History of Dharmashastra (Ancient and Mediaeval Religious and Civil Law in India) v5.c75.1019

v5.c75.1019

Suicide, 604-613, see under 'satī', Alberuni's remarks on religious s. 610, by starting on the Great Journey (mahāprasthānagamana) or by falling in fire or from a precipice forbidden in Kali age 302, 308, Dharmaśāstra writers generally condemn s. as a great sin 604, divergent views of Hārīta and Manu as to allowing s as a prāyaścitta for grave sins like incest 604, every kind of s. was not condemned by the ancient smṛtis 525, exceptions to the condemnation of suicide are found in the epics, smṛtis and purāṇas 302, 525, 604-605, five meritorious kinds of suicide mentioned in Āīn-i-Akbari 605n, gradually there was a revulsion of feeling against suicide at Prayāga or other tīrthas and against starting on the Great Journey in the Himālaya 608; great poets like Kālidāsa believed that those who killed themselves at Prayāga or Vaṭa became free from the cycle of births and deaths even though they had not correct knowledge of the Supreme Reality 605, historical examples of kings committing religious suicide at holy places 605, householder was allowed to commit s. even if all right, by fall, or fire or drowning if his life's work was done, or if he does not desire the pleasures of life and is a Vedāntin 604, important verse found in Vanaparva and some purāṇas relied upon for the approval of religious suicide at Prayāga 606, Kūrma-purāṇa recommends four modes of religious s and promises residence in heaven for thousands of years 607, an old man or a man unable to observe rules of bodily purification or a man so ill as to be beyond medical skill was allowed by some smṛtis to kill himself by jumping from a precipice or by fire or by drowning or fasting or jumping from Vaṭa tree at Prayāga 604, one who, knowingly or unknowingly, wilfully or unintentionally, dies in the Ganges, secures on death heaven and mokṣa (according to Padma) 607, psychology behind religious s 611, religious suicide at Puruṣottama is referred to in Brahmapurāṇa 701, religious suicide was allowed at Prayāga or at the Vaṭa there or at some other tīrthas 604, 608, some medieval digests allowed religious s to all varṇas while Tīrthaprakāśa restricts it to members of castes other than the first 609, some smṛtis, the Mahābhārata and some Purāṇas do recommend religious s. at Prayāga and other holy places 607-608, some writers of medieval times combat the view that religious s is permitted 608-609, Tristhalīsetu refuses authority to commit s. at Prayāga to any person abandoning his old parents, young wife and children and to women who are pregnant or have young children or have no permission from husband 609, wife was allowed to die on her husband's death by *sahagamana* or *anumarana* 604