World of Philosophy

Author(s): Christopher Key Chapple, Intaj Malek, Dilip Charan, Sunanda Shastri, Prashant Dave
Publisher: Shanti Prakashan

Page 904

of one's own making. A victim of suicide is either a victim of his own mental weakness or of external circumstances which he is not able to circumvent. Modern social scientists, such as, Henry Morselli, Westermark, Emile Durkheim and others, who have made substantial contribution to the study of suicide, listed various cauees and influences which drive a person to end his precious life.13 Even causes of suicide mentioned by Kautilyalla are very much similar to these modern thinkers. This fact reveals that the causes are more or less similar throughout the ages.
The area of this research paper is restricted to the study of place of suicide in Indian culture and religions right from Vedic times down to the present day. Suicide means, destroying one's self by means employed by one's self. The corresponding word in Indian religions is atmaghāta or atmahanana. This word ātmaghāta (-suicide) is used in two different senses. First of all, it means voluntary self-killing or selfdestruction which is committed out of pure melancoly, disappointment in love, unhappiness in one's life and on account of other worldly considerations. 12 Secondly, it is used by the ancient philosophers in the sense of not caring for realisation of one's own self.13
Indian culture and religions viz. Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism have approved many other kinds of voluntary deaths (either religious or social ) in certain circumstances such as mahāprasthāna (the great journey), prāyopaveśana (fasting unto death ); jalasamādhi (drowning in sacred river); agnipraveśa (entering fire); bhrgupatana (falling headlong from a cliff); sati, jauhur etc., which are not included in the category of suicide or ātmaghāta. Thus the word suicide is used in a limited sense. All kinds of voluntary deaths are not called suicides by followers of Indian culture and religions. The reason is that suicide or self-sacrifice for a cause is different from suicide on account of frustration. If one commits suicide for a frustration, he succumbs to weakness which is condemmed by society. If a person kills one's self for a noble cause, i.e. lays down one's own life for religious cause or for the benefit of entire society, his act is approved by the religion or society. But the word suicide is losely used for social and religious sacrifice by certain Western and Indian scholars14 which may not be cent percent true in the context of Indian culture and religions. In fact they are not suicides but self-sacrifices for higher cause. Let us examine the place of suicide and other kinds of voluntary deaths or self-immolations in Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism to find out the truth of this matter.
Ordinary suicide is denounced by all these three religions of India as an absolutely degrading act. We have already noted that the lśāvāsyopanisat (1200 B.C. to 600 B.C.) bitterly attacks those who indulge in heinous act like suicide. It is condemned to postmortuary penalties which
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