Traverses on Less Trodden Path of Indian Philosophy and Religion

Author(s): Yajneshwar S Shastri
Publisher: L D Indology Ahmedabad

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Traverses on less trodden path...
societies, what is actually punished is the unsuccessful attempt to commit suicide but not a successful attempt, because, if the attempt is success ful, there is nobody to be punished. If the attempt is unsuccessful and the person survives, he will not be allowed to go unpunished. In suicidal tendency either man punishes himself by successful attempt or is punished by Law. In either case, this tendency is punished. Again, according to Hindu thinkers, the person being a part and parcel of social system, his body naturally belongs to society as a whole. He is not owner of his own bod., in real sense. It is the property of the society. Destroying one's own body means destruction of public property which is again a great offence. So, Hindu society has considered suicide as offence and strong law is prescribed to check it. A similar example is found in mediaeval Europe. The self-murderer was deprived of his rights which were granted to all other criminals. 80
Jainism also considers suicide to be a great sin. It declares that he who is actuated by passions, puts an end to his life by poison, weapors, by water, fire, or by stopping breath, is certainly guilty of suicide 81 and such kind of suicider is reborn as a demon, 32 Buddhism, upholds tbe same view and maintains that generally dire miseries are in store for the suiciders and the society look upon him as one who must have sinned deeply in a former state of existence. 33 It declares that a monk who encourages or preaches suicide is no monk at all.54 I-tsing, the Chinese traveller, tells us that, Indian Buddhists abstained from suicide and in general from self-torture. 36
From these abovementioned accounts, we can conclude that, all the three religions of India condemned suicide as unethical and opposed to religion. It was disapproved by Indian culture and religions, because, suicide involves self-condemnation or self-hatred. Unless you hate yourself, you cannot kill yourself. This is what is disapproved and prohibited by Indian society. But there are many kinds of self-immolations or voluntary deaths, prevalent in ancient and mediaeval India which were approved by religions and society as a whole. Religiously and socially approved kinds are : death by drowning at the confluence of the Ganga and Yamuna, and at other sacred rivers; self-cremation at one of the places of pilgrimage: hanging head-downwards over a blazing
30, Hiatory of Suicide in India, pp. 118-121, 198. 31. Puruşartha Siddh yupāya, p. 178. 32. History of Suicide in India, p. 101. 33. Ibid., p. 106, 34. Sacred Books of the East, XIII-4. 35. History of Suicide in India, p. 110.