Studies in the Bhagavati Sutra

Author(s): J C Sikdar
Publisher: Research Institute of Prakrit Jainology & Ahimsa Mujjaffarpur

Page 290

Sec. VIII]
STUDIES IN THE BHAGAWATI SUTRA
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marana (death caused due to fall from self control, being subject to senses, because of starvation); Vaśartta-marana (death caused by the tortures or torments of the senses, i.e. due to being overpowered by the sensuous objects); Antaḥśalya-marana (death caused by the non-extraction of extraneous objects like pikes and thorns etc. or under the influence of passions); Tadbhava-marana (death which leads to the previous life due to some action); Giripatana-marana (death caused by the fall from the hill, i. e. accidental); Tarupatana marana (death caused by the fall from tree, i.e. accidental); Jalaprave samarana (death caused by drowning oneself, i. e. suicide); Jvalana-marana (death due to burning, entering into fire, i. e. suicide); Visabhaksana-marana (death by swallowing poision, a suicidal death); i. e. due to drinking of poison, it is Sastravapatana-marana (death due to the striking of weapon, i.e. murderous); Vehayasa-marana (death due to hanging from a tree, i.e. suicidal); Grddhas prsta-marana (death caused by the piercing or eating or devouring by the vulture or wild animals i. e. unnatural death)'.
Under the second category come the two voluntary saintly deaths, viz. Padapopagamana-marana (death embraced by the saint by becoming immobile like a tree in his meditative state), and Bhakta pratyakhyana-marana (death embraced by the saint by giving up food).
Padapopagamana is further divided into two groups, viz. Niharima (when the dead body is disposed of and some ceremony is performed by the fellow monks for his liberation) and Aniharima (when the dead body is left out in the forest or cave without burning and ceremony).'
Thus from the above account of the different classes of death an idea may be formed about various social forces which operated during the period of this canonical work to bring the life of an individual to an end in this mundane world.
1.2 Bhs, 2, 1, 91.
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