ISJS Jainism Study Notes E5 Vol 03

Author(s): International School for Jain Studies
Publisher: International School for Jain Studies

Page 18

2. In most cases, the reporting of the cases is incomplete and does not carry most vital
information about the aspirant practitioner such as age, period of preparatory penance and period of fast unto death, the supervising monk, etc. In most cases it only mentions that such and such person has died a peaceful death (Samādhimarana) without any further elaboration. In all such cases it has been assumed that the aspirant practitioner had taken the vow of "Voluntary Peaceful
Death' and died on the same day. 3. It has been assumed that the person embracing Voluntary Peaceful Death had
forgiven all and sought forgiveness of all, especially those with whom he was inimical
earlier. 4. In 81 cases out of 350, the age of the aspirant practitioner had not been indicated.
These cases have been distributed in proportion to the age group wise distribution
arrived at from the remaining 269 cases. 5. In cases where no specific mention of the preparatory penance (Sallekhanā) has
been made, it has been assumed that no preparatory penance was undertaken.
2.3 The Findings of the Study Incidence of Samadhimaraņa The sample of 350 cases analyzed here is, at best, only a part sample. Extrapolation has been resorted to arrive at the more plausible figure of 700 cases in the last ten years for the sections of Jaina (especially the Śvetāmbara sect) represented by them. Also, the periodicals referred to P represent only some sections of the Jaina society and, as such, the figure of 700 cases of 'Voluntary Peaceful Death' is also only a part of the total figure. A conservative estimate arrived at by extrapolating these figures is that nearly 2400 cases of Samadhimarana must have taken place in the last ten years, which account for almost 240 cases per year or twenty cases per month. This is, by no means a mean figure and it shows the importance attached to this practice in the Jaina scheme of spiritual practices. This figure also holds well with an estimated figure reported in the 'India Today' dated 18 February, 2001 wherein it has been claimed that only two sections of Svetāmbara (Sthānakavāsi and Terāpanthi) Jainas report 170 cases of Samādhimaraņa per year.
STUDY NOTES version 5.0
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