Prayopavesa is a practice in Hinduism

Hinduism

Hinduism is the predominant and indigenous religious tradition of the Indian Subcontinent. Hinduism is known to its followers as , amongst many other expressions...

 that denotes the voluntary fasting to death 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

Jainism

Jainism is an Indian religion that prescribes a path of non-violence towards all living beings. Its philosophy and practice emphasize the necessity of self-effort to move the soul towards divine consciousness and liberation. Any soul that has conquered its own inner enemies and achieved the state...

, termed Santhara

Santhara

Santhara , is the Jain religious ritual of voluntary death by fasting. Supporters of the practice believe that Santhara cannot be considered suicide, but rather something one does with full knowledge and intent, while suicide is viewed as emotional and hasty...

.

Conditions and rules

Committing Prayopavesa is bound by very strict regulations. Only a person who has no desire or ambition left, and no responsibilities remaining in life are 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.

Euthanasia context

Prayopavesa is regarded differently from the notion of suicide as used in modern society. Suicide of an unfulfilled being is generally disapproved in Hinduism, as it is believed it disrupts the timing of the cycle of death and rebirth and therefore yields bad karma. Additionally, human life is regarded to be a precious opportunity to attain higher states of rebirth, one that even the gods envy. It is also said to have dire consequences for the soul's spiritual progress.

Prayopavesa differs from suicide as such, as it exclusively non-violent and uses only natural means. Prayopavesa is only used when it is the right time for this life to end - when this body has served its purpose and become a burden. Unlike the suddenness of suicide, Prayopavesa is a gradual process, giving ample time to prepare oneself and those around one for one's death. While suicide is often associated with feelings of frustration, depression, or anger, Prayopavesa is associated with feelings of serenity.

Examples

It was when the king Parikshit was observing prayopavesa, that the Bhagavata Purana

Bhagavata purana

The Bhāgavata Purāṇa is one of the "Maha" Puranic texts of Hindu literature, with its primary focus on bhakti to the incarnations of Vishnu, particularly Krishna...

 was narrated to him by the sage Śuka

Suka

The Suka was a unique fiddle that was played vertically, on the knee or hanging from a strap, and the strings were stopped at the side with the fingernails; similar to the Gadulka. The body of the instrument was very similar to the modern violin, but the neck was very wide, and the pegbox was crude...

, son of Vyasa

Vyasa

Vyasa is a central and revered figure in most Hindu traditions. He is also sometimes called Veda Vyasa , or Krishna Dvaipayana...

.

In November 2001, Satguru Sivaya Subramuniyaswami

Satguru Sivaya Subramuniyaswami

Sivaya Subramuniyaswami , also known as Gurudeva by his followers, was born in Oakland, California, on January 5, 1927, and adopted Saivism as a young man. He traveled to India and Sri Lanka where he received initiation from Yogaswami of Jaffna in 1949...

, a Hindu leader born in California took his own life by prayopavesa. He discovered he had contracted untreatable intestinal cancer, and he subsequently meditated for days before announcing he would accept pain-killing treatment only and would undertake prayopavesa. The Satguru later died on the 32nd day of his fast.

See also

• Right to die
  Right to die
  The right to die is the ethical or institutional entitlement of the individual to commit suicide or to undergo voluntary euthanasia. Possession of this right is often understood to mean that a person with a terminal illness should be allowed to commit suicide or assisted suicide or to decline...
  
  
• Euthanasia
  Euthanasia
  Euthanasia refers to the practice of intentionally ending a life in order to relieve pain and suffering....
  
  
• Sokushinbutsu
  Sokushinbutsu
  Sokushinbutsu were Buddhist monks or priests who caused their own deaths in a way that resulted in their mummification. This practice reportedly took place almost exclusively in northern Japan around the Yamagata Prefecture. It is believed that many hundreds of monks tried, but only between 16 and...
  
  
• Catharist endura
• Sallekhana