SUICIDE

[Guest guest]

What are the views in Hinduism regarding suicide?

 

Especially, what are the views in Tamil literature?

 

Are the Tamil black tigers, being misled in their 'martyrdom'?

 

In terms of the Gita, Krsna says to follow your dharma according to class (if you are a warrior then you should do battle), but later in the Mahabharata, there is instruction not to follow dharma if it endangers your life. Surely battle is endangering life?

However, how does this relate to suicide bombers?

 

moksa

[Kulapavana 0]

since your body belongs to Krishna you have no right to destroy it. ksatriyas will fight to death but only for the righteous cause. nationalism is NOT a righteous cause, it is part of Maya, or illusion. such "martyrs" only become tools for shrewd politicians greedy for power. and if they kill innocent people in their suicide, their future destination is indeed most hellish.

[yasodanandana 0]

we are spirit souls, we do not have connection with the matter.. so the body is given by god to interact with it when we want to fall in the world of maya

 

so the body is not ours.. if we destroy it we have to pay the karma

[Guest guest]

In Tamil literature there is much on sacrifice to Siva. There is a slight clash with the concept of purity for Brahmin but blood scarifice is said to be greater.

The story that relates this also points out that sacrifice of yourself for Siva is the greatest sacrifice you can do. There is also a story about a demon that once defeated by Siva decides to worship him, at one stage he begins to attack over devotees forcing Siva to kill him, however, he still attains oneness with Siva upon death. This could be seen as committing suicide by attacking other devotees. However, the Buddhist Sri Lankan's are not Siva worshippers. Surely then sacrifice of yourself and the enemy is the greatest sacrifice. Other Tamil stories suggest the exchange of self for the enemy in sacrifice. There are also tales of self-sacrifice to Siva where the devotee cuts off various parts of his own body in sacrifice, beheading themselves as the last cut of sacrifice.

Finally, a lot of Tamil Black Tigers are women, it may be worth looking at the role of Sati in their choice, although I am not too sure this is an influence it is another Siva myth.

 

 

[Priitaa 0]

In Krishna consciousness.........

 

Srila Prabhuada has explained that when one commits suicide they must stay on this earthly plane in the form of a ghost. They are forced to wander the earth in that state until their natural life span would have ended. While here they still feel hunger in a ghost body, still thirst, even sex desire, but have no way to satisfy any such desires because the body they could do that in, they have destroyed. Therefore it is a very frustrating position at best.

 

However if you put this post up because you know someone who has all ready committed suicide, there are ceremonies you can preform to help them. If it is you considering it, well, ceremonies work best for those who aren't counting on them or looking for a loophole. Or you may just be philosophically curious. In any case, should someone give you a gift, and you throw it on the floor and break it, that is very thankless. God has given us the gift of this body, so we need to be thankful for it and use it to "properly." The purpose of this human form of life is God Consciousness or Krishna consciousness. Animals cannot do it, only reincarnating to the point of human birth, then we are given this opportunity. Yes, life can be rough, but if we stick with it we can get through it and even out the other side. Can't rush or cheat the process. Gotta do it step by step, and then we achive the goal. Hare Krishna.

[Haridham 0]

There was a time when I was quite suicidle and thought I was lost and didnt have a way out. I thought I could chant and commit suicide and I have found a loop hole. The more I chanted the more I didnt want to commit suicide. There are no loopholes out of the material world.

 

When we go through these things we need association more then anything.

 

Sure we can tell people that they become ghosts or its a sinful act but when someone is in that state of mind they dont give a shoot. They should have people around them who can help them as well.

 

If people come out of it they become stronger and they realise its lack of spirituality and understanding of the material world that is causing the disturbance in their mind.

 

Hare Krsna

[Guest guest]

There was a time in my life that I was lost to myself. I did not want this material world anymore nor Did I want this false ego, which, at the time, I did not know how to get rid of. I decided that I was going to take my own life. That in death, I could get that which I could not find in life:peace. I had decided that the Mahamanta would be my death song. It was not for a loophole, but rather it was just what I wanted to hear as I left this world. But something beautifull hapeened. Everytime that I listened to it, it was as though there had been a gap created between me and my problems. I would listen to the chant and my true self would step forward. My false self would fall behind like a shadow of my shadow. Ironically, the Mahamantra was to be my death song, but it turned out to be the chant that brang me to life! Hare Krishna!Today, I can not fathom the idea of self-aniliation...only the aniliation of my false self.

[Guest guest]

Thus our need to constantly repeat the Holy Names, internally if not externally -- anything less is a form of suicide. Throughout his books, Srila Prabhupada emphasizes chanting always.

[ShegavichaRana 0]

Yes, Pritaaji is absolutely right. I was about to write the same comment. The soul, deprived of its untimely covering wanders in the space and is really tormented. Not only the person sins more by committing suicide, but the Sanchit Karma that he/she was about the pay or complete also remains incomplete. This angers God. Those who commit suicide by consuming poison are born as poisonous snakes on a solitary mountain where nothing grows. When he/she is born agains as a human, he/she is born with an additional disability as punishment for ending his/her life prematurely. When such a situation arises in one's life, one should offer sincere prayers to his spiritual master.

[Govindaram 1]

hare krishna.

 

I feel sometimes it could be in our karma if we commit/somebody commits suicide, everything else

is bound by laws of karma, so why Not this?

 

I have of-cource felt like suicide many times,

recently as well, the only thing that stops me,

is the fact i have not rendered any service to

Lord Krishna/Prabhupada/Pure Devotee/..that

cowherd boy really is testing my patience:).

 

Its amazing even at the point of death, we

rebel from Krishna, the sence of ego (being apart

from Krishna is so strong), prabhupada/previous

archaryas are right bhaktas/matas..

 

Just chant hare-krishna.

 

I have tried to 'enjoy' my life with all sorts

of sence gratification, but the pleasure of purity

chanting is so cool, ok so its still hard to do all

the time, but hey..it takes time, should't get a complex

if you temp 'fall-down', just carry on.

 

Chant & Be Happy!!

[AncientMariner 0]

 

 

 

Fasting until you die while chanting the mahamantra? Or just walking off into the mountains and walking until you perish while chanting mahamantra? Is that considered suicide? I thought I read in Srila Prabhupada's books that in the Kali-yuga a man should retire to the forrest at the age of 50.

[yasodanandana 0]

Fasting until you die while chanting the mahamantra? Or just walking off into the mountains and walking until you perish while chanting mahamantra? Is that considered suicide?

•••••yes, it is a suicide because it is not granted that at the very moment of the death we overcome the fear and we think about krsna, Actually if we are not realized it simply does not work.

 

If we are not realized there's no possibility to "provoke" realization with such systems or, from the opposite point of view, a realized person does not try to die in krsna consciousness, simply he do lives in krsna consciousness without considering death (abhay = fearless)

 

"I thought I read in Srila Prabhupada's books that in the Kali-yuga a man should retire to the forrest at the age of 50"

•••if one's has the qualities he should take sannyasa and live the last part of the life completely out of the material conception... but if he (she) has (or has developed) the qualities, a fake sannyasa or renounced, or monk, or brahmana for the society is worst than aids, ebola, terrorism, drugs, abortion etc.

[AncientMariner 0]

 

 

 

I distinctly remember reading in Srila Prabhupada's books that if a person wastes there life in sense gratification but at the end of their life if they go to a forrest and leave their body where it will never be found by any of their relatives they will be raised to the highest goal of life or Krishna.

[AncientMariner 0]

 

 

 

A lot of devotees die because they can no longer stand the pain of seperation from Krishna any longer. A lot of the gopis died trying to get to Krishna and to the uneducated mind they would probably think they were suicidal.

[yasodanandana 0]

"at the end of their life if they go to a forrest and leave their body where it will never be found by any of their relatives they will be raised to the highest goal of life or Krishna."

••••i do not even ask to you the quotation, but , examining the all prabhupada siddhanta, you think that going back to godhead could be so easy?

obviously the phrase has to be put in a context.. gong to the forest means to have developed the real qualities of a detached and pure sannyasi.. and the forest is the society where a sannyasi has to go to preach

[yasodanandana 0]

A lot of devotees die because they can no longer stand the pain of seperation from Krishna any longer.

••••but this has nothing to do with us

 

A lot of the gopis died trying to get to Krishna

••••but this has nothing to do with us

 

A lot of the gopis died trying to get to Krishna and to the uneducated mind they would probably think they were suicidal

•••••we are uneducated.. educated means "uttama adhikari"

 

we have only to chant hare krishna, this is the only ticket to go to vaikunta. Prabhupada and acharyas never suggested suicide as a way to liberation and realization, and i suggest to you to be careful.. for newcomers and for non devotee visitors.. we do not contemplate in any way the suicide as a form of spiritual realizatione

[AncientMariner 0]

 

 

 

I am not attempting to advocate suicide. The civilization I live in advocates suicide far more than I ever could by encouraging people to become attached to material opulence and a beautiful wife. I agree with you chant Hare Krishna and be happy.

[Guest guest]

oh... no offence.. you are a devotee!!

 

YND

[Govindaram 1]

hare krishna

 

Going back to my previous post, Govinda also says in the Gita, that when ppls die in different modes of nature there destination is different, ignorance/passion/goodness/trancendence, we cannot cheat Krishna, He can definately 'cheat' us. Nowhere in the Vedas is it recommended that the process of self-realisation can be acieved by suicide, givin-up your life for Krishna- in the case of the GOPIS, i cannot even comment on their love for Krishna. Ask yourself this, 'right i will surender and completly rely on krishna', givin-up your life is MATERIAL desire (suicide) ONLY. Unless of-cource you are in trancendence then you are beyond the purview of the body.