted as penance by the followers of the Jina. So such an auspicious way of achieving death can never be compared with the irreligious act of suicide.
A Jaina resolving to undergo Santhārā knows it well that he has eaten a lot of food to sustain his body during his life. Now, when the body does not cooperate to help in living meaningfully any more, the person should resolve for Santhārā. As per the Jaina religion, the body is called a boat, the soul is a boats man, the worldly existence is an ocean which the great sages cross over through the pious practice of Santhārā.28 But in suicide, the body is healthy, all the organs of the body are well functional and some unfovorable situation which he/she feels to be incapable of facing it courageously, ends one's life merely to elope from the life situations.
Santhārā is undertaken with positive thinking and perfect understanding of the purpose of human life. During the period of Santhārā, all the relatives, if available, monk or nun try to sing inspirational songs and motivate the observer to stay in equanimity and embrace the death happily. While suicide is the result of negative thinking and deluded world view towards the purpose of human life.
In many cases of Santhārā, many mysterious incidents occur. The observer achieves extra sensory knowledge and foretells that I am
| SR No. | 525093 |
| Book Title | Sramana 2015 07 |
| Original Sutra Author | N/A |
| Author | Sundarshanlal Jain, Ashokkumar Singh |
| Publisher | Parshvanath Vidhyashram Varanasi |
| Publication Year | 2015 |
| Total Pages | 114 |
| Language | Hindi |
| Classification | Magazine, India_Sramana, & India |
| File Size | 13 MB |