Sallekhana
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Sallekhana (San-Le-Kh-na) (also called Santhara, Prayopavesha Samadhi, or Samnyasa-marana) is a Jain practise of voluntary death through fasting.
As with most religious traditions, Hinduism and Jainism both consider suicide a wrong that only retains the karma from the current life and makes you relive it all over again in your new incarnation. However Sallekhana, which typically consists of starvation and/or dehydration, is considered a more noble and acceptable action. This is to because it requires a very high echelon of thoughts to be able to realise that one is open to death. The very fundamentals of death hold how the living beings fear it, how they are "mortals". However, such a thing as giving up all food and water requires a very strong will power backing a desire to have the highest control over "moh" (affection) towards the material things, the supreme of which is considered to be life itself.
Thus a person happily gives up food and water till death arrives, and such a death is considered to be a great thing and is highly craved, respected and revered under certain religious traditions, especially Jainism. The idea is that while a soul is always encumbered with the Karma and has attachment and affection to all worldly affairs, however one which has realised the truth to some extent feels detached from the materialist world. It is indeed a very difficult decision to make, and only "enlightened souls" are supposed to have the ability to undertake such a course of action.
Herein, one is required to detach themselves from all things in their life, including food and water, and spend their time in meditation until death sets in, to ensure that the undertaking is understood and received peacefully.
Mostly committed by ascetics in the Hindu tradition, it is not so uncommon amongst Jains and quite a few household men and women undertake santhara, especially in the older age. Of course, amongst Jains too it is practised more by the Shramans and Sadhvis (Jain Monks and Nuns).
Chandragupta Maurya, Sane Guruji, Veer Savarkar and Vinoba Bhave are all claimed to have died through Sallekhana.
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[edit] Jainism and Santhara
In Jain Santhara is a religious fast to the death when all purposes of life have been served. It involves abandoning all 18 types of sins and 4 types of foods. In order to complete the fast, practitioners must also abandon their bodies, and any feelings relating to it.
During Pratikraman, Jainists must repent for their misdoings, violent acts, falsehoods, thefts, sensualities and worldly belongings, if possible in front of a Guru.
After the 12 vows, they express their desire for the peaceful, voluntary and planned religious death or Santharo.
[edit] 5 Violations of the Vow of Santhara
- Desiring worldly status
- Desiring to become a divine personality after death,
- Desiring prolonged life with the view of becoming popular,
- Desiring early death, in order to cut short the physical pains etc.
- Desiring sensual pleasures of the world.
Afterwards, the practitioner prays that his or her sins may be dissolved, Tassa Michchhami Dukkadam.
[edit] References and Recommended Reading
[edit] Scriptural References
While the early Vedas accepted religious suicides, the Upanishads never distinguished between different forms of suicide and condemned them all.
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