Manava Dharmashastra 5.88.3

5.88.3

pāpaṃ ca karma pratiṣiddham | atra pratiṣiddhaṃ yo'nutiṣṭhati sa pāpakarmetyupapadyate | anuṣṭhātṛtvaṃ ca svavyāpāreṇa paraprayoktṛtayā ca | tatra na vaidyutadaṃṣṭriśṛṅgādayaḥ | te ca na prayujyante | nāpi te śvabhrodakakhaḍgādisthānīyāḥ | yena tadupādānenātmānaṃ ghnan svatantraḥ kartā syāt | kiṃtarhi yasyedṛśaṃ maraṇamupanataṃ sa pūrvajanmani kṛtapātaka iti śāstreṇa jñāpyate | yathā śyāvadantaprabhṛtayaḥ | tatrāpi kimetena jñāpitena | aṅgahīnādīnāṃ pūrvapāpasambandhitvaṃ jñāpyate | prāyaścittamanuṣṭheyaṃ yathā vasiṣṭhenoktaṃ kasyacitkṛcchradvayacaraṇaṃ kasyacidabhyadhikamapi | iha mṛtyunā sambandhikārasyāpahṛtatvānnā'rtho'nena | yadi vā'sau kṛtapātaka ityavasīyate | tena saha yena kenacit yaunamaukhasrauvāḥ sambandhāḥ kṛtāḥ so'pi pāpakārī syāt | na caivaṃ śiṣṭānāmācāraḥ | na hi tādṛśena sambandhaṃ kṛtavantaḥ kenaciccikitsyante | prāyaścittaṃ nācaranti | ata icchatāmanumīyate | ye tu 'gobrāhmaṇahatānām' iti smṛtyantare paṭhitvā 'ātmanastyāgināmiti' pṛthak paṭhanti tena viśeṣavattaḥ pratibhāti | ataḥ saṃśayaḥ | kiṃ punaratra yuktam | icchatāmiti | kutaḥ | pāpakarmavacanāt | svecchayā yaścātmavyāpattihetau vyāpāre pravartate tena "tasmāduha na purāyuṣaḥ svaḥkāmī preyāditi" śāstramatikrāntaṃ bhavati | sa ca yuktaḥ pāpakarmeti vyapadeṣṭum | "nanu coktaṃ na hi te khaṅgādisthānīyāḥ, yenecchayā vadhopapattiḥ |"

(B) On the other hand, the verse quoted uses the term ‘sinful’; and all sinful act has been prohibited; he who does what is prohibited is called ‘sinful’. And a man becomes the ‘doer’ of an act through his own initiative, as also through the urging of another person. Now, death ‘from lightning, and the fanged and horned animals’ could never belong to the former category (i.e. this could never be intentional); and no one is ever urged by others to such death; nor are these means of dying employed by suicides, as holes, water and sword etc., are, and it is only if these were so, and the man were to kill himself by having recourse to these, that he could be the ‘self-sufficient agett (agent?),’ of the act of ‘dying.’ The truth therefore is that the man who comes by such death is understood to have been sinful in his previous life,—as is learnt from the scriptures; just as the possession of ‘black teeth’ and the rest. If it be asked—‘what is the use of this fact of the man’s having been sinful in the past being indicated?’ But in the case of persons with deficient limbs etc.,; their previous connection with sin is clearly indicated; and the expiatory rite to be performed in the case has been laid down by Vaśiṣṭha, as consisting, in the case of some men, of the performance of two Kṛcchras, and in that of others, of something more.

(C) In reality however, the suicide having died, can have nothing to do with the performance of any rites. Or, if he be regarded as having commited a grievous sin, then, any person who may have entered into any kind of relationship with him—marital, or friendly, or sacrificial,—would also have to be regarded as sinful. But such is not the usage of cultured men. For as a matter of fact, people having relationship with suicides are not looked down upon in any way; nor do they perform any expiatory rites.

From this it follows that what is meant is intentional death.

(D) Some people, having read, in another Smṛti text, the words—‘those killed by cows and Brāhmaṇas etc.’—read the words ‘those who have abandoned themselves’ apart by themselves, and seem to take up an entirely different position.

From all this (A, B, C and D) there arises the above-mentioned doubt—as to what is the right view.

The right view is that intentional suicides are what are meant;—why?—because of their being spoken of as ‘sinful.’ The man who intentionally proceeds to set into activity the causes leading to his own death, wilfully disobeys the law that ‘no man shall by his own desire, cut off his life-span and it is only right that such a transgressor should be spoken of as ‘sinful.’

“But it has been said and pointed out above that the causes of death spoken of do not resemble the sword and other things used by suicides; so that the intentional killing of oneself could not be meant.”