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Prayopavesa

Hindu practice of suicide by fasting

Summary

Hindu practice of suicide by fasting

Prayopavesa (, , ) is a practice in Hinduism that denotes the death by fasting of a person who has no desire or ambition left, and no responsibilities remaining in life. It is also allowed in cases of terminal disease or great disability. A similar practice exists in Jainism, termed Santhara.

Conditions and rules

Performing prayopavesa is bound by very strict regulations. Only a person who has no desire or ambition left, and no responsibilities remaining in life, is entitled to perform it. The decision to do so must be publicly declared well in advance. Ancient lawmakers stipulated the conditions that allow prayopavesa; they are one's inability to perform normal bodily purification, death appears imminent or the condition is so bad that life's pleasures are nil, and the action is done under community regulation.

Examples

Parikshit is described to have observed the prayopavesa when the Bhagavata Purana was narrated to him by the sage Shuka, son of Vyasa.

In 1982, Acharya Vinoba Bhave (spiritual successor of Mahatma Gandhi) died by prayopavesa.

On 11 January 1997 Swami Nirmalananda subjected himself to prayopavesa.

In October 2001, Satguru Sivaya Subramuniyaswami subjected himself to prayopavesa. Subramuniyaswami was diagnosed to be suffering from terminal intestinal cancer. He later died on the 32nd day of his fast on November 12.

References

General

References

  1. "Prayopavesa". Orientalia.
  2. (2009-08-25). "Hinduism - Euthanasia and Suicide". [[BBC]].
  3. Subramuniya. (2001). "The master course, Book 2". Himalayan Academy Publications.
  4. "Prayopavesa (Ritual Fasting to Death) by Satguru Sivaya Subramuniyaswami".
  5. Subramuniyaswami, Sivaya. (2003). "Dancing With Siva: Hinduism's Contemporary Catechism". Himalayan Academy Publications.
  6. (1979). "Ancient Indian Tradition & Mythology;: The Bhāgavata-purāṇa". Motilal Banarsidass.
  7. (September 1, 1997). "A Saint's Self-Willed Death". [[Hinduism Today]].
Wikipedia Source

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